Can Axolotls Eat Crickets?

Can Axolotls Eat Crickets 1

Yes, they can eat crickets of any form ranging from a live cricket to a freeze-dried one and a frozen one. Axolotls eat crickets not minding the source whether it is from a local pet shop or your garden as crickets are easy to come by and besides your axolotls are cricket lovers.

Can Baby Axolotls Eat Crickets?

Yes, they can but it should be fed to them moderately. Pour the crickets into a small container with water and then pour the water drop by drop with a cricket moving with a drop of water.

How Many Crickets Should I Feed To My Axolotls?

Remember when it comes to your Axolotls, everything you give to them should be in moderate proportion not minding their love for it as their food takes time to digest and this might lead to impaction if fed in excess.

Crickets are nutritious and they should not be given to your pet daily as they might get obese in conjunction with other foods so they should be fed as a treat to them occasionally. Since it is a treat, you should feed them with two crickets per week.

Can My Axolotls Feed On  Freeze Dried Crickets?

Yes, they love to feed on freeze-dried crickets as well as live ones but it all depends on what your foster parent prefers. However, the freeze-dried one is safe as most pet shops do not sell live crickets but the freeze-dried ones would have gone through the process of purification unlike the live ones that might have contacted pesticide, herbicide, and insecticide on their body and this might be dangerous to the health of your pet as it is poisonous to them.

Most Axolotls keepers love to feed their pets with live ones as it always excites their pets to hunt them down while they are flying around in the aquarium but it could be dangerous to their health depending on the source. 

Can My Axolotls Catch Crickets?

Yes, they can. I know you might be wondering how that is possible as crickets are known to fly, crawl or hop as axolotls eat food that swims or sink. However, it is still possible as axolotls rely on the movement of their food to trigger the eating behavior and the movement of the crickets on the surface of the water will trigger their hunting and feeding behavior though it might take much more time than necessary to hunt down their prey which they will eventually do after lots of practice and patience.

An axolotl keeper shared his axolotls catching cricket experience with me on how his pet’s effort on catching its prey proved abortive and he had to help his pet in catching the cricket with steel tongs and lowering it close to its pet for it hunts down its prey. You can also adopt this system if your pet is having issues catching its prey.

Do Axolotls Feed On Crickets In The Wild?

No, they do not because they are loaded with different food in the wild, besides, they can only find live crickets in the wild. However, if a cricket fumbles in front of them and they can grab it with their teeth, they will eat it. 

How Should I Feed Crickets To My Axolotls?

Feeding crickets to your axolotls is easy, but you must purchase it from a reputable source as it must be free of poisonous substances. If you are feeding your pet freeze-dried crickets, you can dip them into a bowl of water to rinse them before giving them to your pet

And if it is a live one, you can save your pet the stress of hunting down the crickets by using steel tongs to hold them close to your pet for feeding and if you want them to enjoy the moment of hunting down their prey, make sure to stick around to help your pet when needed.

One important thing to note before feeding your pet with crickets is to feed them in the correct size to prevent choking as they can only swallow because their teeth are not structured for chewing.

Can  My Axolotls Eat All Sizes OF Crickets?

No, your pet cannot eat all sizes of crickets as the size of crickets to feed your pet depends on the size of your axolotl to prevent them from choking on the cricket. The size of cricket you give to your baby pet is gouging to be different from the one you give to your adult pet as most baby pets are less than one-half inch long and grow to 6 inches long at the age of 6 months and grow to 9 to 18 inch long at the age of 24 months.

You should get your crickets at the pet store if you are not good with the measurement as there are about 7 popular sizes of crickets sold in the pet store and these are highlighted below based on cricket care measurement

  • Pinhead crickets are 1/16 inches long
  • Week-old crickets are 3/16 inches  long
  • Two weeks old crickets are ¼ inches long
  • Three weeks old crickets are  ⅜ inches long
  • Four weeks old crickets are  ½ inches  long
  • Five weeks old crickets are ¾ inches long
  • Six weeks old crickets are 1 inch long or more.

How Much Nutrient Will Crickets Supply My Axolotls With?

Crickets can only supply your axolotls with nutrients such as protein, vitamins, and minerals and limited macronutrients as they will not supply your pet with calcium and phosphorus in the right proportion the same way earthworms will supply your pet.

Although some axolotls keepers usually dust calcium powder on the crickets body before giving it to their pet and I will advise you not to do that as the powder washes away once it lingers in the water if your pets do not swallow it immediately.

What Other Things Should I Note Before Feeding My Axolotls With Crickets?

You have to note several things about cricket before considering feeding your pet with it 

  • Crickets can injure your pet by biting them from the inside out as your pet will only swallow them, so, you should feed your axolotls with freeze crickets to avoid killing them in the place of treating them with cricket snacks.
  • Crickets also possess a hard exoskeleton just like mealworms but it is mostly removed when you get it from the pet stores when you want to give your pet a live cricket make sure it is not in excess and it is a small size.
  • The source of your crickets cannot be overemphasized as many axolotls die as a result of feeding on crickets that are poisonous, especially the ones bought from a bait shop and that is why I always advise pet owners to get crickets from a pet shop and make sure to wash before feeding your pet with it.

Conclusion.

Crickets are a healthy treat for axolotls if given in moderate size and proportion from a reputable source and under close supervision. Happy Feeding.

Written by Justin Michaels