Mealworms do not form part of an axolotl's regular diet in nature. Their hard chitin exoskeleton makes digesting them difficult for an axolotl.
Axolotls require a variety of foods in order to remain healthy. Baby Axolotls must eat frequently; since they lack large teeth and thus must swallow food whole.
They’re Not Good for Axolotls
Mealworms should not be fed regularly to Axolotls, even as treats. This is due to their limited nutritional value and difficulty of digestibility for both adult and baby Axolotls alike. Furthermore, their hard exoskeleton may get stuck in their intestines if eaten too frequently and be potentially hazardous if fed too frequently as treats.
Instead, frozen bloodworms make an ideal food choice for Axolotls. These worms can easily be found at any pet store, either cubed or as "bricks." To prepare these frozen treats for Axolotl consumption, simply thaw out and crush so your Axolotl can easily swallow and digest them.
Avoid feeding an Axolotl red wriggle worms (also known as manure worms, trout worms or tiger worms). These earthworms contain bitter substances that could make your Axolotl regurgitate them completely or spit them back out as soon as you feed them to them.
Blackworms are another option that may supplement Axolotl diets in captivity. These small, vividly-colored worms wriggle energetically when disturbed, making it easy for an Axolotl to identify in its tank or on bare substrate surfaces. In nature, Axolotls commonly consume these worms as part of their natural diet in areas like wetlands, swamps and ponds.
They Can Cause Impaction
Mealworms should never be fed to Axolotls as they will often become too large for their exoskeleton and will shed it, becoming soft in appearance as a result. Mealworms after this process become too large to swallow and may lead to impaction in your Axolotl.
But feeding your Axolotl small amounts of mealworms once in awhile shouldn't pose any issues, since its teeth are designed for chewing rather than shredding food. Furthermore, the movement of live food such as mealworms should encourage him or her to consume them as live food does.
Frozen mealworms are much safer to feed to an Axolotl than their canned counterparts, since they come ready-to-eat from most pet stores and are typically free from chemicals or pathogens. You could also access them from friends' aquariums or raise them yourself if you have the time. Bloodworms or daphnia may be easier for an axolotl to digest; in fact, one scientific study found that juvenile axolotls developed faster when fed an unchanging diet of bloodworms!
They Can Choke
Baby Axolotls in their larval stage are very tiny creatures with primitive "teeth," more like stumps for grasping prey than actual teeth. Although these teeth cannot chew food directly, they can still ensure wriggly live food doesn't escape their grasp and escape!
In the wild, axolotls feed along murky lake and river bottoms using their keen sense of smell to locate aquatic prey. Once located, they use a powerful vacuum to scoop it up with their mouths before swallowing whole. Sometimes while feeding they also swallow gravel or debris to help grind and digest their meals more easily.
Mealworms should not be fed to axolotls due to their dense, hard exoskeleton that may impact or choke an axolotl. Furthermore, mealworms don't offer as many of the essential vitamins and minerals necessary for their optimal growth.
So it is best to feed young, freshly molted mealworms to your axolotl. When they molt, their bodies become soft and easy to identify while providing more nutrition that will support its digestive health. Furthermore, newly molted mealworms tend to be small in size so won't likely wreak havoc in its tank like their full-grown counterparts might do. Finally, make sure not to overfeed by keeping the number to a minimum so as to prevent overfeeding your pet axolotls can easily.
They Can Be Dangerous for Baby Axolotls
Mealworms may be popular among humans, but they aren't recommended as food for baby Axolotls due to their hard exoskeleton that axolotls cannot break down and digest, leading them to choke on themselves or impaction and lead to possible impaction as well as bite injuries from dangerous jaws that could bite into their throats resulting in further complications and even impaction.
Mealworms are too large for the mouths of young axolotls and may choke or drown them, with their hard, sticky coating catching in their throats and leading to drowning and choking incidents. Therefore, mealworms should only be fed when these animals reach adulthood.
Frozen bloodworms can make an ideal supplementary food source for baby Axolotls, but should never serve as their main source of nutrition due to potential toxins that could prove toxic for these primates-like animals.
As an alternative to frozen bloodworms, try offering your axolotls wriggling earthworms instead. However, be sure to crush or cut each piece into smaller pieces first to make feeding them easier for their mouths and reduce risk of choking or intestinal impaction. Alternatively, red wrigglers or nightcrawlers might provide similar nutritional value without risk.