Axolotls Diet

Just a quick question on behalf of my little guy. I am currently feeding him on gamma whole frozen fish (Whitebait) and I was wondering if this is an ok diet for him

Thanks.

http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...-general-discussion/53668-whitebait-food.html

Hi,

I am pretty new to axolotls and have never used whitebait, but here is a previous thread about it that may be of some use to you. Not sure if you are using it frozen or live? If live, there are others with much more experience in providing feeder fish for their axolotls that may be able to chime in.

We aren't very adventurous so use compost worms as a staple diet for ours with occasional pellets!

Evo Axolotl said:

Just a quick question on behalf of my little guy. I am currently feeding him on gamma whole frozen fish (Whitebait) and I was wondering if this is an ok diet for him

Thanks.

Click to expand...

As an occasional treat but not as a staple diet. Earthworms are the way to go.

Sticky: Why earthworms? ( 1 2 3) LeFarge

Check out this thread for more info

I wouldn´t even use them as an occassional treat unless in circumstances where more apropriate foods are unavailable
. I don´t understand this idea of "treats"...specially since people usually use sub-optimal or unnatural foods as said "treats". I doubt frozen fish, liver or prawns are the equivalent of chocolate to axolotls...

Just here for advice Rodrigo, no need to get sarcastic and petty as it isn't the right attitude on a FORUM! Especially not off a 'Moderator'!

Anyway cheers for the advice for those that acctually helped

Evo Axolotl said:

Just here for advice Rodrigo, no need to get sarcastic and petty as it isn't the right attitude on a FORUM! Especially not off a 'Moderator'!

Anyway cheers for the advice for those that acctually helped

Click to expand...

Before this escalates.. please, I don't think he was being sarcastic and petty, but just honest.

Whitebait, as is pretty much all frozen fish and some live ones, contains high levels thiaminase - a bad thing considering how important B1 is for the immune system and overall peppiness. That's why he was saying that he would avoid using it, even as a treat. Generally, treats are considered a variation in diet that is tasty, but for axies we also want it to be a variation in diet that is also healthy, seeing as axolotls seem willing to eat almost anything they can put into their mouths. If you wanted to give a healthy variant in diet, the only frozen food I would suggest would be frozen bloodworms or frozen blackworms. Live food, however, is a different story - it also offers mental stimulation and exercise (I think of it kind of as the equivalent of taking your dog for a walk), so shrimp (healthy) and livebearers like guppies (not very healthy) are more suitable as 'treats', because it has a purpose besides nutritional value. I would limit the use of livebearers for 'treats' though, as they are unhealthy and can still contain higher levels of thiaminase. Shrimp on the other hand are safe, and are a part of their natural diet, if I'm not mistaken. They don't have high levels of thiaminase or any other negative effects that I'm aware of.

The problem with reading words rather than hearing them is that it's easy to interprete something that has a negative tone when that wasn't the intent.... thus I always use smiley faces to give the illusion you can somehow see my body language while reading , haha!

The second part of my post wasn´t even addressed to you, it was a general comment on a very common phenomenon that we see around the forums.
The part that was addressed to you was the first sentence, and it was the best i have to offer. You are obviously free to ignore it if you wish.
I certainly didn´t mean to be sarcastic or petty...i actually thought i was being rather charming

Azhael said:

I wouldn´t even use them as an occassional treat unless in circumstances where more apropriate foods are unavailable
. I don´t understand this idea of "treats"...specially since people usually use sub-optimal or unnatural foods as said "treats". I doubt frozen fish, liver or prawns are the equivalent of chocolate to axolotls...

Click to expand...

I use the word 'treat' as it is the simplest word I can think of for what I mean having had previous grief from people for using long words.

Incidentally chocolate is a sub-optimal food for people

Sorry if I misunderstood the content on your comments, I think I was a little cranky lol.

Thank you very much for the replies, it has helped me greatly

May I please ask one more thing as I haven't had any responses yet, but my Axolotl has a blemish on his nose and I think it may be serious! Can you please check my pictures and let me know what you think may be the cause, Thanks

James