Guide On Axolotl Poop – Healthy vs Unhealthy

Axolotl Poop

Poop can be an indicator of your pet’s health. Healthy axolotl poop is black/brown in color. Whereas unhealthy axolotl poop is white. Even healthy poop can be dangerous to the axolotl as it contains ammonia and if not cleaned up, it can contaminate the water.

This article will teach you how to tell the difference between healthy and unhealthy axolotl waste. In addition, we also look at how to treat an axolotl with unhealthy poop.

Healthy Axolotl Poop

A healthy adult axolotl will poop once a week. In warmer temperatures, axolotls digest faster and poop more, whereas in colder temperatures, they digest slower.

If you can’t see the axolotl poop, try checking their hiding spot. However, if you can’t see the poop, don’t worry too much as it often gets dissolved into the substrate.

What Does Axolotl Poop Look Like?

axolotl poop
Axolotl Poop In The Tank

Healthy axolotl poop has the following qualities:

  • Color is brown or black and looks like dirt
  • Size is 1 gram or less in weight and around 2.5cm long
  • Some axolotls have poop in large chunks, while others release them little by little
  • After short time the the poop fades and dissolves
  • Appearance is goatskin with brown or black hues
  • It’s never solid, even if it appears solid
  • The anal canal is normally slightly swollen and sensitive

It’s important to note that the appearance of the poop can vary slightly depending on the age and size of the axolotl.

Does Axolotl Poop Have An Odor?

A healthy axolotl poop has a slightly distinct smell. However, it’s not particularly unpleasant.

What Does Baby Axolotl Poop Look Like?

Healthy baby axolotl poop is shaped like brown pellets and is quite long. Baby poop is not much different from an adult axolotl’s poop. The main difference is the size and frequency of pooping such as:

  • Bigger axolotls will have bigger poops and vice versa
  • Baby axolotls poop more as they are fed more often than adults

Learn more about baby axolotls her

What Does Juvenile Axolotl Poop Look Like?

The same goes for juvenile axolotl poop. It will look the same as an adult poop. The main difference will be the size and frequency of pooping.

How Often Should A Healthy Axolotl Poop?

How often a healthy axolotl poops depends on their feeding schedule and their age (baby, juvenile or adult).

If you’re feeding your axolotl right, an adult axolotl should poop once or twice per week. On the other hand, a baby axolotl needs to be fed twice a day. Therefore, a baby axolotl will poop every day.

Normally, you axolotl will poop after they have fully digested their food. This can take anything from few hours to a full day.

Do Axolotl Poop Explode?

Cleaning the axolotl’s waste is important. However, you should take extra care when doing so as axolotl poop explode.

When removing the poop try do it without breaking the “sausage skin” as that’s where the poop is contained. If it does burst, the poop will explode into a million pieces. Then, you’ll be left with a very dirty tank which is something you want to avoid.

Axolotl Green Poop – Is It Normal?

axolotl green poop
Axolotl Green Poop

You might wonder if green poop is normal for axolotls. The answer is yes, green axolotl poop is normal. It’s just passage of bile salts. However, it does mean that your axolotl hasn’t eaten.

This often occurs when the axolotl is living at very low temperatures. Their digestion system slows down and bile passes through. This should prompt you to check the temperature of the tank water and to make sure that your axolotl is fed regularly.

Although, axolotls can survive three weeks without food, you should still provide regular feedings.

Unhealthy Axolotl Poop

Unhealthy axolotl poop and behavior includes:

  • Large chunks of flesh along the anal sac. This could be fatal
  • Not pooping
  • Too much poop
  • White poop

Axolotl Not Pooping

Axolotl not pooping is definitely a cause for concern. However, first you should properly check for the poop by doing the following:

  • Checking their hiding spot
  • It might have broken down and sunk into the substrate. The best way to check if this is the case is by stirring up the substrate during tank cleaning
  • The axolotl might have eaten it

If you’re certain that your axolotl is not pooping, possible health problems include bloating or constipation/impaction.

Axolotls can become bloated or constipated if:

  • They are overfed
  • They consume something they can’t pass such as rock of gravel
  • Suffer from air bubble disease

Treatment

Normally, fridging the axolotl will help pass whatever is stuck in their digestion track. However, if that doesn’t help, they might need surgery.

Read the full guide on constipated axolotl here Constipated Axolotl? What Causes It and How To Treat

Axolotl Pooping Too Much

A healthy adult axolotl will poop roughly once a week. On the other hand, young axolotls will poop daily as they are fed more often.

If your adult axolotl is pooping more than once a week, you’ll need to look into reducing how often you’re feeding them and check the food quality.

Treatment

Are you feeding your pet too often? Are you feeding them the incorrect diet which is resulting in an upset stomach and subsequently – diarrhea?

Your axolotl might be pooping more than normal if they are being fed pellets. To improve their diet and prevent pooping too often, switch them to earthworms.

White Axolotl Poop

axolotl poop
Axolotl White Poop

Another common health problem is white axolotl poop. This a symptom of internal protozoan infections. The cause for internal protozoan infection is poor food quality such as leftover food that’s started rotting in the tank.

All the symptoms of Internal protozoan infection include:

  • White poop
  • Lack of appetite
  • Weight loss

If left untreated, the infection can result in lower immune system, inability to regenerate and eventually death.

Treatment

To treat white axolotl poop caused by parasites, you’ll need antibiotics and antiseptic.

It’s also important to prevent the infection from coming back. This can be done by maintaining a clean tank and doing regular water changes, cleaning up any leftover food and waste immediately.

Axolotl Eating Poop – What To Do?

Many animals eat their own poop, and the axolotl is no exception. But is axolotl eating poop something to worry about? Often an animal eating their poop can be a symptom of a health problem.

As axolotls are known for eating anything they can fit in their mouths such as rocks, gravel and tank decorations, their own poop is no exception.

Why Is Axolotl Eating Poop?

Axolotl eating poop can be a sign that their diet is not providing them with enough nutrients, and they are trying to get them through their poop.

Is your axolotl diet nutritious enough? The ideal axolotl diet consists of earthworms (nightcrawlers), blackworms, daphnia, raw meat, brine shrimp, and pellets. Feed them once every 2 or 3 days.

Is Axolotl Eating Poop Bad?

Yes, axolotl eating poop is bad as it can result in parasite infection. To avoid this from happening, you should be cleaning any leftover food and waste immediately before it decomposes.

Another reason for your axolotl poop to be cleaned up immediately is that the poop contains ammonia that can contaminate the tank water and make your axolotl sick.

Final Thoughts

Axolotl poop can be an indicator of your pet’s health. For instance, white poop is a symptom of parasites, not pooping at all can mean impaction and pooping too much can mean overfeeding.

It’s essential to get to the root of the problem and treat your axolotl quickly.

On the other hand, healthy axolotl poop is black/brown poop with a goatskin appearance.

To ensure your axolotl stays healthy, keep an eye on their behavior, weight, keep checking for parasites, and monitoring the tank parameters such as ammonia levels and nitrates.

Frequently Asked Questions – FQA

Do I Need To Clean Axolotl Poop?

If you want to keep your axolotl healthy, you must clean up their poop immediately. Axolotl poop is high in ammonia content and the build-up of ammonia in the tank, can make your axolotl sick. The ammonia levels in your axolotl’s tank must be kept at 0 ppm.

Furthermore, if the poop is not cleaned up immediately can start rotting in the tank and result in a parasite infection.

How To Clean Axolotl Poop?

To clean up your axolotl poop, you can use a tool such as a siphon or turkey baster. This way you can just suck the poop up and avoid the poop bursting into million pieces in the tank.

How To Tell If Axolotl Is About To Poop?

If your axolotl is about to poop, their gills will turn red, and their posture will change.


Reference

https://www.vin.com/apputil/content/defaultadv1.aspx?id=7259254&pid=14365&print=1#:~:text=Enteric%20parasites%20include%20the%20protozoa,food%20for%203%E2%80%934%20days.&text=Axolotls%20have%20delicate%20skin%20and,in%20a%20soft%20mesh%20net.

unusualpetsguide

My name is Iliyana and I'm a passionate animal lover and pet owner. As there is significantly less information online about unusual and exotic pets, I decided to found this website and recruit expert writers to help pet owners.

You may also like...