Question: New Axy Owner

So I just got my very first Axolotl (Dobby Jabberwocky) last night. I have had the tank set up for about a 10 days now just running and filtering the water. I have terracotta pots, plants, and sand all in the tank, I'm getting more plants next week mainly amazon swords and water lettuce. The temp on the tank has been sitting at between 64-66 since Monday. I was having a lot of trouble trying to keep it at the same temp through out the day but finally got it accumulated. He is kinda like a whitish grey color and about 2 1/2 to 3in long. I'm having trouble with the feeding because I feel like I'm not doing something right. I have read everything possible about feeding. I bought some frozen brine shrimp (they were sold out of frozen bloodworms) and red worms. I gave me about half of a red worm last night a couple hours after I got him settled in the tank and he ate it but a few minuets later he threw it back up. I was going to try to feed him the brine shrimp but i've never fed any of my other wet kids frozen food before so I'm not sure how to feed it to him. Can anyone PLEASE help me on what to do!!!

Some axolotls will eat red wigglers, some won't. Some do what yours did and eat a bit of the worm and then vomit it up later.

You are about to discover that frozen brine shrimp are a pain, since they float everywhere, Axolotls aren't fast eaters like fish. Suggestion: get a clean jar big enough for you axolotl to get in to, fill it with tank water, and thaw the brine shrimp in there. Then put the jar in the tank on its side near Dobby. Hopefully, that will contain the brine shrimp so he can eat them.

Congratulations on your new axolotls. Axolotls don't like red wrigglers as much as Canadian nightcrawlers so you might need to blanch them and since them off and try that, but there's always a chance he won't like them. I would just keep offering him a piece of worm every now and then until he takes it, or you can give up after a day or two, whatever you feel comfortable. I don't know how good it would be to wait longer on a young axie but hopefully someone else will chime in.

To feed the frozen food, take a clean dish preferably for that only and put the frozen food in dish with some water from the tank and wait a while to let it defrost. You could check up on it and stir it or shake up the container a little to help break up the frozen cube. I would recommend feeding your axolotl in a separate container, because you'll make a mess with the brine shrimp and you don't want your axolotl ingesting sand trying to eat it off the sand.

Thanks so much for y'all help. I have read in different blogs and post about feeding them in different containers.. I wanted to try that but was worried it would stress him out moving him from one tank to another about 2 times a day. The glass container sounds like a great idea. I just put one of the frozen cubs in my 55 gal tank and it was very messy. I can just imagine how that will be in a 10 gal tank. I broke off a piece of worm this morning pretty small and he ate it and did fine but wouldn't go to the other pieces. Any other suggestions on what I should try to fit him. My local pet store will be getting frozen bloodworms in next week they just sold out quickly this week. I know they sell mealwoms, the big and small ones, frozen beefheart, frozen krill, and live crickets. Will any of those help. I know mealworms aren't a good food due to the skeleton but at this point I'm willing to try anything to get him to eat.

Worms are best (nutritionally), and most axolotls love Canadian Night Crawlers (available at Walmart in the fishing/hunting section.) Canadian night crawlers are rather large, but you can chop pieces off - see Caudata Culture Articles - How to Feed a Large Worm to a Small Newt. They don't stink like red wigglers. You can also get other worms there, but one batch of European Night crawlers (Eisenia hortensis) I got there seemed to contain Red wiggler (Eisenia fotida) since they had the same awful smell (and my axolotls wouldn't eat them). They like variety - I usually feed worms and pellets.

The low-stress way to transfer an axolotl to a smaller container is to use those reusable Ziploc containers (Food - Non-Food - Containers - Organization - Ziploc® Brand Containers). Gently move the container towards the axolotl until it is in the container and lift it out. That way, its mucus coating isn't damaged. I expect once it figures out that the container leads to food, it will be very cooperative.

I just got home and tied to feed him. I put him in a container and stuck a brine shrimp cube. He didn't really eat it. He just kinda set there so I decided to stick a small mealworm and he didn't touch it. I don't know if he is full or something else. I left him in their for about 15 mins and he never ate. I'm so stressed out because I have no idea what to do. I also picked up some shrimp pellets that is also didn't touch. I can't get frozen bloodworms until next week. He doesn't seem stressed or anything he is just hanging out really. He is kinda like a greyish color with black spots. I hope that's normal. I've only had him less then 24 hrs. Now he did eat a really small piece of red worm this morning. So maybe he is full. I just have no idea!!!

He is probably still settling in. Don't stress out! Keep offering him bits of the food you have until the frozen blood worms arrive. Another 2-3 days, right? He'll be fine. Either keep using the feeding jar, or get a dish to feed him in. Sand can cause impaction in juveniles.

petaRJ said:

I just got home and tied to feed him. I put him in a container and stuck a brine shrimp cube. He didn't really eat it. He just kinda set there so I decided to stick a small mealworm and he didn't touch it. I don't know if he is full or something else. I left him in their for about 15 mins and he never ate. I'm so stressed out because I have no idea what to do. I also picked up some shrimp pellets that is also didn't touch. I can't get frozen bloodworms until next week. He doesn't seem stressed or anything he is just hanging out really. He is kinda like a greyish color with black spots. I hope that's normal. I've only had him less then 24 hrs. Now he did eat a really small piece of red worm this morning. So maybe he is full. I just have no idea!!!

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It will not be interested in food just now as its been placed in a new home. It needs to settle in, probably the travel it did from when you bought it to you getting it home has unsettled it.
Give it a few days then it will eat
If its starving it will let you know by giving you wanting looks, just for now don't annoy it, just leave it alone for at least 24hrs

He is just staying in the one spot. He won't move or anything. I just turned the light on to get the picture. I keep the light off and just let him hang out. I guess I'm gonna do what you suggested and just leave him alone for a few days to see if he will get used to the tank. I tried to feed him again this morning but he wasn't interested. I'm gonna have my husband pick up some canidian nightcrawlers. Then just try to feed him maybe tonight by dropping a worm in there. How do u recommend feeding the crawler to him? I know it will need to be cut small.

Just cut the worm up so that the sections are about the width of your axies head. Try to drop the pieces by his nose.

I haven't messed with him since Sunday morning. He has just pretty much stayed in one spot. Sometimes i'll go check on him and he will have moved just a bit somewhere. Mostly he is just staying toward the back. I called my husband and he said that Dobby was at the front of the tank which is where he normally never is. Does that mean he is getting hungry and ready to eat? I might try to feed him tonight when I get home. Just having trouble find Canadian Night Cralwers since it's winter and not really fishing season.