Slugs?

[Heather at HMSG]

Hi all - I look after 2 sub-adult axolotls (one gold, one black) - they LOVE earthworms, & I wonder if anyone has tried them on slugs?

Many thanks,

Heather

 

[achiinto]

I tried feeding warty newts with slugs that I caught from my garden. I dont know if they liked it, but they do eat them. I know that salamander do eat slugs in the wild. However, I have never tried it with Axolotls.

 

[b00f]

my nan would sure as hell invite me round once i get my axie

worms, slugs

how many people get their axies eating say "bugs" from the top of the water...
from what i have read this is a part of their natural diet

flies in summer,

used to catch them and feed them to my blue tougne

 

[digger]

Gr33neyes feeds hers slugs without ill affect.
Just be careful where you take them from, make sure no pesticides of any kind has been used in the garden you get them from.

 

[Heather at HMSG]

Gr33neyes feeds hers slugs without ill affect.
Just be careful where you take them from, make sure no pesticides of any kind has been used in the garden you get them from.

As with worms also -absolutely - from my own garden, where I use nothing chemical. I would guess that a varied diet is best in any case, but wondered whether slug slime might be a problem.

Thank you for responses - worms go deeper as the weather cools, & sometimes great juicey slugs are easier to locate.

Is it possible to overfeed an Axi? Ours have great appetites!

Heather

 

[Jacquie]

Is it possible to overfeed an Axi? Ours have great appetites.

Hi Heather,

I've never met an axolotl that was not a greedy guts. Axolotls are oppurtunistic feeders.

To ascertain if over or under feeding, monitor the belly. The belly should be as wide as the head, plump but not obese. If the axie's belly is wider than the head, try cutting the feeding back a bit and ignore the axie's pleading looks. :happy: If a little on the lean side, increase feeding.

 

[Daniel]

I have never fed wild caught slugs to my newts since I am afraid of a possible parasite load. Snails and slugs may potentially have an infestation of different kinds of parasites, for instance liver flukes (Fasciola hepatica, Dicrocoelium lanceolatum) or trematodes.
Since most of my newts like slugs, I started to raise them from eggs where they can not be infected with these kinds of parasites.

Has anyone made any experiences with that or some additional information?

 

[Heather at HMSG]

What a brilliant idea Daniel - may do that! How quickly do slugs grow?

Any idea where they pick up parasites? For example, I think sheep are a hoste to a parasite that is transmitted through a type of snail (liver fluke?), but these things are pretty species specific, if my memory serves. For example, it is recommended to graze sheep on horse pasture, as they pick up various horse parasites, which are then killed while passing through the sheep......I do wonder what (if any) british (or european) parasites would actually harm a Mexican Axi? Does anyone have any specific knowledge on this?

Fascinating!

Heather