New Axolotl Mum

[ifyouseeher]

Hi!

I'm really sorry if all of this has been covered elsewhere but I've done a lot of research and still haven't come up with any really cohesive answers, so here goes.

Today I became a proud new axolotl mum, I'm a complete newbie to any kind of aquatic animal care but my husband has kept fish (coldwater and tropical) for pretty much the entirety of his life so he has been showing me how to water test and change and he also helped me make sure my tank was cycled properly, but he's never kept axolotl before so this is a whole new kettle of fish for us. I chose the smallest one in the tank because it seemed pretty crowded in there and he looked like he was getting picked on, he's about 3 inches long.

I bought frozen tropical mix for him as our local aquatics shop was all out of bloodworm AND frozen brine shrimp, will that be okay? The guys at the shop said it would be fine but neglected to mention how often/ how much to feed him, so if anyone can help me out there that would be awesome.

He's not very active at the moment, is that normal? He's not hiding, he's just sort of sat in the sand doing not very much at all and being a natural worrier I automatically assume that he's sick.

I did have more questions but now I've forgotten them, I'm sure they'll come back to me in a bit, but if anyone can help me out I'd be super grateful.

Thanks!

 

[Mama Mia]

Hi Welcome to the wonderful world of the Axolotl.
He is most likely still a little stressed from the move and being in a new home and also bing alone....
I would feed him earthworms if you can, they love them if the ones you find or get are too big cut them up and feed him that, I have never heard of the food you spoke of.
Mine is a pig, he eats 2 worms a day and he is about 4 inches long,
Give him awhile and he will liven up,
I am a newbie too so I know just how you feel as a lot of others here on this site.
you will find so much info here it is awesome.
Again Welcome
Mama Mia

 

[ifyouseeher]

Fortunately I have a child that loves digging up my (chemical free) garden so we have an unlimited supply of worms.

Tropical mix is (according to the packet) a mixture of bloodworm, brine shrimp, daphnia, algae and mysis. I've seen the first 3 mentioned as good things to feed littlies, but have no idea about the last 2.

Super glad to hear that he's just a bit annoyed about the move and that he's just being normal. Planning on keeping Toaster for a very long time.

 

[snuggly time]

Welcome

As said above your axie will probably be very stressed today, so may not eat. Once it's used to it's surroundings it will look a bit livelier.

Your axie is very small so will need feeding regularly to help it grow. I'd be feeding a couple of times a day until it looks fat enough. Their stomachs should be around the same width as their head.
Worms are very nutritious, but being so small your axie will need them cutting up. It's suggested to cut them to the width of the axies head. In time they will be able to start swallowing larger bits and eventually won't need cutting.

Blood worms are good for them too, so it's worth stocking up on frozen ones when you can. I always do just in case I run out of earthworms.

You can also get pellets for axolotls which are very nutritional. Some axies love them, and other just won't eat them. Mine is one which refuses to eat them and spits them back out. I've been trying for months now and he still won't eat them, I guess worms are just more tastier! But they're worth a try as they're a good staple or back up if you happen to run out of earthworms.
Hikari Sinking Carnivore Pellets are a common choice on here. There's also pellets made for axies, which can come in small and large for different sized axolotls. http://i.ebayimg.com/t/JBL-Novo-Lotl-Pellet-food-for-growing-Axolotl-Premium-food-250ml-/00/s/NDUwWDQ1MA==/$T2eC16F,!zUE9s38-QPVBQg-L7Of8Q~~60_35.JPG

Here's some info on the different food and also says how suitable they are for caudates
Caudata Culture Articles - Food Items for Captive Caudates
Caudata Culture Articles - Worms

And this link is also very good as it shows how nutritional different foods are Caudata Culture Articles - Nutritional Values

They'e all well worth a good read, enjoy!

 

[auntiejude]

this is a whole new kettle of fish for us.

You know they're not fish - right? :lol:

Don't really like the sound of that food - axies are carnivores and won't need the plant proteins. But I guess it will do in a pinch. Live food is much beter for them too - live brineshrimp are great fun to chase, and my axies seem to enjoy worm wrestling.

Axies get stressed with moving, he may well keep quiet for a day or 2 then get on with exploring the tank. He will also learn that tank lid coming off and hand in the tank = FOOD and will come to you to be fed. I bought some fishing forceps to start with - I wouldn't bother as it's far too much fun feeding by hand.

It might be an idea to set up a little worm farm - you can get worms and wormeries mail order easily enough, and once they start breeding you'll have a self-sustaining food source. I hate digging for worms in the cold and wet, but with my worm bucket all I have to do it pop off the lid and grab a few.

Pictures please? Axie and set up would be good to have a nosey....

 

[ifyouseeher]

I'll send my daughter out worm digging in the morning. She likes doing it for no reason so I'm sure she won't mind if it's to feed Toaster. Setting up a worm farm sounds like a brilliant idea and something I'll definitely look into, I can make it a little family project since worms really gross me out (but so did frozen mice and I have no problem feeding our snakes now.)

Will take pictures in the morning since it's quite dark at the moment and turning the lights on in his tank just sounds mean. Worth keeping in mind that the tank he's in now is a temporary tank until he gets a little bigger and so is about 1 square foot, husband is picking up his 2 ft tank from his mums tomorrow so we can cycle it ready for the little cutie.

I actually had some feeding tweezers (similar to the ones I use to feed our snakes) in my ebay basket, but if hand feeding is more fun then I can save myself some money.

 

[ifyouseeher]

So after last night's worrying, came downstairs this morning to find a very active and curious little Toaster. Decided to give him some of the tropical mix in a feeding jar and he's been sifting through it trying to find the bloodworm and only eating that, turns out he's pretty fussy, but he's going to town on it, so I don't think he's that stressed out any more. I couldn't be more pleased.

 

[Kerry M]

Hi
I love Toaster's name, can't wait to see him.
I would also recommend the earth worms as a food for a couple of reasons. Firstly, they are free when you get them established. Secondly, they are super nutritious and axies love them. But for me they also help me maintain a cleaner tank as when axies eat them their poo is usually a jelly bean shape and well formed. Axies are messy little critters and I find that when they eat a pellet diet the poo disperses around the whole tank. I'm super excited now as my axies are eating worms again as they weren't for a while.
Congrats for becoming an axie mum

 

[ifyouseeher]

One of my friends dropped round some frozen bloodworm for me yesterday, he has tropical fish so we did a trade. I gave Toaster half a block this morning and took whatever was left out after 30 minutes and now he has a really lumpy tummy, is that normal? He's on aquarium sand, not gravel, though he was on gravel at the aquatics centre. I've tried taking a picture but I can't get a clear one.