Is my young axie eating enough?

[sk26]

Hi, all!

I recently got my first axie after wanting one for several years. I did plenty of research and felt more than prepared when I got my little guy. Then, I got him and now I feel like I'm doing everything wrong.

When I got him, he was hardly three inches. I've had him for nearly a month and he's now roughly five inches. I've had a twenty-gallon tank set up for several months now but when I got him, I was advised to keep him in a small one-gallon container so I can keep a close eye on him and prevent him from getting stressed out in such a large tank. He has been in this one-gallon clear container since I've had him. I do daily 100% water changes after every feeding. He has a fan blowing on his container 24/7 so his water is really chilly.

My problem is that since I've had him, he has been the pickiest eater. I initially fed him frozen brine shrimp and he would refuse to eat it unless I held it right in front of him. Even then, he would only eat a few bites and refuse anymore that I tried to feed him. I moved on to earthworms. I would cut them into such small pieces with scissors, rinse them, and put them in his container. He had no interest in them unless I caught his attention with my finger and dropped it so that it practically landed right on his head. He would either spit it out or eat it. He would maybe eat three extremely small pieces a day and would continue to refuse any frozen brine shrimp. Then, I moved onto frozen bloodworms. It was the same story as the frozen brine shrimp. I'm currently feeding him just frozen brine shrimp and he will eat a few bites but that's it.

I read other threads about how their stomachs are supposed to be the size of their head. He does almost get there after a feeding, but not quite. I worry that he's not getting enough food. I try to switch it up and offer him what is available near me but I can't keep spending six dollars every three days on frozen brine shrimp for him. After it melts, there's no chance he'll eat it off the bottom of his container. I go through sometimes six cubes a day trying to feed him and even at that, he only eats a few bites.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong and it's making me nervous. I've been looking at pellet options but I simply do not know where to buy them from. I do not feel comfortable putting my card information on unsecured websites and there's no place near me that sells it.

I love my little guy so much and I'm willing to spend the money on the frozen brine shrimp but I'm truly concerned that he's not eating enough. If anyone could please advise on what to do, I'll greatly appreciate it!

 

[Amyglistens]

Hi ya, if he growing thats a good sign but it could be that your axolotl is a little stressed. Are its gills curled all the way over?
Nutritionally brine shrimp is not a good food source for axolotls once they are past the initial baby stage (I.e. Once they have legs) small live earth worms are best. It might take some getting used to and peristance (try offering a little of both old and new) but your axolotl will be a lot stronger and healthier for it. My juveniles are all around 4-5 inches and have small earths and a little blood worm. And since being on earth worms they have doubled in size. Mine often spit out the worms but usually it's because they need a better angle in order to swallow it.
If he's five inches he should be fine in your 20 gallon tank and will probably be less stressed from all the water changes. I'd be tempted to try it in the 20 g tank and see how it gets on.

 

[Blade1013]

I would say try him in the 20g as well. My wife and I got our juvies at about 3.5 inches and I put them into our 60 Gallon Aquarium the day we got them and they have loved it. As far as eating goes you really do have to be persistent with the earthworms... One of ours, Haku, is a pig and took to the earthworms a little quicker, but still refuses them more than we would like. Then we have Mudkip, the picky one, who almost never takes the earthworms and we just have to take little victories here and there. I also agree that getting your axie onto earthworms will help it grow even more. Haku and Mudkip are the same age and we got them at the same time, but Haku has noticeably grown more than Mudkip, which I believe is because Haku eats the earthworms more. Either way try not to stress too much. I too often look in at Mudkip and ask him why he won't eat like Haku the pig.