Question: When should I change the food?

[aegrum]

Hello,

There are different topics on this but I want to be sure regarding my own axolotls.

I have two axolotls. When I bought them they were very small, and the guy from the fish store told me to give them half a cube of bloodworms every day. Size of one cube: http://i.imgur.com/xqdrHrJ.jpg

However, my two axolotls have grown to about a size of 10 cm now. When I feed them, the food is gone in no-time. So I am wondering, should I change their feeding habit? If yes, which amount should I give them and how frequently? If not, when should I start giving more food or less or more frequently?

Thanks!

 

[LSuzuki]

Yes, you should change what you are feeding them,

You can't over-feed juveniles. Feed them as much as they will eat, (but do NOT leave left-over food in the tank).

Blood worms are not nutritionally complete for older axolotls, so you should switch to something better. Earthworms are a good staple diet. (Be careful not to buy "red wiggler" eathworms, e. fetida. They have a bad taste that some axolotls never get used to.) There are also some good sinking carnivore pellets on the market.

 

[aegrum]

Should I keep feeding them blood worms as well (if yes how much? because they basically just keep eating all I give them) or completely change to earthworms?

Also, where can I get earthworms? The fish store doesn't have them.

 

[AxolotlChris]

You can order online, or try find close by bait shops. Bloodworms can be used as an occasional meal, but considering it fouls water fast and can be messy, there's not much point using it.

Try finding some Axolotl friendly pellets, I use JBL Novolotl XL: https://www.jbl.de/?lang=en&mod=products&func=detail&id=4996

I feed these and earthworms twice a day for my juvenile.

 

[aegrum]

Order them online? Wait, aren't they supposed to be alive? Could someone give me an example link to where they order theirs from? Been trying to translate all this but I'm coming up with weird things on Google.

Are pellets nutritious enough for them?

 

[LSuzuki]

Earthworms on-line? Over here, they can be bought on-line and they ship them. They are live. I'm not sure what the regulations are over there, but try googling "eisenia hortensis" (European nightcrawlers), since most axolotls love them. (You probably will need to cut them up though - they can get pretty big.) Avoid "eisenia fetida" (red wigglers) - they have a bad taste, and some axolotls never adapt to it.

 

[AxolotlChris]

Yes in the UK and USA you can purchase earth worms on the internet, they are packaged well and sent and received alive. It may be that where you are there are not many online shops available, but trying googling: 'Buy earth worms online'.
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/worms.shtml

High quality carnivore pellets are good as long as they have the correct nutritional content.