Meet me and my axie toby.

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MistyMeadow3

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Toby's Mom
Hi everyone,
I'm Mistymeadow3.

I got a florescent yellow Axolotl from a reptile show on Saturday. he's about five months old (ish) and his name is Tobias. Toby for short. he has been hand fed from a baby and right now we're working on feeding. he isn't a good aim and has a hard time grabbing the pellets from my hands. Anyone who has any advice for a newbie please share!
He's in a three gallon till i set up my thirty gallon, and he's only about five inches long so he has plenty of room. (if fully stretched out, he takes up less than half of the length of the tank) He's so tame and sweet, he rubs his nose on my hand. why? lol thanks everyone!
 

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Also, He ate blood worms today and seemed to love them. can i give them to him every other day?
 
What a cutey!

Blood worms are a good treat, but not a good staple food. Carnivore pellets are usually acceptable and earthworms are an excellent staple food.

If you drop the pellets so they just skim past his nose, he will usually snap at them and eat them. They tend to be much better at catching falling food than food from fingers.

Now ... about that gravel. Big no-no in an axolotl tank. They WILL eat it eventually, by accident. Most of the time, it passes through their system, and sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't, it can kill. Bare-bottom tanks or the "right" kind of sand are considered acceptable. (Over in Europe, they have some very fine, smooth gravel-like stuff they use, but it isn't available over here.)
 
Oh, i have him in a tank with sand now. The breeder fed them turtle pellets, which he likes, but he has a hard time hand feeding. i've started soaking them till they sink and then giving them to him. where in the petstore do you find carnivor pellets? (i have feeders supply and pet supply plus)
 
I've read a few posts where American users suggest these pellets: Hikari info : Hikari Tropical SINKING CARNIVORE PELLETS Just make sure they are the right size for your Axolotl or cut them down.

There are also users on this forum who can supply pellets, you can ask in the 'Items Sought' area: Advertisements for Newts & Salamanders - Species Wanted, Items Sought at Caudata.org Newt and Salamander Portal

I use JBL Novolotl pellets which work great: https://www.jbl.de/?lang=en&mod=products&func=detail&id=4996 I believe these are available in the US.

You can use long plastic forceps to feed: 316S9rYCmLL.jpg

Useful links:

Axolotls: The Fascinating Mexican Axolotl and the Tiger Salamander
Caudata Culture Axolotl Articles
 
i'm working on hand feeding at the moment. where do i get earth worms? are bait worms okay? i was told that axolotles eat crayfish in the wild, if that's true then why should they have trouble eating decapitated mealworms? That doesn't seem to make sense.
 
I don't think I've heard ever about them eating crawfish in the wild, but they can't digest the outer shell of the mealworm very well.
 
Okay. i'll just have to take your word for it. where should i buy worms? bait worms? and, how many lotls can i keep in a 30 gallon?
 
Most bait worms are OK, but it is best if you read the labels and google the company - some will say they are safe for feeding to pets. (I've read that some are NOT safe for feeding to pets.) Also open the container and make sure they are healthy. Walmart carries worms in the hunting and fishing section.

Avoid red wigglers (Eisenia fetida) - they have a bad taste and smell and some axies never get used to them. Canadian and European nightcrawlers are good. You will have to chop up the Canadian night crawlers if you get them - they are big.

You can also buy larger quantities on-line. Be aware that Canadian night crawlers have to be refrigerated - they prefer cold temps.

A rule of thumb is for N axolotls, you want a tank of size (N+1) x 10 gal. So a 30 gal tank would hold 2 axolotls. (This presumes a typical tank shape, not a "tall".) Research facilities have them in much smaller tanks (like, 2 per 10 gal, I've read), but research facilities have grad students to do all those water changes, and aren't so concerned with quality of life.
 
He ate a cricket yesterday, and a ghost shrimp this morning. how much should i feed him every day? the breeder said 1-3 turtle pellets. i also give him blood worms every day, if i add earth worms to that, how much of each should i feed each day?
 
While he is a juvenile, you should feed him as much as he will eat. (Don't leave leftovers in the tank - that pollutes the water.)

When he is an adult, you can cut down the feeding to every other day, and you don't want his tummy to be much wider than his head. (I.e., reduce the food amount if he starts to get fat.)
 
Probably best to stick to pellets and earth worms as the staple diet. Anything else as an occasional treat
 
I haven't been able to find earth worms yet. I don't reply to private messages, but the question as to the location of purchase, no, i didn't get him there. :) He has a diet of ghost shrimp, crickets, turtle pellets and blood worms. I've looked at Walmart for the worms and couldn't find them.
 
If you ask any pet store for earthworms they look at you like you have 5 heads , ask for nightcrawlers. That is what stores typically label them. As far as your axie having "plenty of room" in that 3 gallon, it is definitely not large enough to comfortably house a 4 or 5 month axie. Definitely upgrade asap .
 
Turns out they did have them, they were labeled red wigglers. oops. and i only have in that tank until i get my 30 gallon set up and cycled.
 
MistyMeadow3 said:
Turns out they did have them, they were labeled red wigglers. oops. and i only have in that tank until i get my 30 gallon set up and cycled.
Click to expand...


Red wigglers are not earthworms/nightcrawlers. They are a different species of worms, that axolotls often reject due to thier bitter taste. Also earthworms are a lot more nutritious for them to be eating and are considered a complete diet :)
 
Ohhh okay. good to know. he gave me a scare last night and this morning, his front end was floating. I emailed the breeder and was informed that crickets (which he had three little ones for breakfast) have lots of air. so he had gas. i'm relieved! So i guess crickets aren't the best...?
Ps. I just cleaned his tank and held him. :) he's so sweet!!!!
 
No they are not advised. Better stick to what others have told you in here, earthworms, or axolotl pellets .
 
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