Just a reminder in regard to live feeders.
"Under the 1911 Act it is not illegal to feed a live vertebrate to another unless you cause it unnecessary suffering, so that would have to be the result of a court case and the judge would have to make a decision."
Generally the RSPCA and consulting vets in such court cases define , by common incidence of conviction, it is usually concluded that it is not advised to offer a live prey animal to a predator, for periods in excess of one hour out of every 24, and the needs of the prey species must be correctly catered for, inclusive of humane enclosure space, free of fear and intimidation by the predator, proper environmental care, and nutrition outside of offerring times.
Im generally against unecessary live feeding, the only prerequisite for feeding an axolotl is that the prey is whole, and of sufficient nutritive quality and that does not have to translate as whole, and alive.
I guess live feeding is generally discouraged because the use of them is rarely dispassionate, and it tends to attract the sickos who keep certain species purely on their ability to dispatch other creatures. Im not arguing against the legitimacy of live feeder animals, some species must indeed have them, its just that axolotls happen not to be one of those species.
If its not needed, its not needed. People leaving prey animals in a predators enclosure for too long , or not dispatching injured animals quickly and humanely that havent been finished off by the predator, could find themselves falling foul of the law, likewise offerring feeder animals over which the predator does not have a correct size advantage, and an easy method of diaspatch for, could again fall foul of the law. An oscar for example, eating a guppy down in a gulp would be deemed acceptable, having one chase an angelfish round the tank , slowly injuring it with multiple bites,for several minutes could get you prosecuted. Anything that can be deemed as encouraging a baiting or fighting situation to occur can be percieved as animal abuse, even if the outcome is rather once sided. People keeping guppies etc and just keeping them in a holding container under suboptimal conditions instead of a proper aquarium could also fall foul of the law. Much of it is discretionary based on veterinary advice.
Not having a whinge, in rescue and zoo work ive used live feeders out of necessity,at home I choose not to. Im not here to tell people to use them, or not to, but you should be aware of the lay of the land before you start, and you should always double and triple check that its absolutely necessary.
Just about every animal ive ever known of, with the exception of a few specialised snakes, can be trained to take dead foods. Most people who say their pet wont take dead foods generally hasnt tried too hard to get them onto dead foods, and we know it. Most invertabrates and insects are of course exceptions, unless of a protected species they dont have any legal rights. Basically anything with a spine has some protection under the law against cruelty.