As their name indicates, butterworms are high in fat. Axolotls can’t really thrive on high-fat foods so you need to keep those at a minimum. It is only acceptable for axolotl babies to eat fatty worms more often. Unfortunately, many people don’t know this and it can easily result in liver problems for their pets.
Axolotls can barely see, so they are not picky at all. If there were some small rocks in your aquarium, they would eat those too. Therefore, it solely depends on your decision making whether they have a healthy diet or not.
In the pet store, there is a wide range of worms to choose from. This is why it is important to know which one provides good nutritional value for your axolotl. It is okay to buy some butterworms and feed them to your axolotl as a treat but not too often.
In this article, we are going to give you an in-depth explanation about how butterworms fit into the typical axolotl diet.
Are Butterworms Toxic to Axolotls?
If you buy butterworms from a reputed source, they are not going to be toxic to your pet at all. A clean and healthy worm doesn’t contain anything harmful in its system. The only way butterworms can be toxic if you buy the ones that are caught in the wild.
There is a high chance that those contain pesticides or other harmful chemicals. If eaten, those can cause various health problems to your axolotl.
How Often to Feed Butterworms to Axolotls?
Since axolotls have a hard time digesting high-fat food, you should only feed them butterworms a couple of times a month. You might find some cheap butterworms at the pet shop, in which case it might seem like a great idea to feed them to your pets every day.
However, they simply can’t fit into a balanced axolotl diet. You can only keep it balanced by feeding it to them occasionally. There are plenty of other worms that can be super healthy for your axolotl. Just go for the high-protein and low-fat ones and your salamander is going to be fine.
How to Feed Your Axolotl with Butterworms?
When feeding your axolotl, it all comes down to size. How big is the chunk of meat you want to feed to your axolotl compared to his size? Can it easily fit in his mouth? If it can barely fit, then you should chop it into smaller pieces.
After all, the worm doesn’t have to move, it just has to be fresh and clean. This minimizes the chance that your axolotl will choke on it or other digestive problems. Now, of course, cutting a butterworm into smaller pieces is not the prettiest thing to do.
It is absolutely disgusting but for your axolotl, it is just food. And remember, you are helping a lot because your pet is going to suck it in easily. There are also smaller butterworms that fit in their mouth as a whole. This also depends on whether your axolotl is a juvenile or an adult.
Can Baby Axolotls Eat Butterworms?
As we mentioned, axolotl babies also need fats besides the protein content. In butterworms, there is not only a lot of protein but fat and calcium as well. All these nutrients help the baby axolotl grow faster while keeping it in good health.
Therefore, butterworms are an absolute energy bomb for baby axolotls. However, it is still not the type of food you should feed them all the time. For babies, the recommended portion is one worm per week.
Why Do My Axolotls Spit Out the Butterworm?
There can be multiple reasons why your axolotl spits out a butterworm. Firstly, it has to be small enough so that your pet can easily suck it in and swallow it immediately. If it is bigger, it might get stuck. That is when your axolotl will either start choking or spit it out to ease himself.
This is why you need to make sure the worm is small enough compared to the size of your axolotl. If this is not the case, chop it up into 2-3 pieces. Now the other reason why he might not want to eat it is because of its taste.
Although they are nutritious, butterworms don’t necessarily taste great. Your axolotl might spit it out if he is not used to that taste.
What Other Worms Can Axolotls Eat?
There is a wide range of worms that axolotls can eat but now we are only going to mention the healthiest ones for them. When you go to the pet shop, it is always a good idea to buy bloodworms, earthworms (red wigglers), blackworms and nightcrawler worms.
By rotating between these and offering occasional treats, you can provide a pretty balanced diet for your pet. These worms are easy for them to digest, small enough to swallow and full of animal protein. They contain everything that provides axolotls with energy and good health.
Wrapping Up
As it turns out, it is actually a pretty good idea to offer your axolotl some butterworms. However, you need to know how often you need to feed them with these worms. It is also important to know how to prepare a butterworm.
It is all about making it easier for your axolotl to eat the food. If it’s too big, chop it up. If it has an exoskeleton on it, wait until the worm gets rid of it. And if the worm bites, crush its head. It’s as simple as that. As long as you follow these rules, you are going to hugely contribute to the healthy diet of your pet.
Giving baby axolotls butterworms is a great strategy if you want them to grow faster. The reason why you need to learn more about axolotl treats is because there are always specifics. You can’t feed it to them all the time because it is not completely healthy.
Hopefully, this article gave you some insight into the benefits and downsides of feeding butterworms to your axolotl.
