Question: How Big Should My Worms Be?

Hi everyone.

I'm wondering how large my earthworms that I feed Lotl should be?

He's about 8 months old and is a pretty good size. I've been giving him whole worms that are roughly 3-4 inches long, and he has no problem getting them in his mouth after a few "gulps."

However, I've been reading that I might want to be cutting the worms up a bit in order for them to be easier for him to swallow.

If he seems to be eating them just fine, is there any reason to actually cut them up?

Also, he sometimes doesn't want to eat every other day. Like this week he's only eaten once, and hasn't seemed even remotely interested in any other food. He doesn't seem too skinny, and his gills and color are just fine, so I don't think anything is wrong with him...just wondering if I should be worried if he just turns his nose up at his food and doesn't eat every other day?

Thanks.
Jeff

Hi Jeff,

It sounds as if you are doing fine and being sensible.
There is no exact size for earthworms to feed to axolotls. As long as they can eat them it can sometimes be more a matter of what you can get hold of.
There is no need to cut up the worms if your axolotl can eat them. Cutting worms is often done for smaller axolotls, especially to wean them off blood worm and onto earthworm.
As long as your axolotl is a good size, and follows the general rule of having the body as wide as the head, then don't worry if it doesn't want to eat on designated days. Juveniles eat more, and will still be growing, and sometimes have no "off button" when it comes to food. Older axolotls seem to stop when they are no longer hungry, so occasional refusal of food is nothing to worry about.

I hope that has reassured you. :happy:

I agree with Donna. When I first started feeding my axolotl earthworms, I'd cut them into thirds, and it was quite a bit of work for him to eat them. I slowly worked him up to larger pieces, and now he can eat whole worms in one gulp.

I figure, in the wild he'd have to eat whole worms. If he has trouble with a particular worm, i will cut it for him, but I don't see any reason to cut them up all the time.

Okay thank you!