If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, then you know that I always promote that you keep a variety in your axolotl’s diet. It’s essential for them getting the right nutrients and enough nutrients to keep them healthy and let them grow nicely.
One thing that many people ask is what types of foods axolotls can eat. If you live in an area where there is no pet shop nearby, then you might be looking for ways to feed your axolotl with foods that you can find nearby.
One of the more common question is whether axolotls can eat cockroaches?
Yes, cockroaches can be a great food for axolotls. While not many people have tried it yet, cockroaches are a very popular food for salamanders and consequently, they make for a great food type for axolotls, too.
Plus, cockroaches are sometimes easily accessible around your home, and they are also full of nutrients that your axolotl will adore. But make sure you only pick clean and vetted cockroaches that are free of diseases.
In this article, I’ll answer everything you need to know about axolotls eating cockroaches and many other things regarding their diet.
How to Feed Your Axolotls Cockroaches?
Primarily, it doesn’t really matter if you feed them live cockroaches or dead ones, because axolotls will actively try to hunt on the cockroaches, even if you feed them while they’re still alive.
Personally, I would recommend to you that you feed the axolotls smaller cockroaches – preferably baby roaches. That mainly has to do with the size of the cockroaches.
Because adult roaches can be quite big, they might not even fit into the mouth of an axolotl.
That’s why it makes sense to feed them smaller, baby roaches instead.
Then again, you will do well to feed cockroaches to axolotls only every once in a while. You can aim to feed them a cockroach or two every week or even every two weeks, but you should still try to keep a variety in their diet.
How Many Cockroaches Should an Axolotl Eat?
Again, it mainly depends on the size of the cockroach and the size of your axolotl. If you have a large cockroach and your axolotl is an adult one, then you can feed them 1-2 roaches once or twice a week.
If you feed them smaller cockroaches, then it’s better to feed 3-4 smaller roaches once or twice a week, or you can spread them in between other meals and blend them in.
Again, I will stress the importance of having a diverse diet for your axolotl. By no means you should feed them cockroaches only.
Instead, try to keep a healthy balance of other foods and nutrients that you give to your axolotl. This will keep them healthy and also happier, and they will get other types of nutrients as well.
The truth is that axolotls like a wide variety of foods, which actually goes well in your favor. That means that you can try with different types of foods and see what your axolotl likes the most.
That being said, axolotls will most likely like cockroaches very much since they are considered to be one of the best foods for salamanders.
What Other Bugs Can Axolotls Eat?
Axolotls like to eat a variety of foods. Their diet should, by no means, be restricted to just one type of food.
As for other bugs they like to eat, you’ll find that they like to eat insects, crustaceans, worms, fish, larvae, and mollusks.
Crickets can also be fed to axolotls, and you can try to feed other smaller bugs to your axolotls, as long as the bug is not a harmful one.
In captivity, axolotls will like to eat various foods, but over the years and decades of their development as a species, axolotls have adapted to eat a variety of different live foods.
Nightcrawlers, blackworms, daphnia, as well as raw beef meat or chicken meat can be considered.
Supplement these foods with pellets or flakes and your axolotl will stay healthy and happy for a long time.
Can Axolotls Eat Dubia Roaches?
Dubia roaches are sometimes also called tropical spotted roaches because of their appearance. They are sometimes found in pet shops as foods for other animals.
Dubia roaches are often even bred and grown in captivity, so they are fully vetted and are raised in such a way that they give as many nutrients as possible.
This makes them a popular choice for being a food for different home animals. Yes, axolotls will also eat dubia roaches. In fact, as we’ve already mentioned, axolotls will likely eat all types of bugs as long as they can catch them on their own.
And dubia bugs would actually be a good choice since they are full of good nutrients for your axolotl, especially protein. And that makes them a great choice to either supplement to the axolotl diet, or have them as a main part of their diets.
How to Catch Cockroaches for Your Axolotl?
As I’ve already said, many people ask whether you can feed them cockroaches that they can catch around their home.
And I will stress this again: I would not recommend that you feed axolotls the cockroaches that you catch on your own.
That’s because the cockroaches you find around your home might carry different diseases with them and might poison your axolotl. That’s why it’s better to buy cockroaches from proven sources such as pet shops.
Sometimes, you’ll also find cockroaches being sold online. That can be a decent choice, but choose from a shop that’s relatively close to you.
Conclusion
Cockroaches can be fed to axolotls. They are a popular food for salamanders, which means axolotls are very likely to like this type of food, too.
It’s better to feed them cockroaches that you buy in a pet store or online rather than feeding them roaches you catch on your own. These can transmit diseases and kill your axolotl.
