New Baby/Juvenile Axie questions

Hello!

I have quite a few questions concerning my new axolotl, Guadalupe.
I have him in a 10 gallon (long) tank, PH is right around 7, and the temperature is 17-18C

I bought him from a reptile store in Winnipeg, and the owner of the store didn't know how to take care of them, or how to feed them, etc, so he wasn't much help. (The store only had them in for a day before I picked the only one up)

He is maybe 2.5 inches long, he is very small and I'm concerned with his eating habits.
I tried feeding him pellets, and little cubes (made even smaller for him) by dropping them in the tank, or using long tweezers to wiggle them around so he could detect them...and nothing.

I then went out all over Winnipeg to try to find a store that sold baby brine shrimp, bloodworms, or ANYTHING! Nothing. I bought nightcrawlers, and cut the tail and...other side off, in tiny pieces that he could swallow. He instantly went for them, but the next day I noticed the same piece in the water, only now it was completely white...looking half digested....

I tried a baby cricket today, and he went for it, but only bit the head off and then completely gave up. Mealworms do not interest him either.

What should I do? He is so tiny and I'm afraid if he doesn't eat that he might not make it.
He already barely moves or swims around in his tank, and barely flutters his gills.

Thanks,
Rhianna

Here is a picture of his weight. Also the reflection from the glass he was in is making the tip of his tail look non existant, he has a normal straight tail.

New arrivals can be a little picky about food. Keep trying with the earthworms, but don't bug him too much. Drop a couple in, let him be peacefully, check on him later. If he hasn't eaten them, remove them. Try not to 'hover' (I know it's hard!). They can take chunks that are as wide as their head.

What's your setup like? Do you have any hiding places or anything? A filter?

Since you've got a small tank, you should pick up a liquid reagent test kit. Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates are all important. You should also think about getting a larger tank down the line. A 10 gal is pretty small for an animal that can get 30cm!

I have large rounded river-stone...rock....things for the bottom of my tank. I have a hide/cave that he often uses, a fake plant that he likes to swim in, and a small filter in the top corner of the tank. The filter is for 10gallon or smaller, and it is the "quiet" edition. I have a PH and ammonia tests, and I am going to get some nitrate and other water quality testers soon too!

I know a 10gallon long is only 20 inches long or so, so It won't be his adult size tank. He is just so tiny I figured he would be ok in this for now. I will try with the tips of the worms and leave them in the tank, how long should I check on him?

Also, would it help if I made the area around his tank as dark as possible? Would that help with feeding?

And how often should I feed him? Daily, or 2-3 times a week?

Thanks!

Sounds like you're on the right path!

Earthworms are fine left in the water overnight. They don't foul as fast as food like bloodworms or brine shrimp.

River rock is kind of a pain in the butt. Food and waste will get trapped under the rocks, and it's a real pain to clean. You might think about removing them and just leaving a few of the largest ones scattered around for aesthetics/grip. If not, try just having a bare corner for feeding. It might make it easier for little guy to find food.

Dark will help. They are nocturnal. When they're little, you can feed them daily. You can check on him a couple times a day. Just remember that they take time to settle in, and until he learns to associate you with food, he might be a little skittish.

I did exactly that haha! I left a corner so it would be easy to feed and clean the waste. I just left 3 tips there, and turned off all the lights so it's quiet and dark. Hopefully he eats!

The weird thing is, it's not like he doesn't want to eat...he does! He just...chews it, spits it out, and gives up. And today he isn't even swallowing the food initially, kind of just barely opening his jaw and closing it ...and diving into the food haha. He's a little weird.

I'm just really worried because of his size that he won't make it if he doesn't start eating soon. I have faith, though. He's hungry, and interested in the food so far so thats a good sign I think!

one thing i would say dont make the same mistake i did in his adult tank do not use river rocks i had spent over $100 on my river rocks that were 3inchs big and now i have changed it to sand spending another $100. the reason i tell u this is when he is eating the dead food he will mistaked the rocks as food and may eat them, i lost my 8 inch black female beacuse she ate a 3inch river rock. plus the sand looks alot nicer with all the caves and hiding places and its much better towards cleaning

Wow, $100 on sand?! I bought 50 lbs of sand (which lasted like 5 years) for less than $10.

My rocks only cost me about 6 dollars total, for two containers with darker ones and lighter ones. But I agree, theyre getting in the way of seeing if the food was eaten or it just wiggled away...I might take them all out soon.

I put three tips in last night, this morning I saw two still there, so I'm HOPING he may have ate the one.

Are there other tactics to get a juvenile to eat? I've had him since last Thursday and he has only swallowed food once!

I did a 20 percent water change today and took out those rocks. I found one worm, so he must have ate atleast 1, from the past 6 chunks I've gave him.

Today I tried to feed him again, and he went for the one piece, but he spit it out and gave up after one try.

Should I still be worried..?

Well, for the past few days he has been eating! 1-2 pieces of worm chopped up!
I'm so happy he's finally eating!

No sign of poop yet though!

That's great to hear! Poop can disintegrate fairly quickly. You should be housekeeping with a siphon, vacuuming waste out of your substrate.