Difference between pellet food

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Im getting an axolotl soon and i got my tank set up and all the supplies bought except the food. I have not been able to find a bloodworm supplier near me yet so till i get live food i was wondering wht type of pellet food is the best. I saw salamander and newt and turtle pellets. i prefer not feeding turtle pellets because i feel like its too much of a different animal with different needs. Is there any difference between salamander and newt food?? or are they pretty much interchangeable?if there is a difference which one should i feed my juvenile axolotl? thanks in advance
 
If you're looking for something that you can find easily at the local pet store/chain store, Hikari Sinking Carnivore Pellets are good. You want something that's soft, but not messy (for your sake).

You can get salmon pellets through mail order; a search on that phrase on the forums should turn up some results.
 
You could also feed chopped nightcrawler/earthworm for a staple, which can be bought at walmarts, bait stores, pet stores, etc. But must be chopped yourself of course.
 
I use Hikari sinking carnivore pellets myself because my axolotl refuses all worms and I've had success with them. He's grown nicely and is nice and chubby. It seems like basically you want a carnivore pellets, but the ones that seem to be mostly known, at least in the US is the Hikari sinking carnivore (or massivore) pellets or the rangen which I think you can get from Ed's fly meat.

I found the night crawlers at walmart like Aaron said, and the Petsmart near me sells red wrigglers. If your axolotls are very small, you could also try frozen blood worms, which you would thaw first in a bit of tank water. Live blood worms and black worms (also a good juvie axie food) can also be bought online.
 
Hikari sinking carnivore pellets and Rangen soft moist salmon pellets are popular in the USA, in the UK we have Novolotl and Pollywog as popular brands, and Repashy products are also considered reasonable.

Avoid anything that says is has a lot of seaweed, algae or spirulina, and aim for 40+% protein.

BUT the best food for axies will always be live earthworms.
 
i found some 44% protein soft newt food at my petstore the other day so i grabbed it. i think it was by reptomin. if i do run into the other brands u guys have suggested i will definatly switch to those since there seems to be a consensus that it is a reliable brand. this might sound a little stupid maybe but i must ask. when u thaw the frozen blck or blood worms are they still alive? just curious i dont have a problem with feeding live food, infact i prefer it but i wasnt sure
 
auntiejude said:
No. Freezing to -18C kills most things, including bloodworms.
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thats wht i figured, well i guess if they can eat motionless pellets they will probably eat dead worms too. thanks for the help!
 
I feed axolotl pellets from Flymeat.com. They are a company in Washington, and manufacture everything right there. It is a sinking pellet that is soft, and my axies have really grown into nice fat adults on them. I supplement with cut up worms and bloodworms too, though. :)
 
milahoh said:
I feed axolotl pellets from Flymeat.com. They are a company in Washington, and manufacture everything right there. It is a sinking pellet that is soft, and my axies have really grown into nice fat adults on them. I supplement with cut up worms and bloodworms too, though. :)
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They don't make the pellets. They are soft moist salmon pellets made by Rangen.
 
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Really??? I did not know that. They still seem to do well on them as a staple, as long as one does not over feed. Pellets remaining in the water spoil fast and ruin water quality. I will have to research them more. Thanks for the info.
 
Salmon pellets discount - axolotl food - Caudata.org Newt and Salamander Forum


Rangen soft moist salmon pellets are sinking moist pellets made for the commercial salmon hatcheries.

They are sold by Me (Michael Shrom), Ambystoma genetic stock center, and flymeat for axolotl food. An almost identical pellet is sold as zoomed newt food. I offer a discount on Rangen soft moist salmon pellets to caudata.org members and an inexpensive shipping rate. Check the sticky in the want adds.
 
got some medium sized mealworms while i was at the reptile expo, i put two in with some pellets to see wht he/she would and he ate half the pellets and one mealworm, i gotta fatten him up a bit, the rib cages are protruding more than normal i think
 
I would be careful not to feed him the meal worms too often, their hard exoskeletons are hard to digest.
 
i learned tht the mealworms can actually be dangerous. infact i remember reading about tht before i bought them but for some reason i confused mealworms and earthworms.. anyway never fed her mealworms again due to the fear of impacting. i did make the switch to live food but in the future if and when i get a younger baby axolotl i will try the pellet foods mentioned above, thanks for the help guys! always very appreciated
 
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