Nutrition

I think I may have posted this previously but I'm wondering if anyone else has troubles.

My axolotls are fed earthworms from Australia and I'm pretty sure they are red wigglers (extremely red, they stink, and I see yellow/creamy/white excretions when my axolotls play with them) and they take them with ease, however I feed them anywhere from 15-20 a week each and they aren't super fat cute axolotls.. They're just the same width as the head at the chubbiest part, but it's not uniform all the way down like most axolotls I see who are fed 1-2 worms every couple of days..

I'm wondering if any other Aussies know what worms they feed their axolotls on, or anyone fr overseas who could tell me what earthworms are better nutrition wise? I feed my earthworm farm a mix of boiled/mashed carrots and potatoes, vege shavings, bananas and melons mainly. The worms I feed them are decent sized so I'm wondering why my ones don't look like those super cute chub balls.

hmmm.. Are your axies still young adults? A few of mine didn't get chubby until they were about 1.5 years old.
I also feed primarily sinking semi-soft salmon pellets by Rangen(5x per week approx.), and supplement with usually one weekly earthworm(e. hortensis) meal.
Perhaps try introducing a good quality pellet to their diet?

Two are about 16 months and the others are all just under a year old.. But they don't even look like chubby juveniles. They do eat blue planet axolotl pellets (min crude protein 48%, min crude fat 9%, max crude fibre 5% and max moisture 8%). Even when fed pellets all their weight fluctuates and its not solid body all the way through and they need to eat like a good handful of pellets. I had one beautiful wild type that did really well on the pellets unfortunately she passed away. I'm hoping these aren't internally messed up.

Most people's axolotls look like the one on the left, chubby with a wide neck. Mine look more like the ones on the right, but their necks are thinner. Sorry I can't give you my own photos my phone got cleared off and I'm overseas.

Do you think it's possible that your axies could have a type of parasite that is keeping them from gaining weight and getting maximum nutrition from their food?
It may be worth a vet visit to run tests and get proper dosage of a safe de-wormer if needed.

Possibly, they've always been like this and they haven't had any other issues they seem comfortable and happy. Problem is no vet near me has experience with axolotls, one vet suggested to let him experiment on them for $80-$120. No thanks... And I don't have a car to drive further out.

Do you know if there are other symptoms of internal parasites that present externally?

The vet we have here used a stool sample to look for parasites, so maybe that is something that you would trust your vet to do. Then, if their are parasites, you could find out what the recommended treatments are from people here to sanity check whatever the vet proposes doing.

I am not aware of any other outward symptoms of internal parasites, other than poor condition and low weight.
If you were able to confirm by stool samples that the axies have a sort of parasite, your vet may administer flubendazole, flagyl, or fenbendazole... the tricky thing is dosage.
Here are a few links with some info...
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Rx_Info_Sheets/rx_fenbendazole.pdf
http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...p/70115-flubendazole-flagyl-metronidazol.html

I'll have to do that when I get back as I'm overseas for a month. They all have normal stools and I've never seen any worms or anything abnormal with the naked eye. Fingers crossed it's nothing sinister.

I don't particularly trust any vet around me as he used the word "experiment". Also the other places refuse to accept an axolotl at all. I had to beg one of the vets to euthanise my axolotl last year and they were still hesitant.

Most parasites are not visible on to the naked eye, and most vet clinics have a lab where they can run a fecal analysis. In the US, there are also labs that will analyze samples sent by mail. Most vets should be able to diagnose common parasites, even without amphibian experience. I would proceed with caution on the treatment protocol if the vet lacks amphibian experience, however.

Hi Hayley, I'm a huge fan of Fish Fuel Co axie frozen cubes, my three axies get one third per day/two days and are very happy, chubby and overall healthy! It is made in Adelaide, so if you email them directly on their website, they'll tell you who distributes their produce in your city. Most pet shops have their food, but not the Axie one, you have to specifically ask for it (at least in Perth) good luck!

Your axies look a healthy weight, I wouldn't worry. But you could try maggots or waxworms if you want to plump them up.
BTW banana skins are not good for worm farms - they usually have insecticide on the skins and they are high in iodine.

mmuumi said:

Hi Hayley, I'm a huge fan of Fish Fuel Co axie frozen cubes, my three axies get one third per day/two days and are very happy, chubby and overall healthy! It is made in Adelaide, so if you email them directly on their website, they'll tell you who distributes their produce in your city. Most pet shops have their food, but not the Axie one, you have to specifically ask for it (at least in Perth) good luck!

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I've seen them in pet shops and asked on this forum and was advised to stick to worms since it contains squid, octopus and algae which they wouldn't usually eat but I can try it when I'm back.

auntiejude said:

Your axies look a healthy weight, I wouldn't worry. But you could try maggots or waxworms if you want to plump them up.
BTW banana skins are not good for worm farms - they usually have insecticide on the skins and they are high in iodine.

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I know they aren't underweight but I love chubby chubby axolotls . Are silkworms suitable as it's very hard to find maggots and waxworms?

Oh no I thought bananas would be fine, I usually mash a banana up but I occasionally throw in some banana peels. Thanks for the heads up