Question: Live food for Axolotl

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THOrange

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Hello,

At first, I must say I'm new here on caudata.org. I have just bought Spyro, a 4-year old Axolotl, but I have to admit I was terribly misinformed on keeping an Axolotl...

First of all, the previous owner told me it was okay to feed Spyro little pieces of chicken and beef heart. Now that I have been looking on Axolotl.org and caudata.org, I see that chicken or beef heart does not have any nutritional value at all for little Spyro.

I was thinking about giving Spyro the food he would hunt by himself, if he wouldn't live in captivity.

My first thought went out to shrimps or guppies. However, I don't like the thought of feeding Spyro guppies, since I also keep a few guppies as a pet myself. It also wouldn't be okay if you own a golden retriever, to feed him cats, if you guys know what I mean :D

So I think I'm gonna go for live shrimps. The question, however, is, I want to keep shrimps in a separate tank, just to feed Spyro.

Is this a good idea? I want to be a good owner for Spyro, so other suggestions about other types of live food are also welcome.

If this is a good idea, what is the best way to keep shrimps, and of course, which type of shrimps do I need?

I can use all the help I can get...

Thanks in advance,
THOrange.
 
You should feed him earthworms! They are the best nutritional value and easy/cheap to get and breed.
 
As much I would want to, my girlfriend has a terrible fear of earthworms, so breeding them would be no option, I think... Isn't shrimp an option?

It's actually pretty silly of me, one minute ago I just said I want the best for Spyro, and here I am crawling back :$

Edit: Actually, Spyro is my pet, so I get to decide his diet :p

Now I only need a decent howto on breeding earthworms, where can I find one please?
 
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By the way, is it okay to breed earthworms indoors? My apartment doesn't have a balcony or yard...
 
+1 to Kameko's comment about the exoskeleton of shrimp. They are a good 'treat' food and I have cherry shrimp that still continue to breed in my axolotl tank, so that is an option (I bred a lot of them out in a smaller tank first though).

But earthworms are definitely the best food you can offer! If you can get away with setting up a compost then I would go for it :D
 
I keep some shrimp in the tank with my axolotl because I like watching them and they don't bother her. But she doesn't eat them very often - so I wouldn't rely on them as a food source. She's not even interested in them, she only gets close to eating one if they take some of her food (and I think she just smells her food, not cares that they're holding it) or bump right into her mouth.

Guppies and other fish that are not likely to harm your axolotl are "treats", too. But be careful - fish can eat your axolotl's gills. Various "sucker fish" can suck off your axolotl's skin. And never put in fish with spines, like catfish, as nasty injuries can result. And if you do feed treat fish, they need to be rather small compared to your axolotl - or they can try to eat one, but it's too big for them to actually get down and it will get "stuck" and they can't swallow it or spit it out.


Earthworms are a great choice. So are blackworms and pellets made for carnivores (I use Hikari massivore pellets, they also have smaller carnivore pellets depending on the size of the axolotl).
 
Okay, so I understand that it is safe to keep earthworms indoors. This is what I would do, but correct me if I'm wrong.

1. A container (one I can seal)
2. Fill it with soil
3. Add some water (but not until the soil is completely soaked, just moist)
4. Add the earthworms
5. Feed them normal vegetables such as pieces of carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, ...
6. Place it in the cabinet underneath Spyro's aquarium (I don't think it is a problem, earthworms do not need sunlight since they live underground anyway)

Is this the right way to do it?

By the way: Is it true earthworms are hermaphrodite? So there's a chance on breeding If I have only one worm to start with. I'm sorry if this is a silly question...
 
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If the soil is dry, then add water, but in most cases you shouldn't need to. Aside from that, yes you've got it. Make sure you've drilled holes in the container for ventilation. Use a dark, non-see thru container.

If the soil is too saturated, some people drill holes at the bottom sides of the bin & put it in another shallower bin to collect the drippings.

Yes, earthworms do have both male & female reproductive organs, so far as I know
 
I feed both my Axi's earthworms with "treats" of chicken breast, prawn, beef, fish and the occasional soft sinking trout pellet. There are a few links on food nutritional values on this site which are useful, but earthworms are by far the best.

I say this all, however....

I sometimes go away on business and my wife freaks at the thought of anything worm like (clean thoughts only please!). I therefore have a much smaller tank with some breeding cherry shrimp. I can put 20 or so in the tank the day I go away and none left after 4 days. If I don't have enough shrimp I get her to feed frozen bloodworm blocks (thawed of course), but personally I consider these ok for juveniles and less appropriate for adults.

The bottom line is some people like to feed live food, some prefer not to, and some are in between (e.g. happy to feed live earthworms cut up but not shrimp or fish etc). It sounds a bit simplistic, but providing you are happy, your axi is happy and healthy. If I was home every night my food of preference would be the earthworm, but sometimes both pet and parent need to adapt :)

Enjoy your Axi and let your Axi enjoy life. I hope all goes well for you.
 
Vertebrate meat is really not an adequate choice for axolotls. It offers poor nutritional value and can´t be properly digested.
Invertebrates are the good stuff. Earthworms are by far the best and should be the base of the diet. You can find guide son how to breed them indoors in this forum or on google. There are plenty of caresheets and guides out there.
Cherry shrimp are a nice choice as part of the diet. Other equally excellent choices for a natural diet would be scuds (and even woodlice) or anostraceans.
Crustaceans are very good but you can also give your axolotl crickets, waxworms, tubifex/blackworms, even axolotl pellets.
 
Things have changed. There's a pet shop in Antwerp (about 5 km from where I live) that sells Axies and everything you need to keep them. The shop sells frozen bloodworm pellets, 30 pellets for 3 euros, and 15 earthworms for 1,50 euros. I have never thought it to be this cheap, so I think I'm not going to breed them myself. It's way easier to buy them, since they're not expensive at all...

Now, two more questions. How long can I keep the earthworms if I keep them in the fridge. The pet shop owner told me they only get paralyzed in the fridge, but don't die. Is this true?

Second question. Spyro is 20 centimeters long (about 8 inches). How often and how many earthworms should I feed him? One earthworm a day? Or maybe one in two days, because they don't eat too often.

Thanks again for your help, you guys!
 
Most worms are fine for weeks in the fridge. Check them every couple of days and throw out the whole container if you do find a dead worm; they go foul quickly when they do foul.

At that size, he'll eat his length in worms every other day or so, depending on temperature.
 
I usually feed whatever they will eat in 10 mins every second day and as a guide their belly shouldn't be wider then their head or your over feeding.:D
 
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