Best way to feed axolotls?

I'm wondering what is the best way to feed my new babies who I adopted last week

At only 6-8cm long, they seem to do a great job at getting lost in their 3 foot home, hiding inside ornaments, behind plants and filters, or just lurking in the shadows. Dopey also both the tank with the extra 4" depth, so reaching down to their heads is difficult and often shirt-sleeve wetting.

1) I'm scooping them into separate plastic tubs for feeding, then returning them after their dinner. This ensures I can place earthworms right on their nose without having to reach inside their hides holes. Also, if the turn around or let the worm wriggle away I can relocate it easily. Is this a reasonable approach, or am I stressing them with the constant catch-and-release?

2) how long should I leave them with an uneaten worm? The worms I have are often of various sizes, so I'm not sure of total work 'volume' I am offering. It seems that I have had 1 axie take 3 worms in one meal, but in another meal an axie might have only 1 and let a 2nd worm crawl all over her. Shmeykel hasn't, had a worm for two days. Am I trying to overfeed? Might she be too stressed to eat? Is she the one responsible for 4 white clouds going missing from their tank in the last three days?

Am I being an overly fretful new daddy? Yesterday Fayerehl tried to snatch a worm from my hand. As a I jumped back, I realise I was using the worm as a fishing line and was pulling her up out of the water. I think all three of my boys got a good,laugh out of seeing that

They may be too big and 3 worms is a lot for a small axie on one sitting. Try feeding one small worm in the morning and one small at night, also I would reccomend either lowering the water in your big tank so you can hand feed or possibly the use of a feeding dish. They will eat when hungry, there's not really too much of a fuss to force them

I wasn't planning on force feeding them. Merely offering enough until they were full.
The first night home I fed them, I tried in the tank, but they just ignored the worms. I left the worms in, not Knowing how long it would take them to realise there was food available or if they would be too stressed to eat. After about 15min, Roych crept catlike up to a worm an snatched it. The other 2 ignored them.

How long is 'long enough' for me to understand they're not hungry?

If I do use a feeding bowl/jar, how do I help them to learn what it's for?

You start by waving it infront of their faces and the keep waving then drop it in the plate. When they're hungry they will eat. The worms you're trying to feed might be too big so try offering smaller bits

Your problem is pretty standard for small axolotls in a large tank. Dont worry too much about them not eating enough, if they get hungry they will have their faces pressed to the glass looking at you like a fat kid outside a sweet shop. If you feed the axolotls in the same part of the tank they will learn to go there to look for food, in fact when they are hungry you will see them hanging about there and wiggling at you to attract your attention.

A feeding jar in the same place will work a treat. When my babies were this small, live blackworms and frozen blood worms worked best, then they progressed to pain ole garden worms

I tend towards dropping the food in the "front" of the tank (the place where there is the most traffic so it's easy for them to identify). The axies then tend to come towards the front when they're hungry, and I drop the food around them (or leave it if no-one's around at the time - with ten of them, someone rocks up pretty quickly to eat!) . Something interesting- once you establish a place, they'll remember it long-term! I've recently moved my axies back inside (and just in time!), and all of them have demonstrated that they remember how to beg for food

If I go for feeding jars, how wide should they be? Do the axolotl need to be able to turn around, or can the back out? When I see min crawling, they only seem to be going forwards.

Also, how long is "long enough" to decide that they,re not hungry and remove the uneaten food?

I don't know about in Aus but over here in the uk you can get large multipurpose glass jars; made for storing pasta, fruit, confectionary, etc and they're perfect for the job if you can get hold of them. As for axolotls evacuating them, I've seen mine squeeze into tiny corners and spaces, curl their body's up, then turn and wiggle out so it's definitely possible for them to do so. I'd say anything larger than a jam jar is adequate for an adult. If not they probably will just back out slowly. I usually leave food in the tank for an hour after the initial feeding then remove anything uneaten.

I just want to say that I used to take mine out to feed them too. I had a hard time telling Monster and Stardust apart when they were small and I found I was feeding one twice and not the other.

All I basically did was stick the container in the water and slowly lift them out when they were in. Actually, they got so used to it that they would voluntarily get into the container when I put it in the water. I also never had a problem with them being stressed during this.

With the amount you're feeding, it's totally normal that they don't eat consistently. I tend to feed babies till they won't eat anymore also and I've had similar results. They'll eat a lot one day, none the next, then maybe one, then two, etc. In my opinion, you're doing a perfect job as a axie parent and should just stick to what you're doing. Also, don't worry so much!