🩺 Your free vet-prep sheet

Your Axolotl Vet-Prep Sheet

Exotic vets are rare, and it is easy to freeze in a crisis. This is the one page to have ready —how to find a vet, what to bring, what to tell them, and the questions to ask. Print it and keep it with your care notes.

Not sure it's a vet trip yet? Run the symptom checker or the water interpreter first — many worries turn out to be a husbandry fix.

Bognookhonest amphibian care · bognook.com
Axolotl — Vet-Prep Sheet

🔍 Find an exotics vet — before you need one

  • Search the ARAV Find-a-Vet directory (the Association of Reptilian & Amphibian Veterinarians) — or search "exotics / aquatic vet near me".
  • Call ahead and ask the key question: "Do you see amphibians?" Not every exotics vet does.
  • Find and save one now, while things are calm — not in the middle of an emergency.
  • Ask the exam fee when you call. Knowing the cost up front removes the money-panic in a crisis.

📇 Fill this in now — before the crisis

Two minutes now saves ten in a panic. Print it and keep it with your care notes.

My exotics vet
My axolotl
What I'm seeing

🚨 Is this an emergency now?

See a vet promptly if you notice any of these:

  • Gills curling forward or shrinking
  • Not eating for over a week
  • Floating, bloating, or gulping air
  • Cotton-like fungus, or red/irritated skin

When in doubt, a vet call is never wrong — most issues are reversible if caught early.

🚗 On the way / while you wait

✅ Do

  • Keep it at its correct temperature — a chilled or overheated animal declines fast.
  • Keep the water clean and dechlorinated; take some of its own tank water along.
  • Keep it calm, dark and quiet; stress makes almost everything worse.
  • Stop feeding a sick animal until the vet advises.

⛔ Don’t

  • Don’t dose OTC, aquarium-shop or forum remedies — many are toxic to amphibians and can mask symptoms.
  • Don’t change everything at once (new water, new setup, salt baths) — sudden change is its own stressor.
  • Don’t handle it more than you must — clean, wet hands only, briefly.

🎒 What to bring

  • A recent water-test result — ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and temperature. Water quality is the root of most aquatic-amphibian illness, and it is the first thing a good vet will ask about.
  • A short video and a couple of clear photos of the behaviour or symptom — it may not show it in the clinic.
  • Your animal, transported safely — in cool, dechlorinated water from its own tank (an insulated cooler in hot weather keeps a cold-water species safe).
  • A note of your setup (temperature, humidity, substrate) and exactly what — and how often — you feed.

🗣️ What to tell the vet

A general vet may not know this species. Come ready to explain its correct care:

Correct temperature
16–18°C / 60–64°F — cold water, NO heater
Target water
Ammonia 0 · Nitrite 0 · Nitrate <20 ppm · pH 7.0–8.0 · always dechlorinate
Diet
Earthworms/nightcrawlers (staple) · soft sinking pellets

⚕️ Amphibians breathe and absorb through their skin, so many general reptile/mammal drugs, topical products and anaesthetics are dangerous or need amphibian-specific dosing. Tell the vet about any water treatments or remedies you have already used, and ask for amphibian-safe products and doses.

⚕️ It is a NEOTENIC salamander — it keeps its gills and stays fully aquatic for life, so it must not be treated as a metamorphosing amphibian. Anaesthetics and many drugs are dosed differently for axolotls; ask for a vet familiar with them.

Then note which of the warning signs (above) you are seeing, when they started, and whether they are getting worse.

❓ Questions to ask

  • Do you routinely see amphibians? If not, can you refer me to a vet who does?
  • What are the likely causes — and could my setup or diet be contributing?
  • What is the treatment plan, the likely cost, and what should I watch for at home?
  • How do I prevent this from happening again?