Axolotl not eating enough

[milly124x]

I got my axolotl, Clyde, a few weeks ago and (s)he is still very small - only about 8cm long. I'm very new to keeping them and I've done a lot of research on them, but I've got a bit of new-mum syndrome and I'm terrified he's not eating enough. I've read that their body should be about as wide as their head and he is thinner than this. Is that normal for juvenile axolotls? Will he naturally fatten up? At the moment I'm feeding him on bloodworm (once daily, as much as he will eat within an hour) and there are a few live river shrimp in there too, although he doesn't seem to be a natural hunter :lol::lol: I start by hand feeding him then put any left overs into a shallow dish in his tank and take what he hasn't eaten out after about an hour so that my ammonia levels don't increase, but it seems like he's having trouble actually finding the food? I just wanted some advice on if he's eating enough/how to get him to eat more? Thanks

 

[Eternie]

I think he should be okay, just to be sure check the gills for anything white and fuzzy. Try adding in some salmon pellets as well since Bloodworms do not give all the nutrition that they need. At some point when he is big enough to eat earthworms he should fatten up

 

[milly124x]

His gills don't have anything white or fuzzy on them (other than the actual fibres) however now they are curled completely forwards, even when he isn't 'hunting' or particularly active? I don't know what is happening to stress him - my ammonia and nitrite levels are good, the temperature is always within the 16-20 degrees C range, he's got a sand substrate... the only things I can think of that could be bothering him are light levels or water flow. Even then, he has plenty of hides and I disperse the flow as best as possible against the side of the tank? How can I help him?