The axolotl menu
Axolotls are carnivores that feed by sudden suction, snapping water and food into their mouths in one gulp, so everything offered must be soft, meaty and sized to swallow whole. Earthworms sit at the top of the menu — nutritionally complete in a way few single foods are. Around that staple, sinking carnivore pellets made for axolotls or amphibians serve as a reliable backup, and thawed bloodworms suit juveniles or work as an occasional treat for adults, though they are too thin nutritionally to be an adult's main diet. Bits of raw salmon or prawn are occasional extras, never staples.
Sourcing earthworms safely
The worm itself is only safe if its home was. Buy earthworms from a bait shop or worm farm that raises them for feeding, or keep a small worm bin of your own — both give you worms raised in clean bedding on known food. Garden worms are the risk: lawns and beds treated with fertiliser, slug pellets or weedkiller load the worm's gut and skin with chemicals an axolotl's permeable body absorbs readily, and soil near manure heaps carries a heavier parasite burden. If you do collect your own, take them only from ground you know has been untreated for a long time, and accept that bought worms are the safer default.
Preparing and serving the worm
Rinse each worm in clean, dechlorinated water to wash off soil and bedding, and blot it on a paper towel — some keepers gently squeeze the worm or soak it briefly, since a worm that has just fed on rich soil can taste bitter and trigger a spit-out. Cut large worms with clean scissors into pieces roughly the width of the axolotl's head for juveniles and smaller adults; full-grown axolotls can manage whole medium worms. Offer the piece with long tongs or drop it directly in front of his face — axolotls hunt by smell and snap at movement nearby, and food landing behind him often sits uneaten until it fouls the water.
Rhythm, leftovers and warning signs
Adults do well fed every two or three days; growing juveniles need daily meals. A well-fed axolotl has a belly about as wide as his head — wider and you are overfeeding, which strains water quality as much as the animal. Remove uneaten food within the hour, keep the water cool as axolotls require, and siphon the bottom regularly, since worm pieces decay fast. A healthy axolotl who refuses worms for a week, develops fuzzy patches on his gills, or floats and cannot stay down needs a vet with amphibian experience — and warm water is the first thing to check, as heat stress underlies many appetite losses. For feeding questions beyond the basics above, put a follow-up question to KinsLe's Kimmy; she answers using the KinsLe Answers library.