Month: April 2021

Categories
Feeding

The Axolotl Feeding Process

I was feeding my Axolotl Undyne for the first time. Most Axolotls eat meat like different types of shrimp, worms, etc. They can also have raw meat such as beef, but it’s not recommended because of preservatives. Occasionally they eat pellets, but they are not recommended as an only food source because they are missing a lot of nutrients they need. They can also eat cat food, but I would never do that to my Axolotl.  

Be Careful Where it Come From…

I was only feeding my Axolotl earthworms at first because I was nervous to introduce anything else. I was even careful about where I got my worms from. You can get them right from your backyard… but if you use or know someone that uses fertilizers and pesticides, I wouldn’t use the ones from outside. Wild worms ingest whatever is in the ground, so if someone puts something in the ground, the worms most likely have it in their systems. This could cause your Axolotl to become very sick. You can get worms from bait shops or pet stores. Either will be fine for your Axolotl. 

My axolotl eating a worm : axolotls

How Axolotls Eat

Another thing to be aware of: Axolotls are extremely slow physically and mentally. So when feeding your Axolotl you will have to put most of their food right in front of their face or they’ll never find it. They also consume their food by sucking it in whole like a whale. They have teeth, but not for shredding their food. The only purpose of their teeth is to grab and hold the food while they swallow. So if your Axolotl manages to catch your hand it won’t hurt, but you may have to pry them off. 

The Why

Since Axolotls are slow, they take longer to digest food, which means you can’t feed them every day. They eat every two-three days, but this doesn’t stop them from begging. They’ll watch and follow you, hoping for more food. Much like dogs, they eat until they physically can’t anymore or until they throw up. Even if your little guy is full, they will continue trying to eat. Have you ever seen a dog eat until it pukes? Like dogs, Axolotls don’t always register that they’re full. Usually, it ends with them spitting it back out and you fishing for worms in your tank. When feeding my Axolotl for the first time, I used a turkey baster to shoot the food into her mouth. Having to clean the turkey baster every time I used it started to get annoying (my mom also wasn’t happy I took her turkey baster). Eventually, I switched to prongs, but the ends can’t be sharp, or they could hurt themselves because once again, they are slow creatures.

I was going to include a video of an axolotl eating but found this instead. I just wrote a separate post about the incorrect care for goldfish and other species. THIS VIDEO JUST MADE ME SO MAD. The tank is disgusting and they have goldfish in the tank as well (which is absolutely a no-go). Goldfish will nip at the axolotl’s gills and goldfish release a chemical that is not good for axolotls (that’s why the axolotl’s gills aren’t fluffy). The axolotl will also attack them thinking they’re food. Notice how the person turned comments off. SMH.
Categories
Axolotl

New Axolotl

All pet owners make mistakes. Assuming you are a pet owner, have you made a mistake? I will be sharing my experience with my axolotl, which I have made countless mistakes with over the last two years.

I decided I wanted a “water lizard” after watching Taylor Nicole Dean‘s YouTube videos. She has lots of different animals. Her content consists of posting videos about all her different pets and their care. She posted a video about basic care a axolotl needs. I instantly fell in love. They were cool, easy, and fun. Little did I know they definitely are a lot of work. A few weeks later, I purchased a 10-gallon tank, bag of sand, filter, and some fake plants. I asked my grandfather to cut and sand off PVC pipes (Taylor said they really like them). I went to a few tropical fish stores, but axolotls are kinda hard to find since they are more on the rare end of the spectrum. A local tropical fish store eventually told me they could order one.

The Axolotl Arrives

A couple of days later, my mom picked up my new friend. She (I didn’t know she was a she for the first few months) was so cute! She was about the size of my pinky, and because she was albino, I could actually see through her. All of her organs were visible and tiny. 

My first mistake would be placing the sand. If you are not an aquarium enthusiast you have no idea how difficult sand is (at the time I was not). The bag said to fill with water and let drain multiple times, which was an absolute mess. I spilled it everywhere getting dust, and sand all over the bathtub. Most people recommend putting the sand in a bucket, stirring it with your hand, and letting the sand settle at the bottom. Then repeating the process until the dust is out of the sand. 

I then made my second mistake. I put the sand in the tank, added my decorations, filled it with cold water, added the measured amount of conditioner, and turned the filter on. A few seconds later, I heard a large grinding sound, and the filter stopped working. Of course, I was uninformed that you’re supposed to let the sand settle to the bottom before turning on the filter. Within seconds I had broken my brand new filter. I put the bag containing my new friend in the water to acclimate while the sand settled. About an hour later, I let my axolotl out of the bag and watched her majestically swim around, checking everything out.

First picture of Undyne