are Earthworms a good main diet for an axolotl?

[Travisdjtg]

Is there any supplement that can add nutrition in earthworms? an injection before feeding them? maybe?
is there any specific dirt to be used? should they be kept in the fridge
are worms from my garden dirt ok?
should i "squeeze" the dirt/poop from the intestine before feeding?

 

[Greatwtehunter]

I have never personally added nutrients or supplements to the worms before feeding them to my salamanders and newts, however I do throw some egg shells in my worm bins for them to munch on. As for dirt and the worms, both can be collected from your own backyard just as long as you are certain they are pesticide free.

 

[Travisdjtg]

is your bin just a plastic container/wood

 

[Kal El]

This article should answer most of your questions:

http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/worms.shtml

should i "squeeze" the dirt/poop from the intestine before feeding?

Never done this before, and it doesn't seem sensible, especially if you've spent a lot of time gutloading the
worms.

are worms from my garden dirt ok?

Yes, given that they are insecticide and pesticide free. Also, ensure that you wash them thorougly.

is your bin just a container? what is it made of?

http://www.klickitatcounty.org/SolidWaste/FilesHtml/Organics/OscrJunior.pdf

Jay.

 

[Greatwtehunter]

For my worm bin I use the big rubbermaid (sorry but I forgot the volume of it) storage containers. I fill it a little over halfway with dirt, add the worms, add some vegatables scraps, and then cover with moist newspaper.

 

[Travisdjtg]

Thank you very helpful

 

[Travisdjtg]

Wait i still dont know my main question. "are Earthworms a good main diet for an axolotl?"

 

[kira]

Yes!!

 

[Jacquie]

Wait i still dont know my main question. "are Earthworms a good main diet for an axolotl?"

Did you read the article Kal El forwarded to you? The first paragraph of this article answers this question straight away.

A simple search using the 'search tool' in the green bar above would also give the same answer many times over that yes, earthworms are an EXCELLENT staple for axolotls and are nutritionally complete.

 

[sophieaxolotl]

yes they defantantly are!!!

they are really good for them and they can live on 1 every day of their life!
but id mix it up they get fussy sometimes lol:rofl:

 

[SludgeMunkey]

Is there any supplement that can add nutrition in earthworms? an injection before feeding them? maybe?
is there any specific dirt to be used? should they be kept in the fridge
are worms from my garden dirt ok?
should i "squeeze" the dirt/poop from the intestine before feeding?

Earthworms are superior as a staple. I "gut load" Lumbricus terrestris with goldfish flake food and cornmeal 24 hours prior to feeding them to my axies. No need to "devein" them before feeding to you axies.

It is okay to use the ones from your yard as long as it is pesticide, herbicide, and fertilizer free. Otherwise buy them at they bait shop, it is usually cheaper than buying them at the pet store.

If you keep them in the fridge, I suggest plain old potting soil, free of additives and pearlite, with a damp bit of newspaper on the surface of the soil.

 

[mabel]

Is there an article on here or in another site on how to culture earthworms?
I need to find someone who sells them... locally, I believe the only ones available are either those used as bait or at Petco but every time I check they're mostly dead.

 

[mabel]

I'm still trying to get familiar with the different worms that can be fed though.
I did look at that link provided earlier on how to care for the worms.
Seems pretty easy and I'll give it a try.

I'm a total newb right now! lol
I've had many other pets but never an Axolotl. :happy:

 

[Markw]

The link was great, but it didnt go into great detail about how to do this. How do you feed the worms (how far under the soil? Do you take out uneaten food? If there are left-overs, do you take them out? How do you get it going? How much soil should be put in the bin? How many worms in relation to container size? Im sure thats too many questions, but if someone could answer as many of them as possible, that would be amazing. I dont mean to hijack the thread, but Id really like to know.

Thanks.
Mark

 

[Kaysie]

Mark, I don't think you have to worry about hijacking. This thread is 8 months old!

Culturing nightcrawlers is difficult, but other species of worms can be easier. The easiest is probably red wigglers, but these can be distasteful to some animals. There are hundreds of sites dedicated to vermiculture.

Mabel, try buying worms from your local Walmart or bait shop. If you do go to the bait shop, ask if the worms have been grown in manure or harvested using soap. If so, don't buy them. They will probably look at you funny if you tell them you're feeding a pet, but most of the time they seem genuinely interested when I ask questions and tell them about my animals.

 

[mabel]

Mabel, try buying worms from your local Walmart or bait shop. If you do go to the bait shop, ask if the worms have been grown in manure or harvested using soap. If so, don't buy them. They will probably look at you funny if you tell them you're feeding a pet, but most of the time they seem genuinely interested when I ask questions and tell them about my animals.

LOL Thanks Kaysie, I'll check out Wal-mart. I'll be going to some pet shops out of town this weekend.
Maybe they carry some "clean" worms. As for now, salamander pellets and bloodworms will do.:hat:

 

[Greatwtehunter]

Another option on where to get worms is Bass Pro Shops. You can get an order of approximately 500 worms for only $51.99, which is great if you have quite a few newts and/or you like to go fishing.

 

[Markw]

Well what if you just wanted to keep the nightcrawlers alive? Say you have some amazing hunting days, then dont find any for the next upcoming months? You will still have your reserves. Thats what Im thinking. Is there nay sites that goes into detail about how to feed these guys? I was thinking about puttin about 10" of soil in a tupperware container out on the porch and putting some worms in it. We have had rain here for 3 days almost straight now, so im almost positive I could find some worms tomorrow. If you know how far or if you should even put the food under the dirt, that would be great.

Thanks.
Mark

 

[Greatwtehunter]

Pretty much any vegetable matter will work well as food, just barely cover it with soil to keep down the mold which can kill your worms. Also a few other odd ball things you could feed them are bread, used coffee grounds and the filters, and moistened newspaper.

 

[Bessie]

Try LiveFoods.co.uk - I think they post out to other countries, too.
They sell around 40 Earthworms per tub. You can then breed them from there.