A healthy axolotl will have three pairs of feathery external gills framing its perpetually smiling face. Yet, one day you may find that your axolotl’s normally flowing gills have curled tips. Is this cause for concern?
The short answer: it depends. Some axolotls develop naturally curly gills as they mature; in other cases, it could be a sign of stress.
Suddenly Curled Gills Could Indicate Problems
Although axolotls in captivity are fairly inbred (and therefore distantly related to one another), there are a lot of colorful varieties within the species. For example, while many people are familiar with the leucistic axolotl, which are light pink in color, there are also piebald, mosaic, and “silver dalmatian” morphs. Along with pattern and coloration variety, axolotls may also have some physical distinctions, which can include their overall size, external gill length, and torso’s roundness.
If you purchased an axolotl as a juvenile, it could have gills that naturally curl forward as part of its natural anatomy. You would only dig deeper if your axolotl has unusually curled gills. Reasons could range from anything from parasites, improper diet, and imbalanced water parameters. While you investigate the cause of your axolotl’s curled gills, you may consider tubbing them. Here, you remove them from the main aquarium and place them in a small container with dechlorinated water.
While tubbing your axolotl and removing any external factors, you can more easily diagnose the source of their stress. You may find they’re not stressed at all; they just look like that!
Imbalanced Water Parameters Can Threaten Axolotls’ Well-Being
As a responsible pet owner, it’s vital to understand the signs of stress in your axolotl, so you can intervene and work to address the stressor’s cause. Improper water parameters are among the leading causes of stress in axolotls, and by extension, a leading cause of curled gills.
Take some time to assess your axolotl’s water quality if you’re concerned about their health. Start with measuring the water’s temperature. Axolotls are native to two cold freshwater lakes; so, as pets, their habitat should reflect that, measuring 60 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
If the water is the correct temperature, use an aquarium testing kit to test its ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels. Ammonia and nitrite should always be at 0 ppm. You have some flexibility with nitrate, with the ideal range being between five and 20 ppm. The water’s pH should be between 6.5 and 8.0, and its KH (which refers to the water’s hardness) should be 53.7 to 125.3 ppm.
Your Axolotl’s Environment Could Have Issues
Factors aside from improper water parameters can cause curled gills in axolotls. For example, there could be elements of the aquarium itself that cause stress and inhibit their well-being. Consider the following:
- Axolotls don’t need tankmates. To a fish, an axolotl’s fluffy gills may resemble worms, so they might nip at them and cause injury. Axolotl Central says that the safest tankmates for axolotls include ghost shrimp. Axolotls do not require socialization and thrive by themselves (though you could keep a same-sex pair).
- Check the aquarium’s substrate. Axolotls eat by sucking in their food, and they may accidentally swallow pieces of gravel, stones, or pebbles. This could cause a bowel obstruction resulting in bloating, constipation, and loss of appetite. The ideal substrate for axolotls is fine-grained sand—or nothing at all! Many axolotl owners keep their pets in bare-bottomed tanks.
- Your aquarium could have parasites. If you’ve recently introduced new fish or live plants to your aquarium, they could have had tiny hitchhikers seeking a host. These parasites can infect your axolotl and cause curled gills.
Poor Breeding Could Cause Health Issues
Despite being incredibly popular as pets, axolotls are a critically endangered species with less than 1,000 in the wild. Yet, in captivity, there are more than one million. To meet the supply and demand for these pets, many axolotls were inbred, leading to a small, not-very-diverse gene pool. Many axolotls are more closely related than what would be acceptable for other pets. You could get two axolotls from two separate breeders, and genetically, they could be siblings, cousins—or even a convoluted mix of the two.
It takes a lot of experience, research, and knowledge to breed healthy batches of axolotls that are free of life-shortening congenital health problems. That’s why it’s critical to purchase axolotls from reputable breeders—not aquarium stores in the mall or dubious online sources. An ethical breeder will conduct genetic testing to ensure that their pets are healthy. An unethical or inexperienced breeder may not take these factors into account and breed axolotls with weak immune systems. This can lead to an above-average susceptibility to disease and ultimately cause curled gills.
When to Consult a Veterinarian About Curled Gills
If your axolotl has curled gills, but it’s otherwise eating, defecating, and swimming normally, there’s generally no cause for concern. This could simply be a physical trait that has no impairment on its day-to-day life. Yet, if you notice these symptoms in addition to curled gills, you may want to consult an exotic vet:
- Swelling or bloating around the abdominal area
- Gasping at the water’s surface for air
- Floating listlessly
- Discolored eyes
- A curled tail
- Refusal to eat
- Weight loss
While you assess whether it’s in your axolotl’s best interest to see a vet, there are many axolotl-keeping forums online that offer at-home remedies for many situations. Tubbing, tea baths, and adding certain chemicals to the water could boost your axolotl’s quality of life and work to get their feathery gills back to normal.
