Caudata.org: Newts and Salamanders Portal

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
Did you know that registered users see fewer ads? Register today!

Question: About my Axolotl's eating schedule...

WasabiThumbs

New member
Joined
Jun 18, 2019
Messages
16
Reaction score
0
Location
Easton, PA
Okay, so let me walk you guys through Ordis's eating habits...

Day 1: He did not eat much. He didn't take any food except one pellet which he sort-of spat back out half-eaten. To his credit, I haven't found the strategic spots for feeding yet and I didn't know him well enough to know where I should put the food. He could have been very hungry.

Day 2: Regular eating. Lots of misses because I am improving with the way I feed him, but he eats a seemingly regular amount.

(Cue two repeats of day 2)

Day 5: More of the same, but a complication with cooling happened under my nose...

Day 6: I wake up to a hotter-than-usual tank and have to start cooling back up again. I am worried but I try to feed him. No dice. I can only assume that he was stressed out and was refusing food.

Day 7 (Today): I want to make sure he is well fed. I give him the regular amount and he spends no time "chewing" (I know it isn't actually chewing, I hope you know what I mean) and it goes right down. I decide to try another pellet, and he takes that one too. Then I do another, he also takes that one quickly. By then he had enough I guess, and seemed completely disinterested in more pellets. He didn't even move his head.

So I don't know much about eating habits (it's the one thing I didn't really look into) but it seems like he was hungry after day 6, and wanted seconds? I'm not sure what the cause is, but just in case, here are other differences between day 6 and 7:
- Did a water change and filter wash, the filter was barely dirty and the test strips before and after were barely different

- He of course grew a little, and still is. He has easily grown another quarter to eighth inches in the first week. Look at him go!

Other notes: He seems much more active after feeding today.
 

Freshwater Salt

New member
Joined
Jun 23, 2019
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Location
North Dakota
How old is he? When ours were young they did the same behaviour roughly. Found out that sometimes they just don't like the pellets yet (until they got older). We noticed the lack of interest and grabbed some blood worm cubes and they ate regularly. Just like any newer critter you will have to wean them into new food types (if it is in fact new as a food).

A general statement is if the belly is as wide as their head they are well fed. If it is smaller, they are not getting enough food. Albeit not scientific, it does tend to be accurate enough to gauge.
 

KumquatSquats

New member
Joined
Apr 17, 2019
Messages
162
Reaction score
1
Location
WA
seconding the rule of thumb: body as wide as head

when they are still growing its ok to feed them as much as they will take, once they start looking plump just dial it back until you figure out how much is needed.
one of mine HATES hikari pellets and will spit them out even if no other food is offered for 3 days (i got different pellets at that point, which he will eat) but the others like them well enough, some axolotls are pickier than others and you can expect them to probably fuss over a switch in foods if they liked whatever they ate previously.
with juveniles you can do once or twice a day feedings, if he can only eat one or two pellets at a time but still seems hungry you may need to offer food 2 times a day and see how he does.
 
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
    There are no messages in the chat. Be the first one to say Hi!
    Top