Can You Feed Axolotls Ham? (6 Best Foods)

Thinking of getting an axolotl? They’re cute little creatures with a unique appearance. As a proud axie parent, you would want to know about their diet and whether they can eat certain ‘human’ foods. 

One of the most commonly asked questions is – Can you feed axolotls ham? 

Ham is processed meat, so giving anything processed to your axolotl can be dangerous. 

There are many other food options that work well, and that’s precisely why you need to read this full post. Dive in right away! 

Axolotls – What’s their diet like? 

Axolotls are carnivores, so it won’t be a difficult task to gather some food for your little amphibian friend. The food you give your axolotl will depend on their size. 

1.) Meaty treats are just right for a little axolotl. This includes brine shrimp and aquatic insects. 

2.) There is commercial fish food as well. You can try out the good brands that make axolotl food. These are specially designed to provide full nutrition to the axolotls. 

3.) Since axolotls are carnivorous, you should center their diet around meat. It can be embellished with some small fishes that are found in Mexican lake waters. 

4.) If axolotls are in the wild, they will eat small fishes, worms, and insects. However, an aquarium axolotl will be happy with blood worms, black worms, and nightcrawlers. 

Axolotls can also eat pellets, live food, and even frozen foods, but never processed meat. 

Should you feed ham to axolotls? 

Processed foods are not good for human beings, so they can never be good for axolotls or any other animal too. 

You should not be feeding ham or salami to an axolotl. Meat having any form of preservative is not good for the little axie. 

Most of the preservative foods like ham have dangerous chemicals. Feeding ham to your axolotl can have serious negative effects. Thus, you should never feed ham to your axolotl. 

This might give rise to several queries in your head. One of the queries is the following – What should you feed your axolotl? 

As you move forward, we’ll tell you what meats are good for your axolotl and what you shouldn’t be feeding them. 

The Best Foods for an Axolotl – REVEALED 

#1 Brine shrimp 

Brine Shrimp is something your axolotl would enjoy any day! You can give them prawns (uncooked ones) and anything that’s unprocessed. These are packed with nutrients, fatty acids, lipids, and it satiates the little axie. 

#2 Worms 

Axolotls enjoy eating earthworms and blood worms. It happens to be their favorite food. Watch them enjoy some worms in their habitat in this short YT video.

#3 Snails 

If left in the wild, axolotls would feast on snails. Snails are tasty, but you shouldn’t be giving them cooked snails. Let them feast on the fresh meat and have a tasty meal. 

#4 Pellets 

There are some special pellets or food mixes for axolotls. You can find them in stores near you or even on Amazon. We would reveal the best pellet food for axolotls in the next section. These are packed with nutrients and deliciousness. 

#5 Live worms 

So, there are frozen worms and then we have live worms. Please ensure that you clean these live worms before giving them to your axie. 

These shouldn’t have any mud or dirt on them. Also, the live worms should not have a hard shell and should be easy to digest. 

#6 Daphnia 

This is the perfect form of food for the axolotls. It comes at a cheap price at some stores, and axie parents usually feed it to baby axies. 

Daphnias are basically small crustaceans that are easy to eat and digest. 

Please, note – An axolotl baby should be fed microworms, baby brine shrimp, or daphnia. Once the front legs start to grow, you can feed them blood worms. Once the axolotls are three inches or more in size, they can eat store-bought pellets. 

Top 3 Best Food Mix for Axolotls 

Since you are new to the world of axolotls and caring for them, this section will help you choose the best pellets. Let’s take a quick look! 

1.) Invert Aquatics Soft Pellets 

These peppers are easy to break apart and sink quickly. The Invert aquatics soft pellet is great for axolotls. 

Since these are small, you don’t have to break them apart. If you are worried about parasites, don’t blink twice and buy these. These are healthy and tasty for little axolotls. 

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2.) ABF Gourmet Axolotl Food 

Your axolotl will find two different types of pellets in this package. This is a great food option for axolotls because they get some form of variety. It’s easy for them to gobble this up at any point. 

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3.) HIKARI Sinking Carnivore Food Mix 

These sinking carnivore pellets are great for axolotls. If you want your little one to enjoy tasty pellets, this one’s a great choice. It has a good combination of vitamin C, protein, and minerals. 

3 Things Shouldn’t Be Feeding Your Axolotl 

Axolotls can be diverse eaters – they don’t know what’s not edible for them. If they’re in a mood to eat – they might feast on the tank mates too. 

However, not everything they eat or you give is healthy for them. Here’s a list of foods you shouldn’t be giving them. 

#1. Processed meat 

This is a big no for axolotls. Your axolotl should never eat processed meat because it has dangerous chemicals. 

Moreover, salt, spices, and anything that is processed in a portion of food are not healthy for your axolotl. You should skip giving them ham, salami, sausages, etc. 

These aren’t even good for human beings – why would you want to give these to a little axie? 

#2. Crusty exoskeleton creatures 

Once again, you should never ever give creatures with a crusty exoskeleton to your little one. 

This could damage the axie’s teeth and also cause poor health. Chitin is one of the foods you shouldn’t be giving because it has a hard exoskeleton. It is not digested easily, so there could be gut issues going forward. 

#3. Feeder fish 

Do you want parasites in your axolotl’s aquarium? Well, nobody would want that. This is why you should never put feeder fish inside the axie’s aquarium. 

Ideally, you must keep the fish in quarantine for four weeks before giving them to your little axolotl. 

See also: Do Stores Sell Axolotl? (Complete Buying Guide)

Axolotls & Choking: What You Must Know 

Axolotls have the tendency to eat the foods wholly. They are enthusiastic eaters. In fact, it’s a common sight for axolotl parents. These creatures gobble up the pellets like it’s nobody else’s business.

If the food is too big and the axolotl eats it quickly, there’s a chance they will choke on the food. 

Indigestion can also be an issue, so you should never give them large pellets or any large meal that they can’t ingest smoothly. 

Once again, make sure the food isn’t very small either because it could get stuck in the gills. Speak to the veterinary doctor or exotic pet store owner about the right pellet size for your axie. 

Why is my axolotl not eating? 

Axolotls are not big eaters. They’re carnivores, but these creatures can go without food for three weeks straight. 

However, there could be other reasons for not eating. We have listed the reasons below: 

1.) The axolotl is bored of the same kind of meat or pellet. Give it some variety and see the difference in the eating pattern. Can you eat the same kind of food every day? The answer’s NO. You need variety too. 

2.) The axolotl is not hungry. You cannot force the little axie to eat just because you are worried. Of course, you would want them to be well-fed, but you should know a little something about axolotls’ diet.

These creatures can go without food for several days and weeks. As per experts, an axolotl can go without food for three weeks. 

3.) You are not giving them their favorite food. Give them some blood worms and earthworms as it’s their favorite food. 

4.) Perhaps your axolotl is stressed out. The water condition or the temperature may not be right. This could stress them out and make them feel sluggish and disinterested in food. 

A quick tip: You must always check the temperature and the condition of the water. This is crucial for your axolotl’s health and well-being. 

If they are still not eating (despite having perfect water temperature), you need to withdraw the food for some time or try and give them their favorite food. In case they are still not interested, check with the veterinarian. 

Panicking won’t help because axolotls can go without food for up to three weeks. 

Worrying about your axie is a natural reaction. Check out this helpful video where Frankie talks about WHY your axolotl has stopped eating suddenly. 

FRENEMIES For Life – Can axolotls eat each other? 

There’s a rumor that if two axolotls reside in the same aquarium, they might eat each other. Well, the rumor is true. Axolotls can eat each other when they are in the same aquarium. 

That’s because one of the axolotls might think that the tail of the other axolotl is a worm. 

Worms are their favorite food, so they might just feast on it. The cannibalistic stage occurs when they are young, so avoid keeping two young axolotls together. 

Still have queries in your mind? Find all the answers below in our quick FAQs section. 

See also: What Color Will My Axolotls Be? (17 Colors)

FAQs 

1. What foods can axolotls eat? 

Axolotls are amphibians, but they enjoy different kinds of meat. If the temperature of the water is right and feeding is proper, these creatures can live without food for at least three weeks. 

Axolotls can willingly and happily eat earthworms, crickets, mosquitoes, and crustaceans. 

2. What foods can axolotls not eat? 

There are certain processed meats that axolotls cannot eat. Salami and ham are processed meats – they don’t come directly from the source. 

These meats have salt and spices which aren’t really good for your axolotls. Besides processed meats, you should not be feeding them feeder fish, algae wafers, bugs with a hard exoskeleton, and so on. 

You should not be giving them fish food too. There are special food mixes that you can give to your axolotl. 

3. What is Axolotl’s favorite food? 

Earthworms and blood worms are the favorite foods of axolotls. 

4. How many pellets can you feed an axolotl?

Some axolotls can gobble up a dozen pellets in a go. You can find out how comfortable your axolotls are by feeding them pellets. 

If they leave any pellets, gather those and keep these for the next feed. Never keep the pellets unattended as this could lead to overeating or pellets getting stale. 

5. Can axolotls eat canned tuna?

Canned tuna is processed meat. It usually comes in brine, water, oil, and other base liquids. You should avoid giving processed meat to your axolotl. 

6. What meat can I feed my axolotl? 

You can feed them bugs, earthworms, crustaceans, but avoid anything with a hard exoskeleton. Avoid giving ham and salami to your axolotl. 

7. Why won’t my axolotl eat? 

Oversaturation with food is one of the most common reasons for axolotls not eating. 

However, there is a chance that an axolotl goes without food for weeks. If they are properly fed, axolotls can live without food for at least three weeks so this is not a matter of concern. 

8. Do axolotls eat meat? 

Yes, axolotls are carnivores, so they devour meat. However, there are certain kinds of meat you shouldn’t be feeding them. 

Overeating can lead to all kinds of diseases as well. Thus, make sure you feed them food as prescribed by the veterinarian. 

Concluding Thoughts 

This was a complete guide on what you should and should not feed your axolotl. Ham is certainly out of the picture because it’s processed and not good for your axie’s gut. 

Make sure you follow everything that’s mentioned here to provide good nutrition to your little one.