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Won't eat bloodworms

droberts

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Today was my first day feeding freckles the lady at the store I got him from said they only feed him pellets which i got the pellets when buying him but I also wanted to hand feed him blood worms he is only a little fella about 12cm, I offered him the blood worms from my fingers and he freaked naturally this was to be expected he isn't used to this so I cleaned the worms up gave it some time and let freckles settle down again and then tried again same reaction this time i left the worms in there for him but even when he was on top of the worms he still did not eat them but as soon as i dropped a pellet on his head he gobbled it up straight away any suggestions on what to do to get him to eat things other then just pellets please?
 

Tal

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Are you planning on weaning him off the pellets or just looking at supplementing his diet with live food? If you are looking at stopping pellets then stop feeding him the pellets for a while. Hunger is a great motivator. Although live worms may be an easier alternative to blood worms. The movement may help stimulate a food response. Just try to steer clear of tiger worms. They exude a foul tasting liquid so they may be turned down.
 

Eternie

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Since Axolotls have poor eyesight, even if they are on top of the bloodworms it might take them awhile to realize where they are, so leave the bloodworms in the tank for at least 30 minutes before you remove them.
 

JoshuaD

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Hi Di,
As the others have already said, axolotl eyesight is not always the best, so time for browsing is often necessary (my white albino takes several minutes to recognize food). Though your individual animal may be a bit more skittish then when I received my axies, I have found that using a turkey baster and gently releasing bloodworms onto their nose can accustom them to activity in the tank and you may be able to transition to hand feeding once they are comfortable with your presence. Hope this helps!
 
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