Can my axolotl live on frozen blood worms only?

[Paulab]

Hi this is my first post and would greatly appreciate any help from you guys. We have had our axolotl since January this year and we have tried feeding him lance fish and mussels but he refuses them all. The only thing he will consistently eat is frozen blood worms once defrosted that is. Can he survive eating just these my pet shop keep telling me to not feed him for several days then he will eat what he is given. The longest we have left him is 4 days and he still refuses the fish and mussels so we go back to the worms. Can anyone offer any more advice? Thanks in advance

 

[mackinthebox]

yes, it can live on them just as well as humans can live on McDonalds
my juveniles were raised on a diet of bloodworms, until I was able to get earthworms again

frozen prawns (shrimp) would be a better diet when earthworms are not available
I was feeding mine a combo of bloodworms and prawns until my bait shop got worms in again

if you feed frozen shrimp thaw it first and rinse it thoroughly
mine loved the frozen shrimp

 

[Boomsloth]

How big is your axolotl now? I also got mine in late december/early january, and they are all mostly between 5.5-6.5in. I started out on bloodworms since that was all I could buy locally, but then ordered live blackworms online and fed them those until they got to around 4in. Then I switched to cut up earthworms and now they eat whole earthworms without an issue.

 

[auntiejude]

Bloodworms are too low in calcium to be the only food you give your axie.
Earthworms are best, don't bother with mussels or fish.

 

[Azhael]

Bloodworms alone can lead to very severe nutritional deficiencies that will eventually cause serious deformities, metabolic problems and death. This is particularly likely to happen if you live in an area with soft water.
Earthworms can be used exclusively, but it´s always a good idea to offer some variety in the forms of fresh-water crustaceans, isopods, insects and even specially formulated, good quality pellets.

Prawns, i assume would be salt-water species which makes them unsuitable for any caudate. There are many fresh-water alternatives when it comes to crustaceans.

 

[mackinthebox]

Bloodworms alone can lead to very severe nutritional deficiencies that will eventually cause serious deformities, metabolic problems and death. This is particularly likely to happen if you live in an area with soft water.
Earthworms can be used exclusively, but it´s always a good idea to offer some variety in the forms of fresh-water crustaceans, isopods, insects and even specially formulated, good quality pellets.

Prawns, i assume would be salt-water species which makes them unsuitable for any caudate. There are many fresh-water alternatives when it comes to crustaceans.

prawns are fine (on a temporary basis, too lean to be the primary food source and lacking in needed vitamins), they may be saltwater but as long as you rinse them thoroughly there should be no problem
They lived on those and bloodworms for 2 months with no health issues
I never would have thought to feed them prawns if I hadnt done a search on this site and seen it recommended multiple times...
They have more protein than earthworms, less fat (not necessarily good though) and about a third the calcium http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/foods2.shtml
as I said its not a great alternative but there is no reason not to feed it to them

in fact theyre listed on this chart as good to fair food source
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/foods.shtml

 

[Paulab]

Thanks to all the trouble is I can't get him to eat as anything else he refuses both alternatives and can only buy what my pet shop stocks can anyone give variety and brands of possible food and where I can buy it?

 

[Azhael]

People also recommend beef heart and even liver...and the axolotls eat it, but it doesn´t mean it´s a good food choice. You can also find people on Youtube feeding broccoli to axolotls...
Salt water species have a salt and other compounds/elements content that is not suitable for a fresh-water animal and you don´t get rid of that with some rinsing because it is an integral part of their cellular compossition. Iodine concentrations in particular can be a significant problem.
By the way, two months is not the same as a long term staple which is what the OP is inquiring about.
Also, some of us are not content with "fine" but actually prefer a diet as optimal as possible considering the limitations of captivity. Nobody has said that if an axolotl touches a prawn it will explode...which of course doesn´t happen, but that doesn´t make prawns one of the choices for a good diet and it doesn´t make "yeah, prawns are fine" good advice. There is no need to resort to substandard, potentially problematic foods when there are so many superior options.

 

[mackinthebox]

People also recommend beef heart and even liver...and the axolotls eat it, but it doesn´t mean it´s a good food choice. You can also find people on Youtube feeding broccoli to axolotls...
Salt water species have a salt and other compounds/elements content that is not suitable for a fresh-water animal and you don´t get rid of that with some rinsing because it is an integral part of their cellular compossition. Iodine concentrations in particular can be a significant problem.
By the way, two months is not the same as a long term staple which is what the OP is inquiring about.
Also, some of us are not content with "fine" but actually prefer a diet as optimal as possible considering the limitations of captivity. Nobody has said that if an axolotl touches a prawn it will explode...which of course doesn´t happen, but that doesn´t make prawns one of the choices for a good diet and it doesn´t make "yeah, prawns are fine" good advice. There is no need to resort to substandard, potentially problematic foods when there are so many superior options.

the thing is not everyone has access to earthworms
not everyone can order them online, they certainly were scarce for me for a while too
I never said it should be a staple, I even gave many of the reasons why theyre an inferior food to earthworms...
If the preferred food of choice is not available then I dont see how Prawns could be any worse than no food or beef heart and other fatty foods normally reserved for lizards...
Prawns are safe to feed to axolotls but theyre not the best nutrition source, they will work for a while in a pinch but it would be better to find something like the oft referred to salmon pellets or other types of earthworms
when the preferred food isnt available "fine" might be the only option...

 

[Azhael]

It´s easy, if one cannot provide adequate care (including diet) for any animal, one shouldn´t keep that animal.
"I want an axolotl but i don´t have access to earthworms so i feed it beef heart or prawns" is not acceptable...just like "I want a goldfish but all i have is this small fishbowl" or "i really want a great dane but i live in a tiny flat and don´t have the time to walk it" are not acceptable either.
The world is FULL of people who are willing to make all kinds of compromises to the quality of life of animals and we shouldn´t tolerate people making excuses to make those compromisses. We can´t control what people do, and there is a hell of a lot of ignorance out there, so as members of this community, ADVICING others in that way is the worst thing we could do. If us, the people who bloody love this creatures to the point of obssesion aren´t scrupulous in our standards, nobody will...

If someone doesn´t have access to earthworms, it is VERY easy to culture them indoors. At a push, it´s also possible to order online specially formulated pellets which can be used as an staple.

 

[xxianxx]

Well said Roderigo, can't wait to read the responses to your "tough love" attitude to animal welfare. Far too many people think their pets needs are second place to their own desires. I am not directing this at the op BTW. Worms are easy to source in the UK, go to a fishing tackle shop, check the worms are organic and buy some. If the axolotl refuses to eat them let it starve , they will eat what they are given rather than die. I had the same attitude to my kids when they were small, they are fit healthy, adult/sub adults now and they all consume brocalli.

 

[Skudo09]

I agree completely Rodrigo. We should not sacrifice the welfare of an animal because of our own want to keep one as a pet. The welfare of the animal should come first.

 

[Azhael]

I don´t see it as tough love at all, i see it as absolutely basic stuff. If in a place like this where the nerdest of them all gather and the best information can be found, people consider telling someone who just found the site stuff like "ah well, feed it whatever you have handy, it´ll be alright" to be good advice...because after all what reality matters is that someone really, reaaaaaaaally wants to keep and axie...well, what´s the point of having a community like this?
It´s a matter of meeting the most basic standards of responsability. ONLY acquire a living creature if you can provide adequate conditions, care and diet for it. If any of that can´t be guaranteed, DON´T. That should be pretty straight forward.

Paulab, like Ian said you should have absolutely no problem obtaining earthworms and as far as i understand some UK pet-shops source some interesting and handy options to add variety.

 

[Boomsloth]

Earthworms are probably the easiest thing to farm. If you can't safely find them outside then there are tons of other places to buy them. I know for a fact that in the US you can easily order a pound of worms for about $30. As for adding some variety, I used to drop in some ghost shrimp on occasion, have also been throwing in some guppies, and small bladder snails. This is all once a month at best. I agree with some variety but always quarantine any live food you plan on feeding your axolotl, especially if bought at a pet store. My guppies have been breeding in a separate tank and my shrimp were quarantined for a month before I began feeding them.
Like said above, Axolotls will eat a lot of things even if they shouldn't, but their diet and health is dependent on their owners. Pellets and earthworms seem to be the proven diet for them.

 

[Kaini]

I third that. But back to the OP -

Thanks to all the trouble is I can't get him to eat as anything else he refuses both alternatives and can only buy what my pet shop stocks can anyone give variety and brands of possible food and where I can buy it?

Like everyone else said, I would skip the mussels and whatever else you'd been trying and switch to earthworms or high quality pellets. You can order earthworms online, actually, so there is no excuse for not having access to them. You can also get salmon pellets online. Members here actually sell them: http://www.caudata.org/forum/f49-ad...414-salmon-pellets-discount-axolotl-food.html though I'm not sure if they ship internationally.
Oh and look http://www.amazon.com/Uncle-Jims-Wo...id=1398443975&sr=8-2&keywords=live+earthworms you can get anything on amazon. Worms!

 

[auntiejude]

Why Earthworms

Worm Farming

Yorkshire Worms

Worms Direct

 

[mackinthebox]

I just want to clarify that at no point did I mean that you should feed them prawns exclusively, as I said many time theyre safe to feed to axolotls as shown with many posts here on this site
They have everything an axolotl needs except for calcium though so with a calcium suppliment of some kind it might be an acceptable food in the long term but definitely not on their own
Im not saying you should just feed axolotls a food that would be considered "fine" unless it meets all their dietary requirements
I care about the health of my animals but you cant have the highest quality food available at all times, it just doesnt happen, for any pet ive owned
sometimes you have to make due

as for whether or not you should own a pet if you cant provide the best possible care for it, thats another discussion for another topic

OP, try and get earthworms if you can, axolotls need a fair amount of protein and fat to be healthy, they also need a good source of calcium or else they can develop growth and health issues down the line

 

[Azhael]

I have a worm culture and i have worms available all year round with no effort whatsoever. So do MANY others. As it so happens, the OP here should find obtaining worms extremely easy considering where she lives.
You know what else contains "everything" an axolotl needs without the inadequate levels of salts and iodine (which CAN be a problem. Iodine affects thyroid hormone levels)? Fresh-water crustaceans. And what´s more, if fed whole, rather than just the muscular tail, as with prawns, the calcium content is very good....unlike prawns....

as for whether or not you should own a pet if you cant provide the best possible care for it, thats another discussion for another topic

No, not the best possible care...the minimal adequate care without compromising in any of the basic elements of the animal´s well being, like space, water conditions, temperature and diet....

 

[mackinthebox]

I have a worm culture and i have worms available all year round with no effort whatsoever. So do MANY others. As it so happens, the OP here should find obtaining worms extremely easy considering where she lives.
You know what else contains "everything" an axolotl needs without the inadequate levels of salts and iodine (which CAN be a problem. Iodine affects thyroid hormone levels)? Fresh-water crustaceans. And what´s more, if fed whole, rather than just the muscular tail, as with prawns, the calcium content is very good....unlike prawns....



No, not the best possible care...the minimal adequate care without compromising in any of the basic elements of the animal´s well being, like space, water conditions, temperature and diet....

so, what about crawdads? would that work as a good food source?
that is something that is plentiful for me here in Texas...

I do plan to start a worm farm myself and I will also be getting the salmon pellets as a backup food source as it is better than prawns

 

[Azhael]

So long as they are sufficiently small, of course.
There are other alternatives too.