Juvenile diet advice please

[Ryang]

Hi everyone,I’m a newbie to axolotl ownership. I took delivery of 2 x 2inch Axolotls last week for my daughter for Xmas. The breeder suggested rather than putting them straight in the main tank, to keep them in a smaller tub so I can monitor feeding. I have been giving them frozen bloodworm cubes ( I defrost them in tank water then as to the tub).
They do eat the odd one but I read some posts saying that they should devour the whole cube in 5 mins! They’re pooping quite a lot so I’m sure they are eating I just wanted clarification! Also they are in by far the coldest room in the house and the water is pretty stable at 14°c. If I could warm it a couple of degrees, would that increase metabolism?

Thankyou in advance for any advice

 

[Dr. Phil]

They look pretty healthy to me - a nice-looking pair! It seems reasonable that if you warmed them up a degree C or two, you may speed up their metabolism - but why bother? You'll just have to feed them more. If they are eating and pooping regularly, then don't worry exactly how much they eat. I've read on here that some folk don't think only bloodworms are the best choice - you may wish to try introducing other small bits of something and see if it piques their interest - a little variety never hurts. I think you are doing fine and also agree that with little ones, it's good to keep them in relatively small shallow enclosures, as you say, to monitor and facilitatde their feeding and also to make water changes that much easier. If you haven't already seen this page, have a look and alsdo at the links therein: Axolotls - Rearing from Egg to Adult

 

[Ryang]

Thankyou for the reply. Some helpful info there. I hadn’t seen the page you linked so that’s really helpful. I did try them on really small chunks of earthworm initially but whilst they were really interested in them, didn’t seem to be able to swallow them. I’ll try some other options