Why is my axolotl acting funny??

Question

he isnt eating his food.....well he snaps it up but then spits it out again. and every now and then he does this weird thing where he looks like he is yawing. i've been feeding him (or trying to feed him rather) earthworms and mealworms and the water temp is about 17-18C.

Answer 1

From the info you've provided, there are a few possibilities:

either:

water temp too high (food regurgitated in little white furry balls)

doesn't like or not used to live food (wriggly worms inside the mouth can freak out young axolotls reared on dead meat or pellets)

it has something lodged in it's digestive system (usually gravel from the bottom of a tank)

you have to eliminate one thing at a time.

the first cause is easiest to eliminate: does it spit the food out straight away (live food)? or do you find it a few hours later (water temp too high)?

My suggestion:

get to your pet shop and buy some zebra or albino danios (small tropical fish that can survive in cold water). Put five of them in your tank. Give them two weeks - see how many are left and do not feed your axolotl anything else.

If none are missing, there's probably gravel lodged in your axolotls digestive system - is there gravel in the base of your tank? if so, you should replace it with larger rocks that cannot be swallowed. an expensive vet bill may follow.

if there is no gravel in tank = then the water is too hot or it doesn't like live , wrigley food.

the zebra danio trick has always worked for me.