My axie won’t eat live worms..

[notaphrodite]

I got my boy July 2019 at a few weeks old tadpole. I made sure to do a lot of research to provide the best care for him possible! Last year I posted about a gill concern and was told by a few people that he looked underweight. He’s always had one Gill that grows short since birth but otherwise seems to be growing fine! As a baby I fed him brine shrimp and blood worms. When I tried to fatten him up post-forum posting I switched to reds and earthworms- but he will never eat them. Even today! I’ve tried skipping meals to entice him to eat them, I’ve tried top shelf night crawlers and red wrigglers, cut up when he was a baby. I’ve tried in the past few months giving him full small worms, rinsed quickly, rinsed well, I’ve tried putting them in a feeding dish to free feed and feeding by tweezers .. at the end of the day though all my guy will eat is blood worms. Sometimes he will eat a worm but eventually spits it back out. I’m worried about his nutrition especially as he grows but he will not eat anything but blood worms no matter what or how I offer them/the quality/quantity/times offered. Any advice would be helpful please!! I want him to thrive and be as well taken care of as possible, and as he gets bigger the blood worms are difficult to keep up with in cleaning. I buy them frozen and offer him 2-3 cubes a day.. most of them seem to make more mess than into his tummy but I offer food often. I feed in a large dish or will tweezer feed him larger bits to make sure he gets something.. I know he is small ): Also please let me know if there is anything else that seems off with him.. he is my first bb. Water conditions in a 20gal /temp stay ideal/ clean and cool.

 

[GeoludvikIV]

How cold is the water? I've had this same problem before with live worms, and it wasn't until later that I found out Axolotls won't eat at colder temperatures. Also I wouldn't worry too much about the nutrition aspect, as I've fed my Axolotls almost exclusively on bloodworms without any problems (A reliable source of live nightcrawlers is hard to find in my area). He doesn't really look like he's underweight anymore either... perhaps you're overfeeding him?

 

[Calgarycoppers]

Adults frequently eat every 2-3 days.

Bloodworm is like potato chips really try to not feed them unless its a treat.

Worms - whether straight from container, milked, blanched or garlic dipped are all great.
Repashy Grub Pie
pellets - sinking, protein 40-46%, Fat ideally 5-6% and 3 of the first 5 ingredients are insect or fish based,

you can go to thawed raw salmon or shrimp but that can make them super picky.

Don't worry about not eating until you are over 1-2 weeks - some just fast for a bit.

Temps over 20 degrees or below 10 can cause inappetence.

 

[notaphrodite]

Adults frequently eat every 2-3 days.

Bloodworm is like potato chips really try to not feed them unless its a treat.

Worms - whether straight from container, milked, blanched or garlic dipped are all great.
Repashy Grub Pie
pellets - sinking, protein 40-46%, Fat ideally 5-6% and 3 of the first 5 ingredients are insect or fish based,

you can go to thawed raw salmon or shrimp but that can make them super picky.

Don't worry about not eating until you are over 1-2 weeks - some just fast for a bit.

Temps over 20 degrees or below 10 can cause inappetence.

Thank you so much! I'll try fasting him a little nd trying worms again.

 

[notaphrodite]

How cold is the water? I've had this same problem before with live worms, and it wasn't until later that I found out Axolotls won't eat at colder temperatures. Also I wouldn't worry too much about the nutrition aspect, as I've fed my Axolotls almost exclusively on bloodworms without any problems (A reliable source of live nightcrawlers is hard to find in my area). He doesn't really look like he's underweight anymore either... perhaps you're overfeeding him?

The water stays 69-74. And he eats the blood worms no problem so I'm not sure if the temp is the issue. I'm relieved he doesn't look underweight.. I have been offering him food 1-2x day since hearing that because I was so worried. In your experience what quantity/feed rate do you recommend for feeding bloodworms to an axolotl his size? He's about 6 inches long. Thank you so much for your reply!