Axy won't eat new food

[Marceline]

Hi all. I have fed my axolotl only nightcrawlers since I got him almost 3 years ago. Unfortuonately now with the lockdown no bait shops are open. I was lucky enough to get a bait shop that was doing stocktakes. Their nightcrawlers were all dead so i had to stock up on red wigglers knowing that he might not like them because of the foul excretion. I fed him yesterday and he seemed to enjoy them, but when i passed his tank again he regurgitated all of them. Now when i feed him he is eager to bite them but as soon as they're in his mouth he spits them out. I don't know what to do. I fed him a baby dubia roach yesterday but he only wanted one and seemed to be disgusted by it. It's winter here so i can't gather nightcrawlers out of our garden as a last resort. How can i motivate him to eat the worms?

 

[Murk]

Oh yes, they can be picky eaters, especially if they've been fed only one type of food for so long.
Now that he decided not to like the red wigglers, he'll probably spit them out as soon as he tastes it.

The easiest way to get a picky axolotl to eat your food is obviously to starve them. If they're really hungry they'll eat anything. It's up to you if you think that would be ethical. Do be aware that they can go weeks without food if necessary, so it depends on the stubbornness of the axolotl how long this would take.

A slightly more pet-friendly method is to get the axolotl used to the fact that not all food is the same. Giving them strange or new foods every now and then teaches them that weird stuff can be food as well.
The easiest food to start with would be high-fat, high-protein; they really seem to like that (as do humans, I guess). If you have any kind of fish, shrimp or beef in the fridge, try to give him a piece.
This is absolutely not a good stock food, but they really enjoy it as a treat, and most importantly it might get him used to different foods.

If all else fails, I assume web shops are still open and still deliver? Axolotl pellets are cheap, last long, and most axolotls like them (though they're hard and small, so it takes some getting used to as well). Delivery might take a while, but if your axolotl is an adult he'll easily last two weeks without food.

 

[Marceline]

Oh yes, they can be picky eaters, especially if they've been fed only one type of food for so long.
Now that he decided not to like the red wigglers, he'll probably spit them out as soon as he tastes it.

The easiest way to get a picky axolotl to eat your food is obviously to starve them. If they're really hungry they'll eat anything. It's up to you if you think that would be ethical. Do be aware that they can go weeks without food if necessary, so it depends on the stubbornness of the axolotl how long this would take.

A slightly more pet-friendly method is to get the axolotl used to the fact that not all food is the same. Giving them strange or new foods every now and then teaches them that weird stuff can be food as well.
The easiest food to start with would be high-fat, high-protein; they really seem to like that (as do humans, I guess). If you have any kind of fish, shrimp or beef in the fridge, try to give him a piece.
This is absolutely not a good stock food, but they really enjoy it as a treat, and most importantly it might get him used to different foods.

If all else fails, I assume web shops are still open and still deliver? Axolotl pellets are cheap, last long, and most axolotls like them (though they're hard and small, so it takes some getting used to as well). Delivery might take a while, but if your axolotl is an adult he'll easily last two weeks without food.

Thank you I'm just worried l. He has been losing a lot of weight so i don't want to starve him. I don't know how old he is so he might be old but he still loves food. I will check if i can find an online supplier thank you for the info.

 

[Kingfisher]

Hi Marceline,

You can try doing a slight blanching of the red wrigglers in hot tap water. This will partially kill the worm but not cook them then quickly rinse them in cold water to wash off the defensive slime they produce. I have found it had worked with my guys!

 

[vagus]

if you have a petstore open nearby that sells frozen daphnia, this has been a surefire winner with babies, sick axos, and picky eaters. It can gum up the filter super fast if you let too much melt and disperse, however.