Question: Food Stuffs

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RobertsKitty

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I have been avidly doing my research over the last few weeks preparing for when I can finally get my hands on my first Axolotl. I am hoping to buy one off rick over the next few days. Anyway, I have been doing alot of reading online and it seems there are at least 100 different schools of thought on food for these guys!!! :eek: Anyway, I am kinda against LIVE food so what are some options that would be readily available? I live in a little city in the middle of Oklahoma so we don't have alot of options other than petsmart. I have heard there are pellets but I never know what kind. I have also heard of using frozen foods which I don't mind doing but I don't know what kind of prep work would be needed etc.
Please help me clear this up some?
 
Hi Robertskitty,

It must be exciting in geting your first axolotl. However, to care for your axolotl well and provide it good health and happiness, you would need to feed it the type of food that would give it proper nutrition and keep it healthy.

Some live foods such as earthworms and bloodworms are actually best for axolotls because they are nutritionally balanced. Your axolotl will enjoy eating them and get all the nutrients they need.

I would really recommend you feed your axolotl a variety of food. As a staple food source, you can feed earthworms, bloodworms and a good quality axolotl pellet. Occasional treats can be bits of shrimp, fish, mussels etc.

Axolotls may not be a suitable pet for you if you do not wish to feed it live foods or a variety of food. At the very least, you should try feeding it a good quality pellet, frozen bloodworms, occasional treats of shrimp, fish and such if you do not intend to use earthworms or live blackworms.

Cheers
 
I don't have any problem with feeding variety I just prefer not to feed live foods. Trust me between the 3 parrots I am used to having to feed alot of different things :p Are there pellets made specifically for Axolotls or is there a particular newt or salamander pellet that is best for them?
 
Yes the pellets are meant for axolotls. Most good aquarium shops do stock them or you can place an order with them. They are labelled axolotl pellets. They are normally kind of round in shape, a reddish brown in colour and sink to the bottom of the tank rather than float. If you can't find the axolotl pellets, trout pellets can also work. I know of others who have tried feeding axolotls with turtle feed. I still recommend sticking to axolotl pellets though.
 
Hmm. I'll have to check around for those. We have a little ma and pa type shop that just got in some Axolotl but they are in pretty bad shape and I just generally don't care much for the shop owner but they are probably the only place we have besides pets mart. I'll start lookin around thanks!

I'll probably have to order it offline. None of the major retail stores around the area have even heard of it :D
 
Hi, I tend to avoid using live food these days too (used to use feeder guppies). These days I stick to axolotl pellets, salmon pellets, frozen brine shrimp and frozen bloodworm. I occasionally use frozen daphnia but not often as it is quite messy, it seems to be more a food for babies.

Some people feed their axies meat like beef heart and chicken. They are quite fatty so I would only use food like that as treats.

As someone has mentioned, earthworms are a great source of food but yea, if you do not want to use live food there are plenty of other options :)
 
I think the axolotl pellets are probably going to be your best bet if you're really against live foods.

When I have run out of foods on hand I have fed, sinking carnivore fish foods & shrimp pellets. But those were not the main diet. I'm pretty sure the universities use the axolotl pellets exclusively.

I have parrots too and I really believe variety is key for most animals happiness. (anthromorphising here) And I extend that to the amphibians. :: sigh :: that said - they're (eyeless amphibs) glaring at me and there is a stray cat trapped in my storage patio area who is determined to crash his way through a vent (he sees sunlight) and in the mean time crashing full force into the glass shard windchime/noise maker thingy someone gave me. Things to do!!

Sharon
 
Earthworms should really be a part of any healthy caudate´s diet, specially big ones as axolotls....
You should probbly reconsider your policy of no live foods, and offer if not often, at least as a part of their diet some live foods...it really is the best food.
 
I would just like to interject a question: why are we avoiding live foods? Live foods for axolotls are things like worms and woodlice, which are easy to find around any garden, free of potential disease/parasites (assuming the garden is not treated with pesticides or fertilizers), and much more natural, "normal" foods than pellets or frozen stuff. The live foods are easy to feed and make less mess - and pollution - in an aquarium. I'm not being accusatory; I'm just trying to understand a blanket "I dont want to use live foods" statement, as the benefits of live foods seem to me to outweigh frozen or artifical foods.

With all due respect,

-Eva
 
Sorry I didn't go into it but its just against my ethics. I wont go farther than that.
 
blueberlin said:
I would just like to interject a question: why are we avoiding live foods? Live foods for axolotls are things like worms and woodlice, which are easy to find around any garden, free of potential disease/parasites (assuming the garden is not treated with pesticides or fertilizers), and much more natural, "normal" foods than pellets or frozen stuff. The live foods are easy to feed and make less mess - and pollution - in an aquarium. I'm not being accusatory; I'm just trying to understand a blanket "I dont want to use live foods" statement, as the benefits of live foods seem to me to outweigh frozen or artifical foods.

With all due respect,

-Eva
Click to expand...

I am not sure if you are asking a general question about people who do not feed live food or just RobertsKitty? Anyway, in case it is the former :p: I would feed live food if it was easy. However, I live in a tiny apartment with no garden near the CBD. My partner does not want live earthworms in the house at all. I have had no issues with my axolotl as a result of rarely feeding him live food. If I felt the foods I can feed him were doing him harm, then I would probably put more effort into getting live food. I do feed him guppies on occassion.

Ethics has nothing to do with it for me. To me, the idea of live food being less ethical to feed than frozen food (which was once live food) does not make sense.
 
Hi RobertsKitty,
I don't particularly like feeding live food... in fact, I doubt that anybody actually enjoys it except for the axolotls. They love it :D Pellets are a good staple, but like everybody has already said you should include some live food even if it's only occasionally. I'm sure axolotls manage to find lots of wriggly things to eat in the wild, so you should try to mimic this as well as you can. Even if it's only an occasional snack, worms are a great food source.

There's a few threads on worms and pain - I don't think I could feed them to my little guy if anybody was suffering, but your axolotl will love the worms and the worm won't know any better. Check this thread out - there's a link to studies on worms, which concluded that their brain isn't large enough to register pain. So they won't really know they're being eaten.
http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=39058

"The common earthworm has a very simple nervous system -- it can be cut in two and continue with its business," Professor Wenche Farstad, who chaired the panel that drew up the report, said on Monday.
Norway might have considered banning the use of live worms as fish bait if the study had found they felt pain, but Farstad said "It seems to be only reflex curling when put on the hook ... They might sense something, but it is not painful and does not compromise their well-being."
The government called for the study on pain, discomfort and stress in invertebrates to help in the planned revision of Norway's animal protection law. Invertebrates cover a range of creatures from insects and spiders to mollusks and crustaceans. Farstad said most invertebrates, including lobsters and crabs boiled alive, do not feel pain because, unlike mammals, they do not have a big brain to read the signals.
Click to expand...
That might not make you feel any better about it - they're still tiny little animals and we're allowing them to be gobbled up. I still don't enjoy feeding live food, but it makes me happier to know that the worms don't mind :happy:

Kind Regards,
Monique
 
@Sarah: Yes, I was asking in general. I could imagine various reasons for avoiding live foods - ethics, availability, the axolotl is physically impaired, etc. So I asked.

-Eva
 
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