Question: Treats

ladygodiva35

ladygodiva35

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Can axolotols eat fruits and veggies as a treat? Mine seem to be getting tired of the same foods. I feed frozen blood worms and fresh red worms.

One day Saskia will hate the red worms and love the blood worms while Sage loves the red worms and doesn't want blood worms. Then the next day they switch roles! I think they take turns hating things.

I can't find any other worm besides red wigglers at the pet stores. I'm not comfortable feeding wax or meal worms to my precious little axies.

What else can be fed or used as a yummy treat?
 
Mine loved live black worms. You can order them online for about 30 bucks for a pound. They are carnivores I think in nature, eating mostly shrimps worms and maybe tiny fish or something. Reptotreat might be good if they like it, but I heard the gel gets messy. Newt bites are also something I've seen that gets fed to axies, and you can buy it from amazon for only a few dollars.
 
I think wax worms are a great treat, just not too often they are super high in fat. Black worms would be good too, or a fat canadian nightcrawler, get my adult male every time you should see him thrash around, it's like a whole different axie haha
 
As only very special occasions a.k.a only a couple times a year
Treats are freshly shed mealworms, raw prawn and beef heart (not all at the same time)

Otherwise it's garden worms and pellets
 
Pretty sure fruit and vegetable is unsuitable as they wouldn't be eating these in the wild. I'm also unsure if they can digest vegetables and fruit.
 
As axolotls are carnivorous I would question how well they would be able to digest fruit and vegetables, whether they would get any nutrients from them and whether certain fruits and vegetables may be toxic to them. However I don't really know the answer to this.

My axolotls have not yet arrived (waiting on my tank to cycle) but my plan is to feed them a staple diet of earthworms and maybe the odd axolotl sinking pellet every now and then just to mix it up a little. I am also thinking of very occasional treats of bloodworm, brineshrimp and maybe the very occasional raw prawn.
 
No to fruit, veg, chicken and beef heart. Axies are carnivores and won't digest vegetable matter very well, they can't digest mammalian meat too well either.
Prawns are generally too salty.

Suitable occasional alternatives:
live freshwater shrimp - river, cherry, amano
Live guppies
Unsmoked & unsalted fish - raw
Maggots, waxworms etc
Small Crickets with legs removed
Small roaches
 
I agree with auntiejude, they find mammal meat hard to digest as it s so tough, I once gave my my axies a prawn, (half each) and they liked it but too much salt could kill them. As a treat I use waxworms, I get them about once every 3 months and feed them to my axies and tiger sal about once every three weeks.
P.S I like the way that if you dont use up the waxworms in time they turn into moths, my caudates love them as well
 
A lady with a tank full of some of the biggest and healthiest (as well as prolifically breeding) axies I have ever seen swore by lamb steak.

Said it was all she gave them.

I feed mine earthworms exclusively, but am having trouble keeping them up to my 8 axies.

The big ones eat 4-6 a day each!

I looked into what made lamb different to beef, and it seems that lamb is very lean, low fat/high protein.

I was thinking of even alternating day to day, just to give my worm farm a chance to catch up.

Possibly slicing the lamb into worm shaped/sized strips....

I know myself that worms are best, mine are just doing so well on them, but logistics are catching up on me.

I'm not doubting or anything, but where does the hard to digest meat info come from (so I can make an educated decision that's all)?
 
axowattyl said:
A lady with a tank full of some of the biggest and healthiest (as well as prolifically breeding) axies I have ever seen swore by lamb steak.

Said it was all she gave them.

I feed mine earthworms exclusively, but am having trouble keeping them up to my 8 axies.

The big ones eat 4-6 a day each!

I looked into what made lamb different to beef, and it seems that lamb is very lean, low fat/high protein.

I was thinking of even alternating day to day, just to give my worm farm a chance to catch up.

Possibly slicing the lamb into worm shaped/sized strips....

I know myself that worms are best, mine are just doing so well on them, but logistics are catching up on me.

I'm not doubting or anything, but where does the hard to digest meat info come from (so I can make an educated decision that's all)?
Click to expand...

Are you running low or are they buried in the deeper layers of soil? Go into bunnings and grab a box of 500 worms (usually more as they breed in there after packaging, anyway) and feed them a heap of mash potatoes. I was running low, or so I thought, so I was making potato bake and had extra potatoes, made some mash. The next day, underneath the mash was covered in big fat juicy worms!

I know it's hot in Australia and every axolotl differs but 4-6 everyday is slightly excessive isn't it?
 
I've got the Bunnings box of 1000, but I'll try some mash potato.

They're not that big really, generally only 5cms long and fairly thin, not like the odd whopper you'll find in the garden.

I feed them morning and night, and their bellies are only just the width of their heads.

Considering they're all 16-18cms long, it seems to be right for them.

Every third day I give them only one feed of 2-3 worms, and they can get cranky on that day.
 
axowattyl said:
I've got the Bunnings box of 1000, but I'll try some mash potato.

They're not that big really, generally only 5cms long and fairly thin, not like the odd whopper you'll find in the garden.

I feed them morning and night, and their bellies are only just the width of their heads.

Considering they're all 16-18cms long, it seems to be right for them.

Every third day I give them only one feed of 2-3 worms, and they can get cranky on that day.
Click to expand...

Mine are close to 8ishcm and quite fat, perhaps the mash will fatten them up and make them bigger. What do you feed your worms? I find that all the big fellas are hiding at the bottom, so I really have to dig and turn the soil up to uncover them.
 
hayleykahnita said:
Mine are close to 8ishcm and quite fat, perhaps the mash will fatten them up and make them bigger. What do you feed your worms? I find that all the big fellas are hiding at the bottom, so I really have to dig and turn the soil up to uncover them.
Click to expand...

We've just been giving them lettuce, etc on the surface.

Will definitely try the mash, thanks for the tip.

I have dug up the odd "anaconda", but put them back in the hope they would breed more worms (and so as not to choke my pets on them).
 
axowattyl said:
We've just been giving them lettuce, etc on the surface.

Will definitely try the mash, thanks for the tip.

I have dug up the odd "anaconda", but put them back in the hope they would breed more worms (and so as not to choke my pets on them).
Click to expand...

Lettuce is only really water. Taters and old banana/banana skin are the way. If I flip it over it's like a worm party :lol:
 
Worms are surface feeders, they feed on the bacteria that rot the vegetable matter. Digging in the potato won't work as well, a thin layer scross the surface of their tub is perfect.

My adult axies get one medium-large worm per day, my juvies 2 or 3 small ones. They also get occasional waxworms, and river shrimp when I can get them.
 
auntiejude said:
Worms are surface feeders, they feed on the bacteria that rot the vegetable matter. Digging in the potato won't work as well, a thin layer scross the surface of their tub is perfect.

My adult axies get one medium-large worm per day, my juvies 2 or 3 small ones. They also get occasional waxworms, and river shrimp when I can get them.
Click to expand...

I actually have a large 6x2x2 heavily planted tank that is for minnows and shrimp only.

The shrimp I have are Australian glass shrimp, said to be prolific breeders and grow to 3-5cm long (I've only just got them).

I am hoping to be able to offer a new menu with these.
 
Has anyone tried Phoenix worms (Soldier Fly larvae), I use these as treats for my bearded dragon as they are high in fat. Didnt know if they could be fed to axies as treats.
 
Almost any maggot/insect larva is suitable. I believe phoenix worms are higher in calcium than some others (which is why they are favourite for reptiles) and should be fine for axies.
 
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