Your axolotl deserves to get all the best and yummy foods in the world. And I’m sure as a doting parent, you’re not gonna hold back either. But do you what an ideal food is for axolotls?- shrimps!
Axolotl goes through 5 different stages of life and in each stage they will be able to eat different sizes & quantities of shrimp.
Luckily axolotl can eat versatile shrimps like brine shrimp, baby brine shrimp, ghost shrimp, red cherry shrimp, frozen shrimp, dried shrimp, and human-grade shrimp.
Here I will show you how to feed shrimp to your pet axolotl and how can axolotl eat shrimp in their different stages of life with details. So let’s get started!
Can axolotls eat shrimp?
Axolotls are magnificent species that have a hardcore protein-based diet. And they crave meat food so shrimp serves an awesome meal for axolotl. Yes, Axolotl does eat shrimp and this food has a special place among all the meals.
The primary reason behind loving shrimp is that they taste good and are loaded with protein. As the protein percentage is higher in shrimp so your gorgeous axolotl will be much stronger & will enjoy a long healthy life.
Even in their natural habitat, axolotls eat a good amount of shrimp along with some other types of worms, insects, and fishes.
Due to the sensitive nature of axolotl, you need to be of utmost care when collecting shrimp from different marketplaces. You have to ensure the shrimp are of top-notch quality. Otherwise, you won’t see the expected result in terms of their body growth.
If the shrimp has a parasite on it then your axolotl will get into serious trouble & will need the immediate attention of a vet when the symptoms of parasites show up.
Moreover, you can feed 4 types of shrimp to the pet axie that includes baby brine shrimp, adult brine shrimp, ghost shrimp, and shrimp pellets.
Can axolotls eat brine shrimp?
Yes, adult & juvenile axolotl eat brine shrimp and they just love it. Along with the good taste, these shrimp provide a great number of nutrients for axolotl. If you feed live brine shrimp you will see the happiness in the movement of your beautiful pet.
Like any other food, you should buy brine shrimp from a reliable shop that sells high-quality shrimp for their customers. Due to the wrong purchase from an unreliable source will put your health at serious risk.
Brine shrimps that are not marked as parasite free can lead to parasites forming in your axolotl which will hurt it badly.
Can axolotls eat ghost shrimp?
As long as the food belongs to the shrimp family your buddy is going to crave it for sure. And ghost shrimp is no exception as they are just another type of shrimp that makes an attractive meal for axolotl.
The environment of the axolotl tank is a perfect one for keeping ghost shrimp. This tiny species will be an outstanding cleaner for the tank as it will be eating up the dead plants and also the algae.
As long as there are enough hiding places you can keep ghost shrimp in the tank. It will help them to breed & increase the number inside the aquarium. So, your axolotl will find a stable & smooth ghost shrimp supply in the long run.
Because the Mexican salamander will hunt them sometimes and enjoy them just like an occasional meal or snack. Which will surely add good value to axolotl’s overall diet.
For safety, it would be better if you can skip it.
Can axolotl eat red cherry shrimp?
Undoubtedly, red cherry shrimp will be the most desirable food for pet axolotl. But in terms of price, these shrimps are quite costly.
On top of that, it’s not recommended to overfeed the axolotl. Because they will keep eating one shrimp after another if you add a large number of red cherry shrimp inside their tank. The texture and taste of the red cherry shrimp are unmatched.
So while treating the axolotl with red cherry shrimp, give a small portion to keep your pet safe from having constipation problems.
Can axolotl eat shrimp pellets?
Absolutely yes, the axolotl will enjoy it as much as the live shrimp. There are people out there who run through the anxiety of parasites from shrimp or some simply don’t want the hassle of handling live shrimp. For both cases, a shrimp pellet is an excellent option for treating your axolotl.
There are versatile shrimp pellets available in the pet store and the marketplace. And these pellets taste good and are packed with the necessary nutrients for your axolotl. Depending on the type of pellets you can feed them 1-3 times per day.
Though it’s not recommended to use it as the primary source of food. But if you have less time on your hand or are busy with some work then it’s a good option you can use for a few days to keep your axolotl healthy & full belly.
Can baby axolotls eat shrimp?
Baby axolotls are tiny with a size of around ½ ‘’, so it would be impossible for them to swallow big food like full-grown shrimp. On top of that, you can’t even provide them with any dead pieces of shrimp because they won’t consider any immobile thing as food. So you need to give live food to trigger their hunting mood.
Baby axolotl would love to eat hatched brine shrimp. It would be safer for them as newly born brine shrimp will easily fit in their mouth.
After getting the baby brine shrimp from the local store, you have to ensure that there are no unhatched eggs in the container. If accidentally any eggshell remains that can easily choke the baby axolotl which can lead to death.
While feeding baby brine shrimps, your Mexican salamander might not eat each one of them. And baby brine shrimp die pretty fast. It can lower the water quality. So you need to change the tank water every time you are feeding this food to baby axolotl.
How can you feed shrimp to older juveniles and adult axolotl?
Well, compared to feeding the baby axolotl, it’s much easier to feed your juvenile & adult axies (doesn’t it sound cute when I call them this way?). Though shrimp is surely not the staple food for this age’s axolotl. But they do bring a good variation in terms of taste & a more natural climate inside the tank.
When you add some brine & ghost shrimp in the tank it will let them enjoy life in a more naturalistic way.
However, you have to ensure that you are dicing the humane grade shrimp properly so that the axolotl doesn’t suffer from impaction or other digestive issues. The ideal size of the cutting piece would be equal to the width of an adult earthworm.
As I told you earlier that shrimp is not the staple food but you can use it for a perfect backup plan whenever the axolotl food stock is over.
Can axolotl eat both raw & cooked shrimp?
Your axolotl can eat shrimp in both the raw state and the cooked state. However, you need to ensure there’s no addition of salt & spices during cooking the cocktail shrimp. Because both salt & spice can be extremely harmful to your pet.
If you find the shrimp to be bigger in size then chop them into small pieces. This will make it easy to eat & digest these shrimps.
How many times can you feed shrimp to axolotl?
When it comes to the frequency of shrimp feeding to axolotl, it will depend on the age of the axolotl. Because of different age axolotl has their unique eating pattern.
Let’s look at the following table to get a clear idea about it…
| Axolotl size | Stage | Frequency | Shrimp type |
| Less than 1’’ | Newborn or hatchling | 2 times per day | Baby brine shrimp |
| 2-3’’ | Baby | 1 time per day | Baby brine shrimp |
| 3-5’’ | Juvenile | 1 time per day | Shrimp pellets or live shrimp-like ghost shrimps, brine shrimp, cherry shrimp |
| 6-8’’ | Semi adult | With 1-day gap | Live shrimp-like ghost shrimps, brine shrimp, cherry shrimp or shrimp pellets |
| More than 8’’ | Full adult | Weekly 2-3 times | Live shrimp-like ghost shrimps, brine shrimp, cherry shrimp or shrimp pellets |
What are the health benefits axolotl gets from eating shrimp?
Though axolotls look innocent & cute these creatures are pure meat lovers. Their body requires a good amount of protein and various nutrients to stay healthy. And shrimp is a fantastic source of protein along with beneficial things like Vitamin D, Vitamin B6, phosphorus, selenium, and Vitamin B12.
In addition to that, shrimps are loaded with multiple minerals like zinc, manganese, iron, copper, calcium, and magnesium. Shrimp is a good source of fat which helps the juvenile axolotls to grow rapidly.
How to prevent overfeeding shrimp to your axolotl?
Each food should have a certain portion in the diet of the axolotl. In preventing the aquarium pet from overfeeding shrimp you need to keep in mind not to provide them more than their needs.
I mentioned on the table you can feed shrimps to an adult 2-3 times weekly while the juvenile with one day gap.
Never feed shrimp that is bigger than the mouth size of your axolotl. Remove the shrimp from the tank if you notice they are refusing to eat or already struggling to swallow the last shrimp.
Faq
Do axolotl eat shrimp in the wild?
Yes, axolotl does eat a significant amount of shrimp in their wild habitat. And shrimp is undoubtedly one of the foods they really love to eat.
Can axolotl eat shrimp exoskeleton?
It’s a big no to provide shrimp exoskeleton as food for axolotl. It will cause severe impaction which can lead to death. You can use both ghost shrimp or cherry shrimp because their soft skeleton won’t; create any problem in the digestion process.
Do axolotls get impaction from shrimp?
If you fail to provide the right size shrimp for the right age axolotl then it can cause impaction. The moment an axolotl will try to grab and swallow a comparatively bigger shrimp it will have a hard time swallowing & then it can create blockage or impaction on its intestine. So make sure to provide the right size shrimp.
Can axolotl eat dry shrimps?
Compared to live or dead shrimp, dried shrimp are literally useless. Because dried shrimp does not have any nutritional value. Though it can be used as a side food, there would-be a chance of constipation or other digestive issues.
Can axolotl eat frozen shrimp?
Axolotl has no problem eating up frozen shrimp. You have to ensure these shrimps are defrosted properly before adding them to their next meal. Frozen shrimp does not lose many nutrients so it’s a good option for those who can’t handle live shrimp.
Moreover, you can only feed frozen shrimp to the adult axolotl. Because they won’t have any negative issues. For young & baby axolotl it would be harmful.
Final words
You need to remember your axolotl is fully dependent on you as they are in captivity.
So they deserve your best treatment. You can add great value to their life & health by providing them with the best quality parasite free appropriate size shrimp.
I hope you enjoyed reading this short blog post on ‘’ can axolotl eat shrimp’’. Here I tried my best to add as much info I can get from the well-defined sources.
