New Axolotls won't eat!

nikkiboo · Mar 25, 2012

Hello,
I've recently got a pair of axolotls, female 7 inches and male 8 inches. I've offered them varieties of food but they don't seem interested at all. The male is still kinda chubby but the female is getting on the slim side and i'm getting really worried.
I've purchased younger axies from that shop before and they all did great on eating pellet food. Is it because these are adults that they would eat little?? I'm so confused!
The water temp is 18 degrees, i have a filter and a fan cooler, i do water changes every week.

Jenste · Mar 25, 2012

What types of food have you offered and how long have you had them?
My first guess is that they have not been fed pellets before and are expecting worms.
What is their set up like?

nikkiboo · Mar 25, 2012

They're in a 10 gallon with no substrate and they didn't use the hides before so i took them out, there are also plastic plants. Yeah, i guessed that they must have been expecting worms, i've tried brine shrimp but only the female took it ONCE. Blood worms would be messy and i couldn't find earth worms, i'm just afraid they'd rather starve than eating pellets. It wouldn't make sense that from the same shop, juvies are used to pellets but not adults. I currently have Pro Balance turtles,frogs & newt pellets for them. By the way i've had the female for a week and the male for a few days, the juvies i've had before took the pellets within the first day though.
Is there any way to help them accept the pellets? :/

Jenste · Mar 25, 2012

Are you planning on a tank upgrade because a 10 gallon is rather small for even one axie.

Adults and juveniles in the same store can still be sourced from different locations and could have been reared differently.

Bloodworms are really not that messy at all. Many users here use them with no problem. Once the axolotls have eaten their fill just use a turkey baster to suck out any left over food.

Brine shrimp is a little tough with adults and young adults due to how tiny the shrimp are and how easily they scatter/flutter with the tiniest current (such as an axie walking by or near them)

A turkey baster is also a great way to remove waste inbetween water changes.

nikkiboo · Mar 25, 2012

Thank you so much, i'll try the blood worms and i'll find a bigger gallon tank for them.

Last question, do you think i have 2 females or a male and female?

Sam77 · Mar 25, 2012

I'm new to all this, so I'm sure someone else can offer better advice, but I know that when I first got my axie, he didn't eat for several days, and I offered him loads of different things. Finally he ate a worm after 5 days, I think he was just a bit overwhelmed, so maybe give yours a bit of time, they are just getting used to their new surroundings. Mine eats like a pig now!

LegoChlo · Mar 30, 2012

I'm having the same kind of problem: I acquired 2 axies about 7 months old, had some problems with the water balance due to an archaic filter and now want to start feeding them.
The larger of the 2 has taken pellets but my skinny pink one won't take them and keeps swallowing air.

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