Axolotls can definitely eat wax worms but they can’t eat it all the time. It is the type of axolotl food that should rather be considered as a treat. The digestive system of these salamanders simply can’t deal with the amount of fat there is in wax worm.
At least they can’t deal with it if you feed it to them all the time but they are more than happy to eat it every now and then. If you would feed wax worms to them every day, it would cause plenty of damage to their liver, causing serious health problems.
As you might suppose, axolotls have very specific needs when it comes to diet. They are carnivores who need plenty of protein. Not only that, but they also have a specific category of proteins they can digest. Based on their eating habits, let’s see how can wax worms fit into the diet of these salamanders.
Are Wax Worms Toxic to Axolotls?
Wax worms are not toxic, they are just unhealthy for your axolotl in big amounts. When you buy them at the pet shop, make sure to check out the package. Look for details that show where the worms come from. If there is no such description, ask the seller before buying it.
Feeding your salamander wax worms caught out in the wild is a pretty bad idea. They can collect harmful chemicals and pesticides out there, which will get in the digestive system of your pet. There is really nothing toxic in wax worms but they can cause significant nutritional imbalance if fed to axolotls frequently.
If you want to find the ideal food for your salamander, then look for those meat-based foods that contain low fat.
How to Feed Wax Worms to Your Axolotls?
Before you feed your axolotl, you need to check whether the food you give him fits in his mouth conveniently. If not, you will need to chop it up into smaller pieces. This is no different when you feed him wax worms.
By matching the size of the worm to your salamander, you can make sure that he is going to eat it with ease. They have very few teeth and even those are not very sharp nor strong. Therefore, they swallow everything as a whole.
Axolotls can suck in anything that is in front of them in no time. The problem is that they are willing to suck in bigger wax worms as well. Then, they either spit it out or swallow it and struggle with the digestion. Either way, food size is something you should always take into account.
How Often can Axolotls Eat Wax Worms?
In order to feed a healthy amount of wax worms to your axolotl, you should give it to him twice a month. This will make sure that his digestion is not going to be messed up at all. Axolotls enjoy eating junk food just like us and can definitely deal with a couple bites occasionally.
From a single wax worm, they can absorb a relatively small amount of proteins compared to fat. It is going to be the equivalent of us humans eating junk food on a cheat day. Not healthy on the long term but something you can spice up your diet with.
For axolotl babies, it is not only optional but recommended to feed wax worms. Foods with high fat ratio can be incredibly resourceful for a growing salamander. While an adult axolotl can eat it twice a month, a juvenile should eat a full wax worm once a week.
This might not seem much but if you look at the numbers, that is plenty of fat for growth.
Can Baby Axolotls Eat Wax Worms?
Fortunately, wax worms are not unhealthy for all axolotls. If your salamanders are still young and growing, it is actually a good idea to feed them these worms. Thanks to the high protein and fat content, they are going to grow faster and turn into adults before you know it.
Keep in mind that you can only give wax worms for them once a week. After all, it still contains a lot of fat so it would not be a good idea to feed it to them every single day. These worms contain almost 62% fat and only 16% protein. There are many other foods with a much better ratio.
This should not discourage you from surprising your salamanders with wax worms every now and then but it is better to keep it at that.
What are the Best Worms for Axolotls?
The best worms to feed to your axolotl are earthworms, bloodworms and blackworms. These are highly nutritious and come with just the right amount of protein fat ratio. All axolotls can eat full-grown bloodworms and blackworms as a whole.
However, earthworms are a bit too big for juveniles. The rule of thumb is to feed your young salamander with earthworms that are 1cm long or shorter. It is not recommended to feed this type of worm to them if their legs haven’t formed yet.
As they grow and become adults, you can try to feed them earthworms without chopping them up. At this point, you will get comfortable with matching foods to the size of your axolotl.
Wrapping Up
Wax worms, as their name indicates, contain a lot of fat. This is not a problem as long as you only surprise your axolotl with a couple of these worms every month. Offering more would put the digestive system of your salamander in risk.
Unfortunately, their digestive system is not designed to process this much fat. Therefore, this treat can’t be given to your axolotl as often. Nevertheless, these worms are not toxic so that is not something you should be afraid of.
Wax worms are also the ideal source of nutrition for a growing axolotl. While it is not so good to feed them to adults, the ones that are still growing will go way faster by eating it.
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Updated: August 29, 2022
