If you are tired of aquarium fish and want to get something exotic. you should definitely consider an axolotl as a new pet. Of course, its maintenance is not easy, but the emotions from watching this interesting amphibian will more than compensate for all the difficulties. Today, we will tell you how to feed axolotls so that they live long and happily.
Axolotl is a larva
An axolotl is a larva. Yes, you heard right. It is the larva of a Mexican salamander, an amphibian that looks like a salamander. The main feature of the axolotl is its ability to reproduce without becoming an adult. Scientists call this phenomenon neoteny. Unlike individuals who have undergone metamorphosis, axolotls lead a completely aquatic lifestyle and have a characteristic feature – external gills- absent in adult salamanders. This feature and a wide mouth slit with a characteristic “smile” have become the main reason for the popularity of these amphibians because the animals look very cute.
Axolotls appearance
Axolotls are large pets. They can grow up to 30 cm long in suitable conditions, requiring a spacious aquarium of at least 50 liters per individual. The main difficulty axolotl owners face is maintaining a comfortable temperature of 14-20 °. For this, special aquarium refrigerators or an air cooling system are used.
Despite their friendly appearance, axolotls are real predators. Not everyone gets used to high-quality dry food at home, so you must be prepared to use other varieties in the amphibian’s menu.
Types of feed
All axolotl food can be divided into three large groups: live, frozen, and dry.
- The first group includes numerous aquatic organisms and is as close as possible to the natural diet of amphibians. For example, the most popular is live bloodworms. This also includes feed insects (crickets, cockroaches, grasshoppers, etc.), fish fry (guppies, for example), live shrimp, and even earthworms. The main disadvantages of live food are its imbalance, inconvenience of storage, and, in most cases, the need for additional preparation before feeding. Live food often becomes a source of infection in the aquarium. One advantage is the rapid growth of animals because such food includes a lot of protein.
- The second group is frozen food. This includes the same invertebrates, only deep-frozen, which kills most pathogenic bacteria. Unfortunately, frozen food spoils quickly when defrosted, which can lead to poisoning of axolotls. Therefore, it should be transported only according to the rules, preferably in a thermal bag. Frozen food also includes fish and seafood, which are often used to feed “water dragons.” They must be given raw (if frozen, defrosted).
- we came to the third group: dry food. In terms of nutritional value and completeness of the diet, dry food is the best choice, as it contains all the important macro- and microelements, vitamins, and functional additives. Such food is easy to use and does not require the creation of specific storage conditions. Unfortunately, many axolotls do not accept dry food, but some can be trained to.
What and how many times to feed axolotls
The basis of the axolotl diet at home, despite all the disadvantages, is live or frozen food. Rare specimens get used to taking high-quality dry food, in which case the feeding task is greatly simplified.
Among the products that can be used to feed an axolotl, the following can be highlighted:
- Lean sea fish (cod, hake).
- Seafood – octopus, squid, mussels.
- Frozen shrimp without shell.
- Live or frozen large bloodworms.
- Juvenile small fish.
- Tubifex or earthworms (require mandatory treatment!).
Axolotls feeding
Axolotls, especially young ones, are very voracious, so it is important to follow feeding standards to avoid overfeeding, which can cause serious gastrointestinal diseases. Until your “little dragons” reach a size of about 15 cm, they need to be fed daily. Individuals that have exceeded 15 cm in size are usually fed every other day, and adult sexually mature axolotls even less often – once every 3-4 days. Do not be alarmed that your pets eat so often and little.
It is not difficult to calculate the daily feeding rate of axolotls. The portion should be ½ the size of the amphibian’s head (maximum – the size of the head). Make sure that the food piece can fit in the axolotl’s mouth. They swallow food whole and do not chew it. Too large pieces can damage the amphibian’s intestines.
What does the axolotl eat?
One of the features of axolotls is that they react only to moving prey. So frozen food is fed by hand or tweezers, creating vibrations near the little dragon’s muzzle. Over time, amphibians learn to find food by smell.
Fish and seafood do not require additional heat treatment and are served raw. They must first be defrosted and cleaned. Feed insects should not have large and hard parts, so heads and legs should be torn off before feeding. If you are lucky and your pet accepts dry food, pay attention to Tetra ReptoFrog Granules. It is rich in proteins for optimal growth and has the form of granules easily swallowed by amphibians. Please note that some products are strictly contraindicated for axolotls.
These include meat from warm-blooded animals (chicken, beef, etc.), vegetables and fruits, maggots (with sharp mouth hooks that can damage the delicate mucous membranes of your pet’s gastrointestinal tract), river and fatty sea fish, and spiders and flies.
If the axolotl does not eat some of the food, it must be removed from the aquarium to prevent the deterioration of the water quality.
Be sure to monitor how your axolotls eat. If they refuse food, spit it out, or their abdomen quickly thickens, this is a reason to suspect something is wrong.
How to feed young axolotls
The development of axolotl eggs takes 14-16 days, after which several centimeters in size are born. They have small gills but completely lack legs. The young need to be fed intensively; otherwise, they will develop poorly. Starter food is infusoria and “live dust.” As they grow, you can introduce daphnia and cyclops. Then, you should switch to small bloodworms and later to regular food designed for adults.
