Axie won’t eat earthworms :(

[Toothpickthelotl]

Hi guys! This is going to be slightly long, bare with me.
I have an almost year old Axie named toothpick. About a month ago I started transitioning her to earth worms, and she loved them! She had no problem with eating them right up, and never seemed to care about the smell that they release when cut.
flash forward a few weeks, toothpick became very constipated for some reason. I was mixing feedings with either a worm or pellets every other day, having the day in between off or bloodworms for a snack. She always seemed so hungry so I tried to vary the diet to give diff sizes and tastes. Anyways, she was not well for a few days. Barely eating, tail sticking up, bloated etc. I was about to fridge her but then I saw she had pooped, and she began to act normal again.
Ever since this little issue, she will not touch earthworms. Ive tried to give whole (smaller) earthworms, cut up earth worms, I’ve tried to blanch (I think that’s what it’s called) the earth worms before cutting, etc. She won’t take them! She moves her head or swims away. The only food she eats now is pellets, and she loves them. I just sprinkle some in a little dish and a few around the tank for her to search for, and then remove what she doesn’t eat.
I really want to get her on live food though, because I know it’s the most nutritional for them. Do you guys think the earthworms are what bothered her stomach so bad? Does anyone have any ideas on what to do? Should I try a different worm? (I was thinking red wrigglers, but I have heard they cause complications)
She is not underweight at all, in fact probably a little chunky!

also just for background info: Temp 64 F, Ammonia: 0, Nitrite: 0, Nitrate: <40. I use API test kit. Don’t think water perimeters are contributing but just wanted to make sure there was background info
Thanks!

 

[LeoTheDoctor]

How frequently did you feed her before she started to act weird? Also, is the size of her belly clearly bigger than her head? If that's the case she might be a bit overweight or might've been overweight when she was acting weird.

 

[Toothpickthelotl]

How frequently did you feed her before she started to act weird? Also, is the size of her belly clearly bigger than her head? If that's the case she might be a bit overweight or might've been overweight when she was acting weird.

Hi! I fed her every other day, switching between earthworms (a half or a whole worm depending on appetite) and pellets. I would occasionally feed frozen bloodworms as well as a treat. So for example I would do mon: worm, tues: off, weds: pellets, thurs: off, fri: worm, sat: bloodworms, sun: pellets. I completely agree that I might of been over feeding her causing the constipation. Her body is the same width, maybe slightly bigger then her head. She is doing perfectly fine now, just won’t eat earth worms no matter what I do, I’m worried pellets aren’t a good enough diet for her

 

[AnimeDan]

That’s about the same cycle that I feed my two axolotls and they have always loved their wormies. Question, are you feeding them red wigglers (panfish worms etc.) or night crawlers? My Lotls don’t like nightcrawlers but love red wigglers. If your worried about pellets not being enough then try looking into Repashy Grub Pie. It’s highly nutritious and my Axies have loved it when I feed it to them. How large are your Axolotls? I don’t cut my worms up and give it to them whole but my smallest is at 6in and largest is 10in. If it’s the inside smell putting your lotl off then if yours is large enough then maybe try not cutting it in half? The worm may seem too big but they can swallow really large worms despite their size. I attached a picture of my Axolotl princess swallowing a worm that was almost as long as she is.

 

[Toothpickthelotl]

That’s about the same cycle that I feed my two axolotls and they have always loved their wormies. Question, are you feeding them red wigglers (panfish worms etc.) or night crawlers? My Lotls don’t like nightcrawlers but love red wigglers. If your worried about pellets not being enough then try looking into Repashy Grub Pie. It’s highly nutritious and my Axies have loved it when I feed it to them. How large are your Axolotls? I don’t cut my worms up and give it to them whole but my smallest is at 6in and largest is 10in. If it’s the inside smell putting your lotl off then if yours is large enough then maybe try not cutting it in half? The worm may seem too big but they can swallow really large worms despite their size. I attached a picture of my Axolotl princess swallowing a worm that was almost as long as she is.

Hi! I fed her night crawlers, and it doesn’t seem like she likes them anymore! I was thinking about red wrigglers, but I’ve heard scary stories about them causing like infection or something. Do you think they are safe?
She is about 8 inches if I were to guess, give or take a few. She’s about a year old! I will try not cutting it in half today. The first time I fed her a worm I didn’t cut it in half and she seemed to struggle a bit to eat it, but she did actually eat it. I’ll see if that works! The worms just seem so big, some of them are bigger then her! But if I can find one that is not as long as her body I will try to feed whole tonight and update you. Thanks so much!

 

[AnimeDan]

If you are digging the red wigglers out of your back yard they could have pesticides and whatnot, but if your getting them from a pet store that is selling them as feeders they should be totally fine. Night crawlers might be a bit large to feed whole but a smaller one should be manageable. Night crawlers also have a slime layer that Axies sometimes don’t like and rinsing them off before feeding can wash away the slime layer which can make them taste better.
like I said before worst case look into Repashy Grub Pie. It’s just as easy if not easier than pellets to feed with, except for some minor prep in advance, and contain all the nutrients or Axies need. Plus it’s the best thing to have on hand if your Axie ever stops eating completely and needs to be force fed. Hopefully a scenario like that will never happen and is very rare but I keep some on hand in case. Plus it’s good if you ever run out of feeders to keep as a substitute, I live in the north so worms can be hard to get sometimes in the winter.
Glad that I could be of assistance!

 

[GulfCoastAxolotls]

Hi! I fed her night crawlers, and it doesn’t seem like she likes them anymore! I was thinking about red wrigglers, but I’ve heard scary stories about them causing like infection or something. Do you think they are safe?
She is about 8 inches if I were to guess, give or take a few. She’s about a year old! I will try not cutting it in half today. The first time I fed her a worm I didn’t cut it in half and she seemed to struggle a bit to eat it, but she did actually eat it. I’ll see if that works! The worms just seem so big, some of them are bigger then her! But if I can find one that is not as long as her body I will try to feed whole tonight and update you. Thanks so much!

Out of curiosity, what kind of nightcrawlers are you feeding her? Are they your typical refrigerated ones that you find in pet stores or at bait shops? or are they european nightcrawlers? ENs are a different species than the ones commonly sold in stores and have a much higher acceptance rate in my experience. Most axolotls i've seen refuse the regular nightcrawlers, but love the european nightcrawlers. Red wigglers are also just fine. The only issue commonly seen with species of red worm is that they can produce a bitter slime when they are stressed. This will cause axies to either refuse them altogether, or cough them up later. If you rinse them in hot water or blanche them, that can help alleviate that issue.

 

[Toothpickthelotl]

Out of curiosity, what kind of nightcrawlers are you feeding her? Are they your typical refrigerated ones that you find in pet stores or at bait shops? or are they european nightcrawlers? ENs are a different species than the ones commonly sold in stores and have a much higher acceptance rate in my experience. Most axolotls i've seen refuse the regular nightcrawlers, but love the european nightcrawlers. Red wigglers are also just fine. The only issue commonly seen with species of red worm is that they can produce a bitter slime when they are stressed. This will cause axies to either refuse them altogether, or cough them up later. If you rinse them in hot water or blanche them, that can help alleviate that issue.

Hi! They are the typical ones found at pet shops. I get mine from petco and I just looked to see what kind they were but all it said was nightcrawlers. Maybe they are Canadian night crawlers rather then European ? Should I try to look for some European night crawlers? I’m not sure where I would get them in my area but I’m sure I can find them somewhere. I will also try red wrigglers!

 

[GulfCoastAxolotls]

Hi! They are the typical ones found at pet shops. I get mine from petco and I just looked to see what kind they were but all it said was nightcrawlers. Maybe they are Canadian night crawlers rather then European ? Should I try to look for some European night crawlers? I’m not sure where I would get them in my area but I’m sure I can find them somewhere. I will also try red wrigglers!

Its definitely worth trying. They are the more nutritious by far. I order all of my European nightcrawlers online from Uncle Jims worm farm. they usually ship from Pennsylvania in about 3 days. They sell red wigglers too. Ive been using them for all of the worms for almost 2 years now with no complaints.