I feed my axolotls kangaroo

Hi!

I know there is often a lot of discussion about the best diet for axolotls, what you feed them and what they should eat and do eat ect...

anyway. I know a lot of people are hardcore about what they think on this subject, that worms should be the only thing fed. I Don't disagree, but i have always fed my axies a mixture of things. They go through periods of eating different things. A few months of worms, a few months of pellets, a few months of feeders or tadpoles (quarantined), a few month of beef heart ect. I know all the nutrients they need are in worms and they get those often. But i figure i the wild they are opportunistic eaters, and they eat what they can find, when they can find it. So for me, its what is conveniently available, when its available. Of course only if it's not bad for the axolotl. I know beef heart is debated, they don’t eat mammals in the wild ect... but if they came across a bit of dead cow, they probably would. Researches have used it for years with little known effects to the axies health, and i have never noticed anything bad when they eat it. They are fat and healthy and breed regularly.

I feed mine beef heart often, usually in winter when worms are much harder to come by here or farm because of the freezing temperatures where i live. But recently i have started feeding them kangaroo. It is one of the leanest meats available with only 1-2% fat levels and it is high in vitamin/mineral content compared to other available meats and has no antibiotics or chemicals.

http://www.kangaroomeat.net.au/php/nutrition.php

It has become quite popular here as human food but still remains cheap because there are plenty of kangaroos around. The axies have been loving it, cut into thin strips and frozen like i do with the heart. Its been great for winter because its cheap, available and you do not have to spend hours cutting out the fat like you would on a heart.

My axolotls have remained healthy and have grown big and happy with the varied diet i feed them. Just letting Aussie members know that kangaroo has been working great with my axies if they are game enough to give it a shot. Remember i have not fed my axolotls animal meat long term, so i can not recommend that, and they eat worms and pellets and feeders too.

great observation there. I guess out at wagga they would be everywhere! better on someones dinner plate than through their car windscreen too.

I myself too am a big believer in varying their diets, as you would with any other pet and your own diet. I remember a while back a member kept a rather large axie that they fed gutloaded pinkies to every so often.

I too keep beef heart on hand as a occasional meal for my axies.

I'm a butcher by trade myself so I also know about the goodness of kangaroo. I enjoy roo myself and I might give it a go next time I have some.

pinkies! cool. they wouldn't be hungry for a while after that. Kangaroo is totally delicious ^^ i anjoy it too. They axies have to fight me for it. I have never hit one while driving thank god.

Lots of lol

I wish it was easier to get roo meat out here in the States. I had it once and it was really good but Americans have issues eating "cute" animals apparently. You would not believe how many Americans think Kangaroos are endangered animals. Haha.

Good to know. I also feed my guy sheep kidney cut up, but he didn't seem to be doing that great on it so I'm using it as a treat now. He loves it! I usually feed my guy pellets now he's interested in them and was looking for something new to keep varied diet going on. This sounds perfect for me.

Thanks for the help.

Axolotls are Mexican , has anyone tried chilli or tortillas ? because they sound as much a suitable food as everything else covered in this insane thread.

Xuntos said:

You would not believe how many Americans think Kangaroos are endangered animals. Haha.

Click to expand...

I wouldn't say cute really, the boxing kangaroo thing you may have heard of? it's true. a male kangaroo can stand as tall as a person and they can be territorial, so they actually fight off anything they see as a threat.

Roo turns woman's bushwalk into terror - The West Australian that's a article about a woman that was mauled and nearly killed by a kangaroo in south westen australia.

the population also booms after it rains, and they can get to plague proportions and if you're doing 100kph down the highway at night and hit one, they tend to come right through the windscreen into the car and can kill people.

Visiting Australia is on my bucket list. Luckily for me there's a ranch which is breeding roo's here in The Netherlands for their meat. It's quite popular here, but much more expensive than in Australia of course, so I'm keeping it for myself.

Feeding a variaty of food items is a good thing if you ask me. Too bad my gf doesn't allow me to feed them tadpoles, because we have way too much B.orientalis toadlets at this moment. Oh well...

iChris said:

I wouldn't say cute really, the boxing kangaroo thing you may have heard of? it's true. a male kangaroo can stand as tall as a person and they can be territorial, so they actually fight off anything they see as a threat.

Roo turns woman's bushwalk into terror - The West Australian that's a article about a woman that was mauled and nearly killed by a kangaroo in south westen australia.

the population also booms after it rains, and they can get to plague proportions and if you're doing 100kph down the highway at night and hit one, they tend to come right through the windscreen into the car and can kill people.

Click to expand...

Out of interest, as I'm just curious lol What does that have to do with anything to do with Americans thinking the Grey Kangaroo is on the IUCN Red List? lol He didnt say "Dangerous" he said "Endangered" which is a completely different thing haha

Niels D said:

Feeding a variaty of food items is a good thing if you ask me. Too bad my gf doesn't allow me to feed them tadpoles, because we have way too much B.orientalis toadlets at this moment. Oh well...

Click to expand...

I always thought B.orientalis Toadlets are poisonous lol

Didnt realize that roos where such a danger to drivers, maybe the Australian government would care to release some A.mexicanum , apparently they thrive on roo meat. After all what could possibly go wrong with introducing a non native amphibian to Australia?

:rofl: This thread delivers!

Axolotls gulping down kangaroos in one go would be a sight to see

TylototritonGuy said:

I always thought B.orientalis Toadlets are poisonous lol

Click to expand...

They're not poisonous while they're still toadlets. They become poisonous after they develop the glands, which happens after they morph.

Like Ian, i find some of the suggested food items to be horribly inadequate. It´s not that worms should be the ONLY food item....it´s that invertebrates are the natural diet of axolotls. Vertebrate meat is waaaaaay too caloric, difficult to digest and since you are feeding only muscle, very poor in vitamins and other necessary compounds (regardless of wether kangaroo meat is superior to others). A few months of kangaroo meat or beaf heart, or whatever, is like a few months living on cardboard....
Variety is always a very good thing, of course, but that should mean a variety of invertebrates (insects, crustaceans, annelids....).
I´m sure axolotls occasionally eat vertebrate meat in the form of fish, tadpoles, etc. There´s an enormous difference between those occasional food items, and a diet based on mammal muscle.

I´m sure your intention is nothing but the best, but recommending vertebrate meat as a good axolotl food is not good advice.
Your axolotls may look "healthy", although if they are fat, that´s a red flag right there...that´s a serious problem.
Unfortunately, a lot of people have a distorted concept of what axolotls should look like. I´ve seen pictures from very proud keepers rejoicing about how pretty and healthy their animals are, that in reality, were very sick and terrible looking "monsters"....

I like this thread, I would never of thought of feeding Axle skippy(aka roo ) meat but I must give it a try now. It is very cheap to buy and available at my local supermarket that i literally live next door to. ( less than 50 meters exists between the shelf with skippy and my axie.)

So while Kangaroos dont bound down my street ,Kamgaroo is easier to get than any other food.

There is a company that makes a roo mince meat that is really cheap that i sometimes use for tacos, so that is sort of mexican.

TylototritonGuy said:

Out of interest, as I'm just curious lol What does that have to do with anything to do with Americans thinking the Grey Kangaroo is on the IUCN Red List? lol He didnt say "Dangerous" he said "Endangered" which is a completely different thing haha

Click to expand...

I was pointing out that what americans think is true about kangaroos couldn't be further from the truth. they can be quite agressive.

also, where in rachel's post did she say she feeds only kangaroo? she believes in feeding her animals on a varied diet, so don't ridicule her for that and don't jump to conclusions.

^ Yes I'm am quite aware of the abundance of kangaroos and their "not so cute" traits. I wasn't including myself in that list of Americans that believe that they are cute or endangered. ..since I have eaten it before.

Pretty much any animal that's near human size can be very dangerous if provoked right?

She described a diet of worms for a few months, few months pellets......few months beef heart. It´s irrelevant wether she feeds beef heart, kangaroo, chicken breast or whatever....A diet based (for whatever length of time) on vertebrate meat is inadequate. Far more so, if you are only feeding pieces of muscle. Personally i wouldn´t even use such options as "treats" (whatever that´s supossed to mean).
The most common excuse for using such foods, as can also be seen in this thread, is because they are easily available at any time of the year and cheap. That´s good for you...it´s not good for the axolotls...

I´m assuming every axolotl owner wants the best for their beloved animals. Feeding them inapropriate foods because it´s convenient for you is not a loving thing to do...

It may be the horrible heat, my lack of sleep, or the stress from the exams...or the combination of all of them, but i´ve had it with people defending the use of clearly inappropriate foods. If you are an axolotl owner and you use those foods, you are doing so EXCLUSIVELY for your benefit....not for your axolotls. If you trully cared about a good diet, you wouldn´t include those items, but rather you would offer a variety of invertebrates, with perhaps only the occasional small WHOLE fish or tadpole (quarantined).

We hear about people using these foods aaaaaaaaaaaall the time....and no matter how many times it is explained, people continue to defend their use from a convenience point of view.

Azhael said:

She described a diet of worms for a few months, few months pellets......few months beef heart. It´s irrelevant wether she feeds beef heart, kangaroo, chicken breast or whatever....A diet based (for whatever length of time) on vertebrate meat is inadequate. Far more so, if you are only feeding pieces of muscle. Personally i wouldn´t even use such options as "treats" (whatever that´s supossed to mean).
The most common excuse for using such foods, as can also be seen in this thread, is because they are easily available at any time of the year and cheap. That´s good for you...it´s not good for the axolotls...

I´m assuming every axolotl owner wants the best for their beloved animals. Feeding them inapropriate foods because it´s convenient for you is not a loving thing to do...

It may be the horrible heat, my lack of sleep, or the stress from the exams...or the combination of all of them, but i´ve had it with people defending the use of clearly inappropriate foods. If you are an axolotl owner and you use those foods, you are doing so EXCLUSIVELY for your benefit....not for your axolotls. If you trully cared about a good diet, you wouldn´t include those items, but rather you would offer a variety of invertebrates, with perhaps only the occasional small WHOLE fish or tadpole (quarantined).

We hear about people using these foods aaaaaaaaaaaall the time....and no matter how many times it is explained, people continue to defend their use from a convenience point of view.

Click to expand...

As above (apart from the stress stuff, i dont do that but i am an insomniac)