What method do you use to feed your axolotls? Do they let you touch them?

[IWishIWasAFish]

We've been hand feeding our young juvenile axolotls, and they're totally sure now that fingers are a food source. It's hilarious. They let the kids in my class feed and touch them gently on the backs without getting scared. They don't see, to mind our sort of bright plant light at all.

However, it's totally labor intensive to feed them this way. Also, we just swapped for a future breeding partner for one of them, and he doesn't like the light and finds fingers a bit scary. It's very challenging to place pellets right in front of a black axolotl in a dark tank without touching it.

Do other people just drop pellets in the water? Will our axolotls find the salmon pellets if I do that over school breaks? Is there some other sort of creative pellet delivery device that people use? We do have other foods we feed them, but I'm going to try pellets as a winter staple. I bet we can dig plenty of earthworms the rest of the year.

We have a 30 gallon tall, moderately planted tank with a black sand substrate. Part of the tank has an overhanging mossy swamp for extra filtration and water flow reduction, and is thus very hard to reach. That's the black axolotls favorite part.

Thanks!

 

[Donna001]

When I first got my juveniles I set up a feeding area in their tank and always put the food in the same place. I had a flat piece of slate an put a small, shallow dish (upturned lid of a jar) on the slate, and used the dish to hold the pellets, bloodworms, etc. I could fill their feeding bowl while they hid, then they would come out to feed when they felt safe. It didn't take long for them to get used to hands in the tank delivering food.
I've not used automatic feeders though, so can't comment on them.
Best of luck and please keep us posted.

 

[Axolotlwoo]

My axolotl will happily eat from my hands and will 'bite' my fingers, doesn't hurt as they don't have teeth... she will even climb on my hands and sit there its really cute! I just make sure my hands are safe and clean then I hold food in front of her face and then she will take it :grin:

 

[WalkingFish]

Hello from Olympia! I just wanted to touch on the black sand and how hard it will be to find and clean up the left over pellets. In my experience pellet food produces the most waste and should not be left in the tank for any extended time. Specifically only leave pellets in the feeding area tell they are finished then immediately remove them once the axolotls have swam away from the food. That's why I wouldn't recommend an automatic feeder but they do exist. Since this is just a part time food I'm sure you can make it work. I prefer earth worms because they are filling, nutritious, easy to feed, and don't make any mess. I hope this helps!

 

[IWishIWasAFish]

Yes, leftover pellets are no good! I found a large and spiky bottom feeding fish which is living happily with my axolotls and acting as clean-up crew. I also have an assortment of guppies and white cloud tetras as live food which clean up the tank as well, occasionally becoming an extra dinner in the process. It's become a mass of greenery in the last year. I also bought a freshwater clam to clean the water. With 2 axolotls in 30 gallons and all that support the water quality stays fabulous with very little water changes needed.

 

[rhotle]

My method is scooping a clean mason jar into the tank, and placing a cube of frozen brine shrimp, etc. inside to defrost in the jar. As it melts it sinks to the bottom. Then I carefully place it on its side on the sand.

If I do hand feed they will sit in my hand. At first, I think they're just snooping around for more food, but after that they seem content just to sit in my palm. They will not let my grab/touch them however. They must make the first move. I don't do it often (scared to harm their slime coat, etc), but I think its really cute!

 

[shadowfox306]

I usually cut a worm in half and drop it in a small reptile feeding dish in the tank. My axolotl also likes to lounge in it so it's multipurpose.