Rejecting Earth Worms

[Kathleen Frank]

I am having a bit of trouble with two of my four axolotls. I am trying to switch them from balls of frozen blood worms to live earth worms, because earth worms are more nutritious and less befouling of the water.
Though two of them have been eating the earth worms (nightcrawlers) two won't touch them! I wriggle them in front of their faces in nice bite-sized chunks--and the two just swim away, ignore them. They haven't eaten in three days! What should I do? Go back to the frozen bloodworms?

 

[layna]

You could try blaching the earthworms (just boil some water and dip the worms in for a few seconds) then that way they will be dead so wont wriggle loads and wont secret the nasty taste but are still nutritious.
Or you can just try giving them smaller ones live so they wriggle, they may be more attracted to the movement.
Your third option is to just keep up only offering them live earthwoms until they eat it.
Axies can be fussy and will go on hunger strike for a week or more but eventually they will get hungry and eat.

If you switch back to bloodworms they will just continue to refuse the earthworms when you try to switch. Theyre like fussy children.

Another option if your really worried about them starving is to try feeding them axie pellets instead of the bloodworms as they are more nutritious than bloodworms and axies usually love them

 

[fish4all]

Check to see which ones you are trying to feed them. I have 10-12 different ones that I collect year round outside here. I started my own composting bin from wild collected ones. I would describe them to you but pictures are worth a lot more than my words.

Do a search for nightcrawlers worm pictures. Composting ones are the most often rejected from what I have read.

I know the ones my sub adults are eating are not composting species.