Help! Fussy axolotl

S

skylar

Guest
I have tried feeding my adult leucistic male EVERYTHING - live and frozen bloodworms, meal worms, black worms, earthworms, pellets, beef heart, chicken liver, chicken breast, even lamb and pork - and he won't touch anything other than fresh and pre frozen fish fillets. Anyone know why, and is there a way i can ensure that he gets proper nutrients from just fish?
 
How long has it been since he's eaten? What's the temperature and water quality in the tank, especially ammonia, nitrite and nitrates?

It's not unusual for axolotls to refuse food on occasion. They can go up to a month or longer without food. If it's cool, they may not be ready to eat again, as their metabolism is slower. If it's hot, they may be stressed and not eat.

I wouldn't use frozen-thawed fish fillets, as these can cause a thiamine deficiency. You can use fresh (unfrozen, never been frozen) fish safely, in conjunction with other foods to create a balanced diet.
 
The temperature is 20 degrees and he eats every day, just refuses EVERYTHING but fish.

Water parameters are:
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0.1 ppm
Nitrate: 12 ppm
pH: 7.1
 
It's not unusual for them to have a food preference. If he won't take ANY other food, then I'd say you could reduce the amount and/or frequency of feedings. If he gets good and hungry, I'll bet he'll eat worms.

Your water parameters look good.
 
Actually, none of my axolotls will eat earth worms, i don't know why. Would sprinkling vitamin pills on the food or in the water be toxic to axolotls?
 
you can get certain vitamin powders for reptiles but it will just dissapate in the water. not sure about sprinkling it IN the water though

are you worms from the compost? they can have a nasty smell and taste, mine wont eat compost worms at all
 
no, i just collect them from my backyard when it rains, and i put them in a dirt filled bucket
 
Sprinkling vitamin powder into the tank is an excellant method for screwing up the water chemistry as it encourages bacterial blooms.
I do not recommend adding vitamins in this manner.

Ed
 
Well, i tried compost worms, and he loved them
happy.gif
 
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