Question: How much to feed axolotl's

[puppetmaster04]

I have two axies who are now about 10 months old and 6 inches long (approx).

I usually feed them every day with one bloodworm cube minimum for the two of them but I really think they need more so I sometime feed them twice a day or two cubes in the evening. On occasion I also give them frozen brine shrimp which I understand is too small for axies but they absolutely love them and I usually put them in a dish which keeps them in one place while they feed.

I defrost all cubes before feeding them and feed the bloodworm with chopsticks so I can make sure they get equal amounts.

I wonder if one cube / two axies is enough. People put comments up saying to 'remove all uneaten food the following day' but mine never leave ANY food and they generally hoover it up within about 30 mins!

Also is there anything else I could get to feed them with?

I'm in the UK and don't have access to a wide range of pet shops or a garden to get my own bugs which is why I prefer getting frozen stuff.

Thanks guys! :grin:

 

[puppetmaster04]

By the way, they don't look particularly thin or anything like that, their bodies are a bit smaller than their heads but have quite a rounded shape.

But they see me coming near to the tank and swim to the top and wait for me by holding onto the plants, they do this a lot of the time so they probably just love me haha but I worry that they're hungry

 

[carsona246]

I feed mine worms, and I usually just chop up a piece that looks like it could fit in his mouth and give him 1 piece a day

 

[zoezakella]

normally with an adult axie (mine are the same size as yours) feeding every other day is sufficient. You can order earthworms from worms direct or from ebay and just make a small worm farm to keep them in, mine is a very simple small one but means I have worms to hand for my guys as I was destroying our garden finding worms.

Also salmon pellets & any axie or shrimp pellets are fine it may take a while for them to get used to the pellets but mine readily take them.

 

[puppetmaster04]

The worm farm is a great idea, thanks for that!

I might try the pellets but they're not as exciting as the worms

 

[lisordactyl]

The 'worm keepers' on Wormsdirect look good

I usually get my earthworms from either a reptile shop or a local fishing bait shop. You get about 30 in a tub and I then transfer them to a maggot box!

You can buy axolotl pellets from Exotic-pets.co.uk They're probably just salmon or trout pellets renamed, but I like that you can buy them in 100g bags! I don't feed him them that often so I may not get through a bigger bag by the time they go off - due to the oil content the pellets may go rancid before the bag is finished!
Although they're not very exciting, they're super handy if you're in a rush and don't have time to wash and cut up big worms, or if somebody else is feeding your axie and is scared of worms

 

[AuraCantos]

......or if somebody else is feeding your axie and is scared of worms

I've always amused myself with the thought of leaving my boyfriend in charge of my axolotls if I go away. He's not the most... shall we say... animal-savvy person, and I can just imagine him trying to cut up the worms. ^_^; Goodness forbid if he gets one on him, lol!

What I usually do is get a long nightcrawler, about 5-6 inches long, and cut it into thirds. I then offer each of my axolotls one of the thirds, and that usually satisfies them. I usually feed them every day. Here lately, they've gotten spoiled. I've been offering redwigglers instead of nightcrawlers, and they blatently REFUSE to eat the 1-3 inch red wigglers unless I cut them into halves first. -_-; You'd think that axolotls that can handle a huge cunk of one worm would do fine with a smaller chunk of another worm. Spoiled rotten little things...

 

[zoezakella]

NO problem I have a very simple one in a plastic container which homes about 100 and is perfect, worms to hand and no mess in the garden (plus the fact it used to take me ages to find the amount I needed for one feed)!

You would be suprised mine readily take pellets and have even started to train them to swim to the surface for some (i put a video on axolotl free for all about my axie jabba hand feeding). They eat shrimp & earthworm pellets, good luck.