Question: Feedimg axies

[Schroedermi17]

Hello!
Eventually I plan on getting an axolotl but one thing I've never found absolutely clear is feeding. I mean many people say earthworms and bloodworms but I'm aware that bloods arnt a good staple and that's earthworms sound like a pain to culture (at least indoors). If any of you guys use pellets what brand do you use? I've heard salmon pellets can be used but not as a staple. Any insights?

 

[Charlotl]

I use pellets from flymeat.com as the staple. My last order was really dry and I have to re hydrate them a bit before feeding but other shipments have been perfectly fine. If you check out the For Sale in the US section there is a Sticky with a link for a discount on them.

Where did you read that pellets weren't a good staple? Everything I have seen suggests earthworms or pellets work equally well.

 

[CheyenneAutumn]

I feed earth worms during the summer months - I don't culture them myself, rather I will buy 2 dozen at a time from a fishing bait store, then keep them in a tub of nutrient rich soil in my fridge for a month. Rinse and repeat! I have three axolotls and 2 dozen night crawlers lasts them about 4 weeks.

I've also had great success feeding small guppies, less than an inch long. My salamanders go wild for them and absolutely love chasing/eating them. None of my Lotls have experienced any digestive trouble with guppies. I tried Pet Smart feeder gold fish - one of my Lotls had an upset and wouldn't eat for a week, so I quit that pretty quick. Then I also tried fish bait chums, which are live minnow fish. Again, he seemed to become ill for a short time so I stopped giving those.
Small guppies seem to be the safest It's also beneficial for them to hunt/chase live prey, as it mimics their natural behavior in the wild. But my oldest salamander is about a foot long - he's quite large and robust. The other two are maybe 6" and they manage to devour small guppies without problems.

Additionally, I feed frozen brine shrimp cubes all winter, as night crawlers aren't readily available. My Lotls are fat, bushy gilled, bright, and active - they get about a cube each, every other day. Gets the water a bit dirty more quickly, but it works well otherwise.

I've had a lot of trouble obtaining salmon pellets, and apparently it takes a bit of time to teach Lotls to eat them. I have always hand-fed my salamanders so they respond to me at the tank, expecting their feeding tongs!

I have even fed real fish organs, from the fish I catch in lakes. Worms are regarded as the most nutrient dense because of their organ meat, so I tried the real thing. They weren't too keen on it, but I had them eating wild fish livers, hearts, etc.

I've also read that you can feed axolotl larvae chicken egg yolk that has been hard boiled. I tried this today with my new larvae and they didn't seem interested, but other people have had great success with it.

I think some people exaggerate how "sensitive" Axolotls are. In my experience they are very hardy, robust creatures and bounce back very easily. At least when they're properly cared for otherwise!

 

[Schroedermi17]

I use pellets from flymeat.com as the staple. My last order was really dry and I have to re hydrate them a bit before feeding but other shipments have been perfectly fine. If you check out the For Sale in the US section there is a Sticky with a link for a discount on them.

Where did you read that pellets weren't a good staple? Everything I have seen suggests earthworms or pellets work equally well.

I read that salmon pellets arnt a good staple, since I guess they don't have the exact needs of an axolotls. I never said that axolotl specific pellets are bad! But I'll look into it!
Thanks

 

[Schroedermi17]

I feed earth worms during the summer months - I don't culture them myself, rather I will buy 2 dozen at a time from a fishing bait store, then keep them in a tub of nutrient rich soil in my fridge for a month. Rinse and repeat! I have three axolotls and 2 dozen night crawlers lasts them about 4 weeks.

I've also had great success feeding small guppies, less than an inch long. My salamanders go wild for them and absolutely love chasing/eating them. None of my Lotls have experienced any digestive trouble with guppies. I tried Pet Smart feeder gold fish - one of my Lotls had an upset and wouldn't eat for a week, so I quit that pretty quick. Then I also tried fish bait chums, which are live minnow fish. Again, he seemed to become ill for a short time so I stopped giving those.
Small guppies seem to be the safest It's also beneficial for them to hunt/chase live prey, as it mimics their natural behavior in the wild. But my oldest salamander is about a foot long - he's quite large and robust. The other two are maybe 6" and they manage to devour small guppies without problems.

Additionally, I feed frozen brine shrimp cubes all winter, as night crawlers aren't readily available. My Lotls are fat, bushy gilled, bright, and active - they get about a cube each, every other day. Gets the water a bit dirty more quickly, but it works well otherwise.

I've had a lot of trouble obtaining salmon pellets, and apparently it takes a bit of time to teach Lotls to eat them. I have always hand-fed my salamanders so they respond to me at the tank, expecting their feeding tongs!

I have even fed real fish organs, from the fish I catch in lakes. Worms are regarded as the most nutrient dense because of their organ meat, so I tried the real thing. They weren't too keen on it, but I had them eating wild fish livers, hearts, etc.

I've also read that you can feed axolotl larvae chicken egg yolk that has been hard boiled. I tried this today with my new larvae and they didn't seem interested, but other people have had great success with it.

I think some people exaggerate how "sensitive" Axolotls are. In my experience they are very hardy, robust creatures and bounce back very easily. At least when they're properly cared for otherwise!

Thank you for the very well thought out amd detailed answer! I think I can get night crawlers/earthworms at petco or Walmart here. And I'm hoping to breed fathead minnows so that shouldn't be too bad either.