Axolotl Feeding ?

I have two axolotls in a tank which is roughly 90cm x 40cm x 40cm and I've had them for about a week now - I feed them live Mosquito Fish and Shrimp and generally keep 20 of one type at a time in the tank. They eat everyday at least once a day and ALWAYS accept food when we handfeed.

I fed a Mosquito Fish each to them and there are about 7 left in the tank and they are STILL going spare chasing them and eating - they litrally always eat!

Im worried because im not sure if they are eating enough (cos they dont always catch them) and why they are foraging to eat like they havent eaten in days??

Am i feeding them right or are they just pigs?

Axolotls have a tendency to eat even when they arn't hungry. They eat alot jsut incase they dont eat the next day and etc.

Mosquito fish are guppies, right? or clsoe to them? As long as they are home bred they, i guess are ok sa long as they are from a chemicly and bacteria free location as they carry alot of bacteri with them, but if they are hoem bred its ok. Dont forget if you buy them from the pet shop wait a few months before feeding.

Thats alot at a time in the tank, you shoudld reduce it. I woudld say 2 for each axie a day, depending on the size of the fish and axolotl.

They always chase them because lets face it wat else would they do all day in a tank, they want some fun. too much food can casue food rot in thier stomach so watch out.

Where do you get that much fish and shrimp from i can barly keep a culture of 20 guppies and they run out fast, wats your secret, lol .

Your doing it right if you minus the amout of fish and yes all axies are PIGS! even mine, they are the biggest, lol.

Hi Kim, welcome to the forum

Everyone feeds their axies differently, but this is how I feed mine.

Depending on the day, and if I want to give my axolotls treats, I feed them:

This feeding schedule is dependant upon how many earthworms I have in a two - three week period:
half of an earthworm, and about 6 pellets every other day.
and one or two crickets - once a week for the crickets, or twice a week depending on how many extra crickets I have left over from feeding two geckos. I always make sure the crickets are gut-loaded with cricket food before I feed them to my axolotls.

Or, if I find I have the budget for that month, I will give them one whole earthworm every two days, and about two pinches of axolotl pellets for each on the weekends and one cricket each. The cricket also depends on how many crickets I have left over from my geckos.

I think your feeding method sounds alright. Basically they can eat when ever they want or when they are hungry, however, axolotls are known to gourge them selves, and may over eat. If they are extremely bloated after each feeding, then perhaps you are feeding too much.

Also, if you are worried they are not getting enough, you could hand feed them the fish and shrimp, that way you know they are eating.

I hope this helps

you should really only be offering them food ever other day if they are large (over 10-15cm). eating too much, as stipe said, will cause the food to rot in their guts or they will throw it back up. i would say 2-3 average sized mosquito fish each every 2-3 days.

it doesnt matter how much you feed an axie they will nearly always come back for more, its like they have never ending stomachs!

id advise bringing a bit more varity into their diet ie earthworms, blood worms, black worms, crickets etc etc because apparently fish arent all that nutritious.

fish are nutritious in some areas but as a food to solely (hhaaaa get it sole?) live off it doesn't contain all the vitamins etc to have a happy healthy axolotl or what not.

i honestly didn't know that food could rot in their guts. how intriguing.

Thankyou all for your help I was feeding them only two things directly from the pet shop - but ill try to get them the pellets and if i can then some crikets.... but how do you get crikets! haha

Thanks again for all your help Sushi and Fishy will be a lot happier

i'm sorry but those names rock.

you can buy little tubs of baby crickets that are used to feed to lizards etc from your local pet shop. im not too sure how well they breed though...

Live fish are a complete food source for amphibians, including axolotls. Some commonly available feeder fish such as goldfish are a problem as they are high in saturated fats but cool/coldwater fish as well as live bearers appear to be much better with either less saturated fats or a better ration of saturated to unsaturated fats.

Frozen/thawed fish should not be used as a major part of the diet without adding thiamine to the diet.


Ed