Few questions regarding my friend

[96Midori]

Hello guys, new to the forums and I wanted to ask a few questions regarding my axolotl. Ive had him for about 3 years, and he seems VERY small for his age. I thought that maybe the size of his aquarium played a factor in this, so I bought a 20 gallon aquarium a year ago, but he still seems very small. Could it be his diet that's affecting his size? Just been feeding him froZen blood worms, following the directions of the pet store owner.
Almost forgot, I'd say he is about 6 to 8 inches (I'm bad and guessing these things) but he is definatly smaller than the pictures I've seen of axolotls similar to his age. Any input is appreciated!

 

[keiko]

8+ inches is usually considered normal for adult axolotl. Some are bigger and some are smaller and it's perfectly fine as long as they're healthy. Nutrition however does play a role in how big they get. Frozen bloodworms are not a good staple for an adult axolotl - earth worms or axie pellets are better.

 

[Boomsloth]

Gonna add in that at 3 years he probably won't grow any longer. Overall length is a combination of genetics as well as good diet within the first year

 

[96Midori]

Ok well I'll finish up the remaining cubes of bloodworms and buy new food this weekend. Where can I find info about earthworms? i am not able to grow my own worms, so I need to find out how to go about that. would my axolotl have any trouble eating a new diet since he's only been fed bloodworms? I assume they'll eat anything so that might not be a problem.

 

[keiko]

Why earthworms?

You can get earth worms from pet shops, bait shops, or most places that have a fishing department. But make sure there is nothing added to the worms if they're meant to be used as baits.

Some axies will take the worms straight away, but some need to get used to them. Persistence is the key. You can also try blanching the worms if your axie won't eat them. When buying the worms keep in mind that Eisenia fetida is sometimes disliked by some axies because of the foul tasting liquid they secrete (but they are easy to grow at home). Lumbricus terrestris is probably most used by those who only buy worms and don't grow them. Lumbricus terrestris can get quite big so you might need to cut them into smaller pieces at first.

 

[96Midori]

Well thank you guys very much for the replies. Turns out, the pet store that I had bought my axolotl from recently closed down. So I called another pet store and they recommended Red Wiggler worms. Just fed him one and he ate it quickly! They are so much cleaner than using frozen bloodworms every day.