Flies??

This might be a silly question, but would it be safe to feed your axolotl the flies you swat around the house every now and then? The fish in my other aquarium LOVE them and I was just wondering if it was a good/bad idea to try this with my axie.

Also, the other day i was at a pet store and saw an axie tank that had a small dish full of pellets. I couldn't tell if any of them had been eaten though. Has anyone else tried filling a small dish with pellets and setting it out for their axolotl to feed on? My axie has gotten in the habit of completely ignoring any sort of food (I've only fed him dried foods so far) i put in his tank unless I hold it so he can snap it right out of my fingers. So it would seem to me that he might ignore a dish of pellets too. What are your guys' thoughts?

Flies are o.k. if you are certain they have not come in contact with chemicals or insecticides. You have spoiled your axolotl. If you want to stop hand feeding you will have to show him some tough love. He will have to get hungry enough to look for his food. I use bare bottoms so don't use a feeding dish. It seems a feeding dish would help keep the substrate cleaner in a sand or gravel tank.

Little treats such as worms, flies, grubs, are fantastic for any aquatic animal. A varied diet is an essential part in any happy healthy animal. As Michael said, as long as you are certain the "bugs" have not come in contact with pesticides or other chemicals, they should be fine.
Some axies seem to be more voracious "hunters" than others. One of my axies wont eat unless the food is touching her nose, in the mean time another of my axies will come from the other side of the tank to try and steal the food.
Alan, one of my axies raised on a bare bottom setup is always searching for food, sticking her little nose in the sand.
If you want to swap to a feeding dish just let them go hungry for a few days. Put some food in a dish and try and lead the axie over to the dish.
Eventually they should get the hang of it. Keep the dish in the same location in the tank every time you feed, and remove any uneaten food within a few hours, so as not to spoil the water.
If you keep it up eventually the axie will realise he must hunt down his food rather than just wait for you to feed him.
In my opinion it is better to hand feed. But this is only my opinion. I find hand feeding lets you ensure each axie gets a decent feed. Also if one axie needs fattening up, you can make sure to give it an extra piece each feeding. No food is left to waste, and plus I enjoy feeding my girls and boys.
Although if you only have one axie, I can see how the feeding dish would be an easier arrangement for you.