Axolotl Dying With Broken Leg!!

When I went to feed my axolotls today (I have two, they're maybe four inches long) I noticed one of them, Alabaster, had a horribly angled leg, all twisted and limp and she's not using it. Her buddy in the tank, Ollie, appears to have broken it. Alabaster arrived to me with Ollie, and she had two missing hand, a missing tip of her tail, and just recently she's lost three gills. It appears Ollie is extremely aggressive with her. She grew back the first hand just fine, but the other things are taking her far longer than normal, so I think Ollie's eating all her food, too. He is much plumper than her and regrows things quicker, too. Now she's got a missing front right hand and a broken-looking back right leg, so her right side is completely useless. She tilts and hobbles on it, and generally stays at the bottom of the tank, looking sick and weak. I'm going to separate them immediately, but what should I do about Alabaster's broken leg?

 

Definitely separate them asap, that's going to be the most important thing. While I don't have any axolotl experience, I was thinking you likely wouldn't want it to heal that way, so I assumed a badly broken leg would need some type of amputation (obviously by a vet, probably not the best DIY) but I actually stumbled upon quite a few people asking questions like yours and all of the responses were something similar to "no need to worry, they'll regenerate the limb" never knew that before! That's pretty cool! Hopefully someone with axolotl experience can confirm this, but I would just separate them, monitor her, and care for any external wounds (torn skin, etc.) as needed. Do you have any vets nearby or just any that you know of that offer care for aquatic animals? If you do, it wouldn't hurt to give them a call and get their opinion. Sometimes vets that specialize in "exotics" (birds, reptiles, etc.) will also deal with fish. Hopefully someone with axolotl experience will chime in, but I tend to overreact to my animals injuries… I'm willing to bring $3 betta fish to the vet haha, but I'm thinking the broken leg will be nothing to worry about.

 

Definitely separate them asap, that's going to be the most important thing. While I don't have any axolotl experience, I was thinking you likely wouldn't want it to heal that way, so I assumed a badly broken leg would need some type of amputation (obviously by a vet, probably not the best DIY) but I actually stumbled upon quite a few people asking questions like yours and all of the responses were something similar to "no need to worry, they'll regenerate the limb" never knew that before! That's pretty cool! Hopefully someone with axolotl experience can confirm this, but I would just separate them, monitor her, and care for any external wounds (torn skin, etc.) as needed. Do you have any vets nearby or just any that you know of that offer care for aquatic animals? If you do, it wouldn't hurt to give them a call and get their opinion. Sometimes vets that specialize in "exotics" (birds, reptiles, etc.) will also deal with fish. Hopefully someone with axolotl experience will chime in, but I tend to overreact to my animals injuries… I'm willing to bring $3 betta fish to the vet haha, but I'm thinking the broken leg will be nothing to worry about.

Thanks! I'm trying hard to find a vet for axolotls, and I've separated the two. She's not very active, but I'm certain she'll live for now, in what condition I can't say.

 

Feed her frequently in small amounts until you see progress!

 

Update: I'm taking her to the vet this afternoon. Luckily I found an exotic animal clinic that takes axolotls. Should I ask if they can amputate? The bone is in two, there's no way it's going to heal itself properly.

 

I would just ask what can be done, and what you need to do to help her heal. I'm sure they'll suggest what you need to do whether it be amputate or just monitor her.

 

Another update: She saw the exotic-animal vet yesterday. I was quite surprised to see I had found someone who would willingly and easily preform surgery on a tiny axolotl. They examined the wound and put her under general anesthesia, then trimmed the leg and woke her up. They sent her home with seven days' worth antibiotics to put in her water for daily hour-long antibiotic baths. She's doing much better, just missing a leg. Let's hope she grows it back.

 

Awesome! Sounds like she will be okay, good to hear!