Question: Feeding time!!

B

Beginner Axolot

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Beginner Axolotl
Hi all,

I have a problem with my Axolotl, you see I feed my Axolotl, Axolotl sinking pellets. They are alright, and he gets his daily dosage of food. However if even my finger enters the water he won't eat. This is very troublesome as if I drop a pellet in the shape of it, carries it away from his mouth. The success rate is like 1:5... To clean up, I also have to use my tweezers to remove the pellet... This also makes him not eat.

I have heard of some people who hold the pellet and their axie takes it. Is it possible to train a grown Axolotl to do this. Cheers

Cheers and thank-you

Beginner (Still :D)
 
Is there a reason you're feeding pellets rather than worms?

My axies aren't that keen on pellets, and yes I have to be accurate with my aim to get them to eat them.

Worms are so much cleaner and easier - one worm each, no waste or mess, no fussing, just one worm between my fingers (or you can use tweezers or tongs) and they're all fine.

The other option if you really want to stick with pellets is to put them in a little feeding bowl or jar and let your axie find them. He'll soon figure it out when he's hungry enough. And a turkey baster is much easier for cleaning up.
 
Oh cool, thanks for that, I will have to try some of those methods ;D


If anyone else wants to comment feel free!!
 
Oh and I forgot to say, I have blood worms, and I can get meal worms too, are either of these what you were talking about?? If not, what size of worms do you use???
 
Beginner Axolot said:
Oh and I forgot to say, I have blood worms, and I can get meal worms too, are either of these what you were talking about?? If not, what size of worms do you use???
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Bloodworms are okay, but they're not ideal. Meal worms are only okay as treats, and even then you need to cut their heads off first. The problem with meal worms is that they're covered in chitin, which axolotls can't digest. The kind of worms you need to find are earthworms, nightcrawlers, or red wigglers. Bait worms work fine, the only problem with them is that some of them are bred in chemical treated soil. When you buy bait worms, look for a little warning on the container that says "not safe for human (or fish) consumption". If you don't see that warning, they're generally safe. Pet shops often sell worms as food, too.
 
I read in the forums not to give Axies wild earth worms, and sadly The only places which sell earth worms/blood worms are the fishing shop and the hardware shop. Both are contained in fertiliser sadly. I will look around though.
 
Earthworms from your back garden are OK if you don't use checmicals on your soil. If you use checmical fetilisers, pesticides etc you can't use garden worms.
Ask at pet shops, bait shops etc for organic worms.

Get your own worm farm going - just a big tub with a lid, organic soil, worms and mashed potato. I have more worms that I can use and I'm feeding them mash. You may be able to get a starter colony on-line - try 'organic gardening' sites.
 
Okay cool, we have 2 main spots to get earthworms from at my house, the veg. patch, which may have traces of fertiliser or the chook pen, however would nitrogen from this be the same as fertiliser. Also the earthworms where I live are up to 10cm long and 1cm thick... Is this too big? I also read they can contain parasites. Also in our rivers we have an abundance of fresh water shrimp about an inch long (1.5 at most) are these also alright, for live bait, or should I not, because of parasites?? I can farm earth worms though If either of these places are not good. We can also dig some earthworms from spots along the river.


Lot of question here

Thx
 
All the more reason to get a worm farm going. I wouldn't use wild caught worms from a fertiliser contaminated garden or from a chicken pen with all that poop. But at least the chicken pen will be organic :D. You can cut the worms into managable chunks for your axies - use scissors.

If you're happy that the river is clean, you could set up your own river shrimp breeding tank - catch some and let them breed, or quarantine them for a few weeks - my axies LOVE river shrimp (see avatar)
 
Okay, I got The idea from your photo :D thanks for all the help, I will try to start up some worm farms And shrimp farms.

Thank-you for everything
 
Sorry for making a new notification and bumping this, but I have or last question??!!

ARE EARTHWORMS FROM an unfertilised are safe for my axie to eat straight away?? Do they contain parasites etc??


Thank-you!!!
 
My axi gets pellets, I initially had the same problem and he needed to eat many small pellets to get a meal so I started smushing the pellets together to form what we call an "oober nom" or one large pellet about hald the size of his head. Its much heavier so I get better aim and if he misses it its big enough he sucks it off the bottom of the tank. If your pellets are soft give it a try.:D
 
Amy82 said:
My axi gets pellets, I initially had the same problem and he needed to eat many small pellets to get a meal so I started smushing the pellets together to form what we call an "oober nom" or one large pellet about hald the size of his head. Its much heavier so I get better aim and if he misses it its big enough he sucks it off the bottom of the tank. If your pellets are soft give it a try.:D
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Ahhhh good idea, my pellets aren't soft, but I can use a bit of water to make them soft!! That should work thought, every now and then two pellets get stuck together and they are easier to sink, aim and feed my axie!!

Thanks for the awesome idea!!
 
Just saw your thread.

What I do to feed my axies pellets is put them sticking out of the end of a drinking straw (if your pellets are too small this may not work) and then I move it around in front of them until they grab it and eat it. Always works for me for the last 5 years and there is no mess left behind from uneaten pellets and no aiming to drop the pellet in the right place. Oh and if there is more than one axolotl in the tank I tend to entice them to opposite sides of the tank for feeding so that they don't get excited and grab the other axolotl by mistake!

Hope this helps.
 
I've heard a lot of people using pellets, but I've been having trouble finding them. Any brands that I should keep an eye out for?
 
halfbloodprince said:
I've heard a lot of people using pellets, but I've been having trouble finding them. Any brands that I should keep an eye out for?
Click to expand...
Pollywog is a leading brand, most are just labelled amphibian or axolotl pellets.

But the best nutrition is WORMS!
 
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