Bloodworms nutrition complete for axolotls ?

T

turtleescape

New member
Joined
Sep 20, 2012
Messages
16
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Country
United States
After getting my group of axolotls off live brine they are eating frozen and thawed bloodworms.
My question is would this be a complete diet ? Or should I be looking for other foods they can fit in there mouths?
thanks
 
I think, and many members will probably agree with me, earthworms are the best staple diet for axolotls. Obviously they'll be too small for whole ones but if you chop them to approx the same width as the axolotls head they should very willingly eat them.
 
I would suggest earthworms, with a side dish of earthworms followed by earthworms for dessert. As Dinky says if they are struggling with the size of the earthworms then chop them up into 'bite size' pieces. Mine were a bit slow on the uptake but now readily hoover up anything that gets waved in their faces. I also feed them nuggets (novo lotl) that aren't as ideal as earthworms but are good as a short term stop gap if your earthworm source flounders or, like me, you have squeamish holiday cover ;) just make sure you fish out any uneaten pellets promptly as they can break up and gung up your water and filter.
 
A diet consisting exclusively or mainly on bloodworms can lead to severe deficiencies. It is not a suitable staple.
For small juveniles or larvae, Daphnia is an excellent choice that will work well as a staple until they can manage earthworms more easily.
 
My juveniles are now around 4 inches and I have started giving them earthworms. As they are used to being given their bloodworms at the water surface on the end of a pipette I have been dangling earthworms in the water. They take them and then spit them out. I have had a bit more success with half earthworms but most of them spit those out too. They really love the bloodworms. Should I starve them for a day or two before trying the earthworms again (maybe cut into smaller pieces?). I have to admit to not enjoying cutting the earthworms up at all :eek:
And I would like to move on to chucking the food in the tank but they are all very spoilt and ignore food on the tank bottom. Any suggestions?
I am well motivated towards earthworms, I, too, have the dreaded bloodworm allergy.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
 
wandering said:
My juveniles are now around 4 inches and I have started giving them earthworms. As they are used to being given their bloodworms at the water surface on the end of a pipette I have been dangling earthworms in the water. They take them and then spit them out. I have had a bit more success with half earthworms but most of them spit those out too. They really love the bloodworms. Should I starve them for a day or two before trying the earthworms again (maybe cut into smaller pieces?). I have to admit to not enjoying cutting the earthworms up at all :eek:
And I would like to move on to chucking the food in the tank but they are all very spoilt and ignore food on the tank bottom. Any suggestions?
I am well motivated towards earthworms, I, too, have the dreaded bloodworm allergy.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

Some axolotls express a preference for certain earthworm types, they all seem to enjoy lobs but some can be fussy about dendros. Cut the worm small and give them no choice and they will eat it eventually.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • Shane douglas:
    with axolotls would I basically have to keep buying and buying new axolotls to prevent inbred breeding which costs a lot of money??
     +1
    Unlike
  • Thorninmyside:
    Not necessarily but if you’re wanting to continue to grow your breeding capacity then yes. Breeding axolotls isn’t a cheap hobby nor is it a get rich quick scheme. It costs a lot of money and time and deditcation
     +1
    Unlike
  • stanleyc:
    @Thorninmyside, I Lauren chen
     +1
    Unlike
  • Clareclare:
    Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus Japanese . I'm raising them and have abandoned the terrarium at about 5 months old and switched to the aquatic setups you describe. I'm wondering if I could do this as soon as they morph?
     +1
    Unlike
    Clareclare: Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus... +1
    Back
    Top