Diet
Axolotls eat any meat like worms or small pieces of beef but when a hand-fed axolotl becomes used to people, it may sometimes bite a finger. You can feel the teeth but does not have enough strength to pierce human skin.
If you would like an axolotl to live longer feed them a diet of molluscs, worms, insect larvae, crustaceans and some small fish.
Axolotls will eat live or dead food. The movement of live food like a worm is a great encouragement for the axolotl to "snap", and yes, 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). Even better, 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.
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.
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 and they are commonly and conveniently available in aquarium shops. Wild caught, they can pose the same disease problems asTubifex, so again, get them from fish-free waters.
Whiteworms, and the closely related Grindal worms, are commonly used to feed young aquatic 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.
If you would like an axolotl to live longer feed them a diet of molluscs, worms, insect larvae, crustaceans and some small fish.
Axolotls will eat live or dead food. The movement of live food like a worm is a great encouragement for the axolotl to "snap", and yes, 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). Even better, 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.
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.
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 and they are commonly and conveniently available in aquarium shops. Wild caught, they can pose the same disease problems asTubifex, so again, get them from fish-free waters.
Whiteworms, and the closely related Grindal worms, are commonly used to feed young aquatic 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.