How to tell good earthworms ?

I have a 4in axie. I recently started feeding him nightcrawlers because everyone seems to think they're best. He eats pretty small pieces so I kind of trim off the butts as needed, Is there a better way to do this? How do I keep them alive\how long are they ok to feed to my dude? Can I keep snipping a little at a time? It seems really cruel but also does it kill the worms or hurt their quality?

I ask because the worms usually cut clean, but this one I snipped was full of something like cottage cheese? (ew sorry). I had given them some eggshells.. are the worms bad to feed my axolotl or was it digesting? I've never fed live before.. just frozen.

Hi there! Great questions!

So earthworms are absolutely the best food source for your wee axie! My guy used to eat about half a worm a day (he was 5.5 inches) and they had to be cut into like 8 pieces XD What I would do is put the worm in a small container with a very small amount of water, and then use scissors to cut it in half, working through one half at a time piece by piece. I would then feed the other half the next day. Basically as long as the worm is alive and moving well, you should be okay. I would suggest fridging the uneaten portion to prevent bacteria buildup and know that portions smaller than a half will likely die. Depending on how much your little guy eats, you might want to cut off a third at a time.

So, next part, worms and pain; current scientific understanding says that the simplified brain and nervous system cannot register pain, so much as "damage". The worm will squirm and try to defend itself (produce excess mucus) but doesnt actually feel it as we would. I DO recommend using scissors regardless though; why be crueler than necessary, right?

The cottage cheese...maaaaybe eggs? Like was pregnant? I honestly dont know.

Hey, thank you so much for your reply! That one worm was definitely bad and ended up dying that evening. Not sure what happened to it, exactly, but I removed it from the container, checked the other worms and replaced the dirt. The other worms seem to be doing fine and my axie is eating them well!

Oh good! I am really glad he's eating well