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Axolotl REFUSING earthworms

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snussmak

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hi, i've got a quite unusual problem, one of my axolotls' refuse to eat worms. i've always used a pair of tweezers when i feed them so they seem to recognise them as something shiny that brings food. anyway, at first he ate worms but nowadays he just swim to the surface and tries to bite the tweezer instead of the wriggling worm. at first i thought that he suffered from some mental instability (a salamander that refuses worms?) but he seemed to be able to eat frozen bloodworms so i stopped bothering. so my question is; does anyone know the reason of this weird behaviour?
 
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newtboyuk

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Hi Alexander,

It sounds very much like he does still associate the tweezers with food as he is trying to bite them! He is probably just a little confused!

I have a colony of very tame mandarin newts and they will very often focus on the hand/cocktail stick/forceps instead of the worm! They do eventually get it with some manouvering of the tweezers!

Don't give up and keep trying - maybe try and move the tweezers in a way that the worm is more visible! I'm reasonably confident he will still take earthworms from you,

Good luck!
Mark
 
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snussmak

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haha that is so true, as i have noticed that the only reason of why he's eating the worms is because he swallows them by accident when he bites the tweezers :p
 
kapo

kapo

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Alexander - axolotls have poor eyesight and tend to respond to smell and most movement (even if it isn't food) towards/above/inside the tank. So it's not unusual that it grabs at the tweezers.

We notice it when we use the turkey baster or gravel cleaner as well for cleaning.
 
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snussmak

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ok, i tried to give it some frozen blood worms and it worked! as long as he is not starving im pleased :)
 
Daniel

Daniel

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Nevertheless you should keep on trying with some earthworms or other food (pellets, live or dead fish, woodlice, sweetwater shrimp and so on).
Bloodworms are okay but for adult axolotls they are just snacks because the biggest part of them is water.

If they are eating after all at least there is no serious problem and you will have time to train them to catch bigger worms ;)
 
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