# new axolotl owner; meal worms?



## Megban (Feb 1, 2012)

we baught three beautifull axolotls yesterday we did our research, but the pet shop employees recomended meal worms and said thats what they gave them, so thats what we baught (the axolotl's are about 4 to 5 inches long) when we came down this morning there were two large whole meal worms in the bottom of the tank, we hadnt fed them yet as we were told to feed them every three days. So im guessing meal worms is not a good choice of food what would be the best and most readily available food to give them? im from wolverhampton incase that matters with the pet shops that are available to me. thankyou


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## sharpstrain (May 24, 2008)

earth worms are great for axies


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## Megban (Feb 1, 2012)

thanks can you get them from pet shops though cuz i heard you have to get them from a safe source as they can carry dizeases, and what other things are good for them cuz i want to give them a healthy varied diet


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## sharpstrain (May 24, 2008)

you can get them from ebay -put it in the search engines - I have always found it a good idea to source my food supply before getting the animal that way you arent left without sufficient food.


The following is from 
Axolotls: The Fascinating Mexican Axolotl and the Tiger Salamander

the best axolotl information on the net


Axolotls are carnivores, implying they require a meat-based diet. They have rather rudimentary teeth, designed for gripping rather than biting or tearing. As a result, their food is generally swallowed whole, so anything they want to eat must fit into their mouths. When a hand-fed axolotl becomes accustomed to people, it may occasionally latch onto a finger. You can feel these little teeth quite distinctly. This is a curious experience, rather than a painful one, because the axolotl hasn't the strength to pierce human skin, so don't be afraid to try it. The Axolotl's teeth come into their own when trying to grip something slippery like an earthworm. The worm will wriggle but it will find it very difficult to escape the Axolotl's mouth. If the worm is too large to swallow completely, the Axolotl will eventually give up and let go. Large food is a problem when you don't have biting teeth! 
While reading this page, you may find the Health Page worth a look too. It covers some of the dangers of live foods, as well as touching on some nutritional problems. Live "feeder fish" in particular are known to carry disease and are often infected with parasites. These are passed on to whatever eats the fish, and in our case that's our poor axolotl. 
The name "_Ambystoma_" means cup-mouth, and axolotls do have large, wide mouths. When an axolotl wants to eat something, it opens its mouth suddenly and water rushes in, along with the food or anything else around (such as parts of other axolotls, or pieces of gravel). This vacuum action often results in a sudden lurch of the axolotl up into the water and then the animal settles down again. 
Axolotls will eat live or dead food. The movement of live food like a worm is a great stimulus for the axolotl to "snap", and indeed, for newly hatched axolotls movement is the only stimulus to which they will respond. Earthworms are a good food source for adult axolotls, but be sure to get them from a source that doesn't use chemicals (such as an organic garden). Better still, raise them yourself if you have the space. 
Water-based live foods can be risky because they can be a source of disease. However, if taken from fish-free waters, they tend to be a lot safer (no hosts for the parasites usually means no parasites). _Tubifex_, although a good food, is not nutritionally balanced for axolotls, and _Tubifex_ can also carry parasites, dangerous bacteria, and other diseases. There are also reports that _Tubifex_ attack salamander eggs. _Tubifex_ are often mistakenly called bloodworms in the US, and shouldn't be confused with the true bloodworms, the larvae of chironomid midges. Freeze-dried and frozen _Tubifex_ are safer than live, although freeze-dried isn't very nutritious. 








Obviously not a bloodworm, but this Ghost Midge larva 
would make an excellent meal for advanced larvae​
Bloodworms are midge larvae, and not worms. They get their name from their bright red colouration. They live in the sediments of ponds, where they feed on detritus. They are a very nutritious and well balanced food, but get them from fish-free waters. I find frozen bloodworm cubes indispensable when raising young axolotls, and I heartily recommend them. 
Blackworms, genus _Lumbriculus_, are an aquatic relative of earthworms. They are much thinner and smaller than earthworms, and they are a dark brown colour. They have a similarly high nutritional value to that of earthworms, making them a very good choice from that point of view. They can be cultured in captivity, but, at least in the USA, they are commonly and conveniently available in aquarium shops. Wild caught, they can pose the same disease problems as _Tubifex_, so again, get them from fish-free waters.








A mass of whiteworms, _Enchytraea_, in an aquarium​
Whiteworms, and the closely related Grindal worms, are commonly used to feed juvenile animals. They're a good food source, but they tend to be rather fatty and oily, perhaps because people often feed them with milk-soaked bread. Bloodworms and blackworms can be fed as a staple, provided that there is a little variety occasionally to offset any imbalance, while whiteworms and grindal worms should be used as a treat or a temporary rearing food. 








A specimen of _Daphnia magna_​
Foods like _Daphnia_ are a good staple, being as nutritionally balanced as brineshrimp. Wild-caught, these still pose a risk of disease. Home-cultured _Daphnia_, on the other hand, are a great source of food for larval axolotls. _Daphnia_ also make a good treat for axolotls up to 18 cm long (7 inches). Larger axolotls tend not to notice _Daphnia_. They are also an inexpensive food if home-cultured. 








5 mm soft salmon diet pellets, a perfect staple food for adult axolotls​
The Indiana University Axolotl Colony, when it still existed, fed its axolotls with high protein and vitamin fortified pellets designed for salmon (5 mm diameter for adults, 3 mm for younger axolotls). The pellets are 45% protein and 20% fat. Following their lead, I tried feeding my axolotls with locally available trout pellets (46% protein, 16% oil). Whether these are pigmented or unpigmented doesn't seem to matter. I found that the axolotls didn't like the hard variant of pellet so make sure your pellets are soft (like those used by the Axolotl Colony).
I used to feed axolotls with pieces of beef heart cut into very small strips (0.5 cm wide and about a centimetre long). I've come to believe that beef heart is not a good food for axolotls, despite the widespread documentation of its use. The last time I checked, axolotls do not prey on cows in the wild...
I've used Tetra's floating food for turtles and newts, Reptomin. It comes in small sticks. The only problem with these is that they float, and axolotls are less inclined to take floating food than sinking food. Of the four axolotls that I tried with Reptomin, I could only train two to eat directly from the surface on a regular basis. The rest would only do so occasionally. I therefore had to hand feed them Reptomin, and although it's fun initially, it does take a while, hence my switch to pellets. 
I have used soft sinking salmon feed pellets and I've found them to be well received by the axolotls. These pellets are soft, moist, and retain their shape for a long time. 
I've fed mealworms to my axolotls, but the chitin (the protein that makes up the hard exoskeleton in insects) is undigestible to the axolotls. Even though I didn't feed many, the filter in-take actually started to clog with little pieces of chitin and I was still picking bits of chitin out of the filter media months afterwards. Apart from this little inconvenience, they're not a complete food, so I would only recommend them as a treat. 
Brineshrimp are highly nitritious, perhaps more so than any other commonly available food. They provide all of the nutrition needed by axolotls. However, frozen brineshrimp is very messy, and even in live form they are tricky if not eaten quickly - the naupilae, or newly-hatched larvae, tend to die very quickly in freshwater and can foul the water very easily. Frozen brine shrimp comes in cubes and is a good treat. Be sure to remove any waste soon after feeding. 
Some people use microworms for feeding newly-hatched larvae, and for this purpose they are suitable, if not the most nutritious, of foods. It's conceivable that people could use vinegar eels for this purpose too.
One thing to bear in mind when feeding axolotls is that they need high quality foods with low oil and fat contents. They may develop liver problems if constantly fed on foods with a high oil content (_Tubifex_ and whiteworms are a good example). 
Finally, make sure what you're feeding is balanced in terms of protein and vitamin content. It's no use feeding a high protein food if the Axolotl is not getting enough of one vitamin or another.


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## Megban (Feb 1, 2012)

thanks very much, i did look at that site i was just wondering if there was anything else axolotl owners like to use, we did think we had the food sorted with the meal worms but they dont seem much use il just order some earth worms and some brine shrimp then. thanks again


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## sharpstrain (May 24, 2008)

If you have large axies they wont touch the brine shrimp

you can try mussles from the supermarket but they do like things that wiggle


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## Megban (Feb 1, 2012)

ok il leave the shrimp what about crickets would the shells be to hard?


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## sharpstrain (May 24, 2008)

Megban said:


> ok il leave the shrimp what about crickets would the shells be to hard?


they wont take them - the crix will float


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## Megban (Feb 1, 2012)

ahh ok iv got some good ideas now thanks


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## samurai (Sep 9, 2009)

I used to use trout pellets, earthworms, frozen fish food blocks eg blood worm and reptomin pellets for mine


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## Megban (Feb 1, 2012)

thankyou


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## zoezakella (May 1, 2011)

An axolotls staple diet should be earthworms  If you can source them in your garden this is the easiest way (as long as no chemicals are used) or as the other member said Ebay or you can try a bait shop!

Along with worms you can vary the diet with axolotl pellets (again ebay) and defrosted bloodworm. I personally avoid bloodworm it makes a right mess in the tank and fouls the water very quickly and then you have the job of having to siphon out any uneaten ones!!

Axies enjoy being hand fed worms or hunting them down!

As for mealworms these are nutritionally incomplete, too fatty and hard to digest so not a good food choice!

Stick with worms and you cant go wrong, your axie will thank you :2thumb:


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## Pavlor (Aug 22, 2010)

sharpstrain said:


> they wont take them - the crix will float


My axolotl, Mokty, eats just about anything you put in front of his face. He'a a 30cm leuc and I've had him for about 4 years now. He has a varied diet, but earthworms seem to be the best. I feed him salmon, gutloaded crickets and pinkies as well. He just seems to wolf anything and everything down.


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## Paul B (Apr 16, 2008)

defrosted frozen blood worms for littluns and bigguns.
small earth worms 
occasional pinkie mouse for adults

Dont bother with crickets as they will float and foul the water.
Live blood worms can carry bacteria and disease.


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## Megban (Feb 1, 2012)

Thanks guys they love the earth worms and also love the blood worms settled in nicely seem happy in their new home


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