Why earthworms?

[Skudo09]

Originally Posted by JM29

Hi!
Why earthworms ?

Many varied interesting answers have already been posted. Most of them speak about nutritional concerns.

A point that I've not red about is :
I'v noticed that, during periods when I feed my axies, ribbed newts and other aquatics with earthworms only, the aquarium keeps clean. When I start giving pellets or pieces of fish flesh (because lack of earthworms), the tank become dirty more quickly (algae, trouble water and so on...).

I suppose earthworms are better assimilated by the caudates but I've no solid data about that.

Has anyone noticed something similar?

They certainly are a good choice for a food that doesn't foul the water :)

[Toby's Mom]

I know this is an old post but i thought i'd add to it. The breeder i got my lotl from is a biology teacher. He told me that they eat crayfish in the wild. Mine has a diet of blood worms, ghost shrimp, turtle pellets, and soon will be adding in guppies and worms. also-the occasional cricket. ANYWAY that answers what they eat in the wild.

[Skudo09]

Originally Posted by MistyMeadow3

I know this is an old post but i thought i'd add to it. The breeder i got my lotl from is a biology teacher. He told me that they eat crayfish in the wild. Mine has a diet of blood worms, ghost shrimp, turtle pellets, and soon will be adding in guppies and worms. also-the occasional cricket. ANYWAY that answers what they eat in the wild.

Personally I am not a fan of feeding fish as they are of poor nutritional quality and carry parasites and diseases that can affect axolotls. But if you do wish to have fish as a food source make sure you quarantine them first and that they are not showing any signs of illness or parasites. Also crickets have a hard exoskeleton that can be difficult to digest and if fed too much of this type of meal can cause constipation. They are acceptable as an occasional treat but don't feed these items too often. I would stick to earthworms or newt pellets as staple foods with everything else as a treat.

[Toby's Mom]

Oh i'm gonna give him the ones that my pet guppies have, deffinatly not buying feeders.
And i learned my lesson about too many crickets. i'm gonna slowly give him the left overs and not buy them anymore. Why should the exoskeleton be an issue since they eat crustations in the wild?

[Skudo09]

It is advised not to feed insects with hard exoskeletons (chitin) too often as it has become known that the chitin is difficult to digest and takes time to pass through their digestive tract. If fed too often, the amount of chitin in their digestive tract builds up and causes blockage and therefore constipation.

[Petersgirl]

I've fed mussel meat and also cockles to my babies. They don't really take them all that readily, and if any is left behind it really fouls the water and makes it stink (especially bad if little Axel has chomped his cockle then spat it out behind a plant when you leave the room!)

Worms are so much cleaner and I find axxies can't resist them - especially fresh from the supplier!

[NellyAxolotl]

I have seen a lot of people saying that they take worms from their gardens or yard to feed their axolotls, and a lot of other people saying that this is dangerous to do because these worms might have diseases or parasites.

Which answer is the right answer?

Right now I feed my axolotls only store bought worms but this can be inconvenient, during fishing seasons it is very hard to find worms in any store. I also live out in the country, a good 30 minutes from any store that sells worms. I know I have plenty of worms in my yard and garden that would be a much more convenient source for me and my axolotls.

Has anyone actually experienced their axolotl getting a parasite or disease from a worm they dug up from their garden?

[miniwaterdragon]

I like to do a combination of earthworms and guppies since my guppies like to produce like crazy in their 10 gallon tanks. Good in protein.