Axolotl can't seem to find food

[FOG]

It's been a year since I've had to ask for advice, I've had my 2 Axies for over 18months. Both have always been healthy and eating well. I have a partition in my tank, as the younger one seemed to enjoy dragging the older one round upside down by her arm. I feed them separately, the same amount. The last few weeks after feeding them both, the food in my eldests half is still there the next morning, and she's looking very thin. She cant seemt to find the bloodworms spread out around the bottom. If I drop them into the tank directly infront of her face she eats them. I'm now having to feed her bit by bit with a turkey baster, it's taking me over half an hour to feed her.
Has anyone else had this problem? I don't mind hand feeding her if thats what i have to do, but I can't understand why she's suddenly started doing it. Any suggestions?

Thanks.

 

[Aimee]

Do you feed any other items besides bloodworms to them? Earthworms and pellets are higher in nutrient content and make for a far better staple diet.

The only explanation I can think of as to why your axie can no longer locate her bloodworms, is perhaps you may have overfed in the past and the smell of the old rotting food is interfering with her ability to smell new food.

Have you checked water parameters lately?

If she still has an appetite and attacks food with her normal voracity, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I always hand feed my axie; so do many others on this site. By handfeeding you can monitor the exact amount of food your axies are getting.

 

[Greatwtehunter]

I have to agree with Aimee in saying that earthworms or carnivore pellets should be used as a staple diet. That is of course if your only using bloodworms for their diet.

Another option, and this is a complete shot in the dark, is that since your axolotl is at least 18 months old and therefore it is safe to assume it is adult size that it doesn't want to expend the energy to suck up each little tiny bloodworm after they have been scattered about. Let's face it, axolotls are notoriously lazy and bloodworms aren't exactly the biggest thing in the world. If you were to switch to nightcrawlers I bet you wouldn't find any of those still sitting in the tank.

 

[FOG]

All I've ever fed them is bloodworms. I don't have the heart to cut up live earthworms as silly as it sounds. I did buy some sort of pellets when I first got them, but they just seemed to float on top of the water. Any suggestions as to which pellets i should look for? My local Aquatics place where I bought my Axies from, don't really have a clue about them. I just thought it was odd how one would eat every last worm scattered about the tank and the other wont even bother anymore.

 

[aziraphale77]

You want to make sure they are sinking pellets. HBH makes specific newt and salamander bites which work great (most pet stores, including the major chain pet stores, carry these).

 

[blueberlin]

Note on earthworms - you do not have to cut them up anymore. Your axolotls are most certainly large enough now to handle an entire worm. They look like kids eating spaghetti.

-Eva

 

[Nikki]

I'd agree with Aimee, it's probably got something to do with the fact that your axie can't locate the food by smell anymore as it's too diffused. Try leaving the food in there for less time so there isn't time for them to be lazy about it! I had the same worry with my first axie, I was his second owner and could never get him to eat worms or live food and really struggled to get him to eat anything from the tank floor, so I started to alternate 'jar feeding' with frozen bloodworm cubes and brine shrimp and water surface feeding with dried krill or river shrimp which floats, and he absolutely loves it, all the krill is gone within 10 mins! Maybe yours it just after a change of diet too?