Axolotls are beautiful pets that can survive feeding on meaty foods as carnivores. The meat they feed on ranges from worms, crustaceans, and fishes smaller than them.
However, they will not function well if they feed on a particular type of meat too much as they are sensitive and react to the excess intake of a particular meal, and that is why some of their food are classified as occasional treats, such as super worm, mealworm, and salmon.
Salmons are ray-finned fish from Salmonidae fed to axolotls occasionally or used as a food substitute as they are rich in protein and fats coupled with vitamins and minerals, and the excess feeding of this might cause impaction.
Is It Safe For My Axolotls To Feed On Salmon?
Yes. The safety of an axolotl feeding on salmon is ensured once the skin is removed and it is not given to the little creature (axolotls)in excess, as the fish is not part of the recommended meal for your pet.
What Are The Recommended Meal For My Axolotls?
The recommended meal for your pet in captivity(when you keep them in the aquarium tank) includes
- Black worms
- Nightcrawlers
- Daphnia
- Brine Shrimp
- Blended blackworm cubes
- Raw meat
- Little ghost shrimp
- Frozen blood worms
- Pellets
- Earthworms
But they tend to feed on worms, larvae, mollusks, feeder fish, small crustaceans, or other little creatures that come their way when in the wild(natural habitat).
Can My Axolotls Eat Raw Salmon?
Yes, although it is not recommended, as bacteria might be transferred from the raw fish into the aquarium tank.
Your pet can feed on raw salmon; all you have to do is remove the skin, wash it with water, and chop it into a size that can enter its mouth freely as it swallows its food because of the way its teeth are structured to pick the food and not to grind.
How Do I Feed Cooked Salmon To My Axolotls?
The first thing to do is to cut the fish into bits so they can swallow easily. A large size of salmon swallowed by your axolotl can bring about impaction due to its slow digestion process.
After that, wash and remove the skin and internal organs, cook the fish without adding any additives as it might harm your pet’s health, or change the pH level of its water once you drop the fish into it.
The fish’s exposure to heat helps kill the fish’s bacteria but can also destroy the vitamins and minerals in the fish.
Must I Remove The Skin Of Salmon Before My Axolotls Can Eat It?
Yes. You need to remove the skin of salmon fish before feeding your pet with it as the skin might harbor dirt and contains a lot of fat not needed by an axolotl, especially the adult ones.
Therefore, the only nutrient adult axolotls require in a reasonable proportion is vitamins and minerals.
Can My Axolotls Eat Salmon Every day?
No. Feeding your axolotl with salmon every day will result in the death of your pet. The ideal way to feed your pet salmon is to feed it with a size that can easily enter its mouth, which should be done once or twice a week.
Can I Feed My Baby Axolotls With Salmon?
Yes. They need it more than the adult axolotls as they need more fat to speed up their growth. You can also decide to give them the skin of the fish, but everything must be in minimal proportion.
How Many Nutrients Will My Axolotl Get From Feeding On Salmon?
According to Caudata.org, salmon supplies the following nutritional value to axolotls.
| Protein | 63.5 |
| Fat | 34.2 |
| Calcium | 0.039 |
| Phosphorus | 0.75 |
| Nutrients | % Dry weight |
| Calcium: Phosphorus | 0.05(ratio) |
You are wondering why you didn’t see vitamins and minerals in the nutritional table because calcium and phosphorus supplements contain vitamins and minerals.
Furthermore, from the nutritional table, salmon seems to be a balanced diet for salmon but has a limitation, and that is due to the low calcium-phosphorus ratio, which will later affect the health of your pet if they feed on it too much. Besides, it takes time for their food to get digested so the daily feeding might result in impaction.
What Other Kind Of Fish Can My Axolotls Feed On?
Generally, axolotls feed on smaller fish as some can injure axolotls, and aggressive ones can even feed on them. Those fishes include the following.
- Mollies.
- Guppies
- Goldfish
- Tuna
- Tiger Fish
- Tropical Fish.
However, this fish should be given to them in little proportions that can fit into their mouth; you should also do your best in washing and preparing it well before feeding it to them, as the raw ones might contain contagious diseases.
Always remember that axolotls are sensitive creatures that depend on you for their care and feeding, so you need to watch what you give them to eat.
Can My Axolotls Eat Other Pets Food That Contains Salmon?
No. Pets’ food, such as cat and dog food contains salmon but should not be given to your axolotls as they contain additives and other kinds of food which can harm your pet’s health. Besides, raw or cooked salmon is different from processed salmon.
Can My Axolotls Eat Dried Salmon?
No, Axolotls only feed on live food. Anything dried is always hard because it doesn’t contain any moisture, which can be very harmful to your pet as it will take time for the dried salmon to digest, which will later cause impaction or the death of your pet.
Can I Feed My Axolotls With Salmon In A Pelleted Form?
Yes, but it should be made available to them when you are short of live food. Salmon fish can be made into pellet form, which is always reinforced with other nutrients to compensate for the low calcium-phosphorus and high-fat ratios in salmon fish. Moreover, most axolotl keepers use salmon pellets as a backup plan whenever they are out of food for their pets.
Some other soft pellets are also safe for your pet’s consumption, and one of those safe pellets is Hikari sinking pellets which aid the development of your pet.
Can My Axolotls Eat Fish Food?
Yes. They enjoy eating pelleted fish food, but the soft one should be given to them, bearing in mind that they do not have teeth to grind their food and can only swallow their food, which takes time to digest.
Conclusion
Axolotls can eat salmon as an occasional diet or to make up for the nutrient deficiency, but it should not be given to them as a regular diet as it is not part of the recommended diet for your pet.
You must also be careful to peel off the skin, wash, remove the internal organs, and probably cook( do not overcook) and chop into bits before feeding your pets with salmon fish.
