NomSafeNovember: Why mealworms are a no-no
Hi everyone! Coming back today to discuss mealworms, and why they are not a suitable staple food for your axolotl (or any of your other amphibians, really).
So, why are mealworms not a good staple food for axolotls?
Meal worms have a hard exoskeleton made of chitin. Axolotls are not easily able to break down this chitin. This means 2 things:
the “food” is not being broken down, therefore they are not gaining nutrients from it;
what is left in the digestive tract will not break down, and can become an impaction risk. The exoskeletons can build up and cause a blockage that can lead to internal infections, trauma, and even death.
Okay, so we’ve established that chitin is found in the exoskeleton, but what is it, exactly?
Chitin is the second most abundant polysaccharide (carbohydrate) found in nature! It’s structure makes up the exoskeletons of many critters, including crustaceans, insects, and even fungi! It’s so abundant because of its rigidity, and the protection it provides these life forms.
Axolotls do not have the necessary digestive accessories to break down chitin.
Wait… don’t brine shrimp have chitin?
Yes! Being shrimp, they do have chitin. Baby brine shrimp (a staple for axolotl hatchlings) have chitin, but the key factor here is the fact that they do not have the same type of thick exoskeleton that a meal worm has. The impaction risk is limited from a baby brine shrimp compared to a larger insect encapsulated in hard chitin (although you must always rinse your baby brine shrimp prior to feeding, as the empty egg shells pose a choking risk for newly hatched axolotls!!).
Questions?
If you have questions, leave them in the comments, shoot our team a message, or ask us how you can join our private Axolotl Help group on Facebook, where we bring all of our combined knowledge and experience together to help solve your axolotl challenges.
