hi guys-
two of my axolotls died, and i am really upset by it. they were young adults, raised by me from embryos. they were in a 20L(ong) gallon tank, no other animals. they died within 23 hours of each other. both were males, and appeared to be absolutely thriving. they both looked absolutely gorgeous, literally up until i found them dead. i suspect some kind of water poisoning, as they both seemed so healthy, and they both died so close together. additionally, there weren't any signs of trauma/parasites/fungus/etc. my number one suspect is a rock i used to weigh down a plastic 'igloo,' the kind sold as ferret hiding places. the rock orginally came from outside, in an area that appeared to be pesticide free. i boiled and cleansed the rock (only a bit of soap at the outset, and several lenghty washes, soaks, and scrubs after that with just water, ammo-lock, and stress coat, not in that order). the igloo was also cleaned, though a bit less vigorously, and without any soap (i had successfully used plastic in axolotl tanks before). i also added a 'hamster tunnel,' but i doubt that could have been the cause, as i had used that specific brand previously, with much success. other than those three items, the tank had only typical aquatic stuff in it (no gravel). anyways, i have had them stored in a freezer, and i'm at a lost for what step to take next. i need to get them necropsied (granted, some tissue can be destroyed by freezing, but i had limited options & need to do what i can). i love axolotls, and spent a lot of money on setting up their tank. i still have one axoltol left, and she's living in the fridge, with a case of fungus. (she never lived with the two that died, she was much larger than they were, and she's been battling fungus for months). anyways- i am baffled by these deaths, as i wrote my undergrad thesis on axolotls, and cared for hundreds of them myself. also, they appeared to be thriving for a month and a half or so. so- does anyone have any idea where i should look to find out the cause of death? i thought i might try contacting veterinarians in my area that specialize in reptiles & exotics. i need to figure out what went wrong, because i can't afford to discard my setup, if possible. i'm also not willing to move my remaining axolotl out of the fridge (she has stabilized, but needs a bigger container) until i'm sure i can treat her fungus safely in the tank (sorry for the poor grammar, i'm in a hurry!)
thank you,
marla
