Question: Quantity of food

Hello.

Wondering if i could ask some advice please regarding the feeding of axolotls....

We have two Axies, both are 15cm long.

We currently feed them bloodworm as thats what the petshop told us to feed them. Since reading on here we have decided to get some earthworms but gotta wait till payday so they'll have to continue with the bloodworm for now. We're also breeding guppies for an occasional treat for them but thats going to take a while as we only have 5 babies so far...

Bloodworm, how much should they be fed and how often?
The axies seem hungry all the time, especially Gandalf who patrols the tank all day. The worms are frozen and come in blister packs, two cubes frozen together in each 'blister'. We're currently feeding them 1 'blister' every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday as that was the advice we were originally given. Is this the correct amount?

Regarding earthworms, is there a size range that is good for them and can anyone recommend a supplier? I'm a bit wary of picking them from the garden in case of parasites.

Guppies: At what age / size should the guppies be before they go in as food?

Thanks very much for any advice anyone can give, and sorry for all the questions in one go! If more info or a pic of the bloodworm is needed please let me know.

Apologies to the mod if this is in the wrong place - first proper post.

Luke + Aimee

anyone got any advice on quantity and frequency of feeding?

Hi Luke,
There are lots of posts on feeding! You should be able to use the search option to trawl through them. I can only give you my experience.
I have grown some juveniles from 'just got legs' phase to 5 inches plus. I started them on bloodworm but have now moved them onto earthworm with an occasional treat of bloodworm if any of them look like they could eat more. I am keeping them in separate tanks, so I can see how much they are all eating. I get my earthworms from the local fishing supply shop. I did find that they needed them chopping to half an inch or smaller to get them down and keep them down!
Presumably the best way to be absolutely sure of disease free worms is to culture your own?
Anyone else?

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And......
I feed daily, currently 12 mixed size worms chopped and given to my 10 juveniles. At 5 inches. The number of worms they get through has increased as they have grown.

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Hey Luke,

I just got my axie and he's 5 inches long. Currently we're feeding him either a small cube of blood worm or a chopped up earthworm every other day. Although he's so hungry and growing fast we have fed him a few times 3 days in a row. He gobbles up the bloodworms so fast!

I bought my earthworms from my local pet shop. However, we have bought a tub and hoping it will turn into a little wormery. That way we don't have to worry about things like chemicals and parasites. There are plenty of threads on feeding but you will eventually find the best routine for you and your axies with a bit of trial and error. Hope this helps some

hi,

thanks for the advice, i have trawled through the search bar - loads - just not found any info on how many / how often to feed them for bloodworms... i'll look harder

i would agree the best bet is to breed your own worms in a wormery... i would, and may do in the future. the tackle shops round here dont sell worms and neither do pet shops they just laughed at me and told me to dig them up!

so everyone just feeds there axies until they cant eat any more? i reckon ours would just keep going till they pop!

I have yet to come across a thread about an axie who's eaten too much! xD I would guess feeding daily until they're ~6-7" and then every other day until he's closer to 8 or 9" would probably be good (I have experience only with the wee <2" ones so far!).

Breeding your own worms is the best option IMO, as you don't know if the tackle shops have treated their worms with anything, or what the worms have been eating. Pet shops are probably less likely to have infected worms as they're meant for pet consumption.

My adult axies are all 17-22 cm long, and my feeding regime (for each axie, one item per day, two days in a row followed by a day or two (occasionally three) of fasting) involves:
1 choc cube of bloodworms (orca brand, though I prefer Hikari- I'll be swapping back once I've used up the current lot/have money)
4 pellets (Pets brand, 3-4mm across)
1 medium sized Earthworm if available/ swap back to other foods.

Then there are (As of today) shrimp, guppies, and various water bugs (left the window open and the wildlife decided to take up residence) for their browsing enjoyment.
Hope this helps!

My fifteen cm juveniles are eating half a cube daily. Usually one feeding each day. However on the weekends I give them two smaller helpings as I am here morning and evening. I notice that when I only feed them once a day they are ravenous. I feed them daily to prevent them snapping at each other. If I don't do this I have to place more of my tubs in the axie recovery ward. Currently I only have one injured axie out of 36 so it seems to be working. If I was to feed them only earth worms I would give each one two to three small worms daily as that is what I have available.