Very confused axolotl owner :(

[Meenug]

I hope you guys can help me clear up some confusion. I have 3 questions

I got my axolotl frozen brine shrimp cubes but am I able to drop one in and let it float the bottom as one clump or will that hurt my little guy if he tries eating it while frozen. I know its better to thaw it but I hate seeing him all panicked when it fly everywhere


Is frozen brine shrimp or frozen blood worms better

And

How often should I be feeding him these cubes?

Thank you everyone in advance

 

[Skudo09]

It is best to thaw them out first. Otherwise he may get an 'icecream headache'. How big is he? If he is larger than 3 inches, it is probably best to move him onto something more nutritious. Brineshrimp and bloodworm are good for young juveniles but are not nutritious enough for older axolotls. Juveniles can be fed every day (even twice daily for very young axies) but adults can be fed every couple of days. Earthworms are a great option as they are very nutritious, cheap, and easy to feed (especially if you start your own farm ). Otherwise good quality axolotl or newt pellets are also suitable.

 

[Meenug]

Thanks!!

With the axolotl or newt pellets I can just hand feed or drop in the tank?

 

[Skudo09]

You can hand feed or use a feeding bowl. You can drop in the tank if you have bare bottom or slate or other substrate that cannot be accidently swallowed. Don't drop the pellets or food on sand as they may ingest some of the sand. I mostly feed mine earthworms handfed but I do occasionally feed pellets. The pellets I have are quite small so I found offering them from a feeding dish was the easiest.

 

[Skudo09]

I should also add that you want to aim for their belly width to be the same as the width of their head so you can use this as a guide to whether you may need to feed more or less often. If the belly width is less than the head width, feed more.