Please Help with Axolotl Feeding Frequency - should he be eating more?

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Tadpoles

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Hello all,

Please advise on my new Axolotl. He is about 1 year old, definitely male, judging by his swollen cloaca. Approx 7" long. He is healthy looking according to all the guidelines I can find on here.

He is currently alternating daily between 2 small aquariums for a total water change whilst I cycle his 50 gallon home.
Water is untreated from a private well and has the following characteristics:

GH takes 21 drops of reagent to change color, which, according to API chart should be 375.9!
KH 18 dKH
pH 7.6
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 5ppm

I am maintaining him at 65F

I brought him home 4 days ago, this is his feeding history starting the day before:
Wednesday - fasted in prep. for journey.
Thurs - fasted for journey. Offered his usual Hikari carnivore pellets in evening after settling into his tank, which he took from my fingers but spat out and declined to eat off the floor.
Friday - It was uneaten in the morning so I removed it and offered a fresh one but he declined again. I went to buy some nightcrawlers and he ate a large one in thirds.
Saturday - wondered if he might be quite hungry still b/c of fasting nearly two days but he declined nightcrawlers. I did notice some feces on the floor.
Sunday - took nightcrawler pieces but spat them out and left them.
Monday (today) - didn't want any nightcrawler, 'sniffing' at it, then turning away. I left it in his tank for half an hour. It looked like he may have swallowed it and spat it out again, it looked slightly crinkled and he was standing on it.

I understand they have a slow metabolism so maybe this is fine. He is after all alert and comes to see me when I check on him (walking or swimming to the glass). His gills are of good color, not pushed forward. His tail isn't curved. His skin looks good.

However, he doesn't enjoy being transferred every 24hrs to a clean tank. I do it gently by ushering him into a submerged tupperware or silicon colander and moving him over - a short journey as the two tanks are right next to each other, but he does struggle, it obviously isn't enjoyable. Am I possibly traumatizing him and making him associate my hand with it?

Your advice would be gratefully received.
 
Photo, in case it's useful. He does have front legs!

axolotl1.JPG
 
@wolfen would know better on this. He could just be acclimating to the new place or it could just be that he isn't liking the flavor of the worms or the food. IDK.
 
Autistic Catholic said:
@wolfen would know better on this. He could just be acclimating to the new place or it could just be that he isn't liking the flavor of the worms or the food. IDK.
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Mmhmm. He sure seemed to like them at first! Thank you for your help.
 
although earthworms and pellets are the most popular food for axolotls it doesn't mean that an axolotl will eat them, you can always try other food (bloodworm tends to be an axolotl favourite) for which there is a wide variety to choose from (even maggots) or you can persevere and see if he will get hungry enough (he isn't looking under weight, although does need a little bit more girth), when tubbed feed at night and change water in morning, this gives them time to settle and overnight to feed (axolotl become more nocturnal so prefer to feed when it's dark).
 
wolfen said:
although earthworms and pellets are the most popular food for axolotls it doesn't mean that an axolotl will eat them, you can always try other food (bloodworm tends to be an axolotl favourite) for which there is a wide variety to choose from (even maggots) or you can persevere and see if he will get hungry enough (he isn't looking under weight, although does need a little bit more girth), when tubbed feed at night and change water in morning, this gives them time to settle and overnight to feed (axolotl become more nocturnal so prefer to feed when it's dark).
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Thank you, I agree he could be plumper. I'll try a range of offerings at night.
 
Yeah, I would try offering him blood worms, Mine usually can't resist them :). Or he is just adjusting to his new environment, which is probably the case here
 
Egghead said:
Yeah, I would try offering him blood worms, Mine usually can't resist them :). Or he is just adjusting to his new environment, which is probably the case here
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Thank you, I really appreciate everyone answering.
 
@wolfen @Egghead
I gave him some thawed frozen bloodworms. I think he is in a huff with me personally - walking away from my fingers, but he has eaten about half the bloodworms after I left them in there with him. I will continue offering variety, esp. in the evening. Thank you again.
 
Tadpoles said:
@wolfen @Egghead
I gave him some thawed frozen bloodworms. I think he is in a huff with me personally - walking away from my fingers, but he has eaten about half the bloodworms after I left them in there with him. I will continue offering variety, esp. in the evening. Thank you again.
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He's not used to you yet. Don't take it personally. Animals develop trust and will learn to see you as food with patience.
 
Autistic Catholic said:
He's not used to you yet. Don't take it personally. Animals develop trust and will learn to see you as food with patience.
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Yes, and I affronted him by putting him through the undignified procedure of transferring between tanks. I don't blame him, he's well within his rights.
I figured out a smoother transfer method this evening and he has been feeling his oats, so to speak, after his bloodworm meal, swimming around and greeting me again. I think we are going to get along well.
Thanks for your help and encouragement.
 
Autistic Catholic said:
Try blanching the nightcrawlers.
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Hello~

How often should one feed their axolotl?
I feed Calypso Mon evening before I go home from work, then again on Thurs evening. Is this too much, or not enough?
She gets earthworms both times, eats them all up. I have axolotl treats that I give her on Tues and Wed...they are pellets and I will give her 2, maybe 3.
I have seen bloodworms mentioned...do you just drop a frozen section in the tank or am I needing to do it differently?
 
How Old is your axie? Also with bloodworms i would recommend defrosting them in something then getting out just the worms and put just the worms in the tank. I would recommend having a dish if your gonna feed them blood worms as they can get messy.:)
 
Egghead said:
How Old is your axie? Also with bloodworms i would recommend defrosting them in something then getting out just the worms and put just the worms in the tank. I would recommend having a dish if your gonna feed them blood worms as they can get messy.:)
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I was told she is about 4 years old. I have only had her for about 4 months. I am still soooo new to this and I feel like a new momma....lol
And using a dish? What about a dropper?
 
Ive never had any experience with using a dropper, but i usually just scoop the worms up with tweezers and place them in the dish in the tank. Based on your axies age I would say to feed 2x a week with 3 pellets each time, so a total of 6 pellets a week.:)
 
Egghead said:
Ive never had any experience with using a dropper, but i usually just scoop the worms up with tweezers and place them in the dish in the tank. Based on your axies age I would say to feed 2x a week with 3 pellets each time, so a total of 6 pellets a week.:)
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Could you show me a pic with the dish? My Axie never comes out of the water so I am not sure what that set-up looks like.
 
NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! The dish goes in the water lol :)
 
Egghead said:
NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! The dish goes in the water lol :)
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Yeah....lol I figured that. I never take my Axie out.
She is so precious. I will get some blood worms and give it a go.
Thank you for all your help =0)
 
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