Newts eating pellets when fungus has grown on it?

[Mike East]

is it normal for newts to eat the newt pellets when fungus is on them? for some reason my newts seem to like it better because when i feed them the pellets they don't touch them untill they have white fungus on them? is this healthy?

No, this is not healthy, neither for the newts nor for the water quality in the tank. In addition to fungus, the pellets are probably crawling with bacteria. As they rot, they may give off ammonia.

Have you actually SEEN the newts eat the fungusy pellets, or do the pellets disappear and you assume they've been eaten?

[Mike East]

no i have actually seen them eat the fungus pellets 3 times already. the wierd thing is that i went to the pet store yesterday and i was looking at there paddle tails newts and i saw one eating a pellet with fungus too?

Is it the fungus that makes them want to eat the pellets, or is it just that they have softened? Leaving them in, as Jennifer says is not good for them or the tank, but maybe you could try soaking the pellets in warm water to soften them before offering them to the newts.

What kind of newts do you have? Do they prefer to eat in water or could they eat from a dish with softened pellets in it?

Just a thought.

[Mike East]

it seems that the fungus makes them want to eat pellets? i bought some live black worms from the pet store so i'm gonna start trying that so i don't get a tank full of pellets with fungus.

I don't like pellets anyway but pellets with fungus can not be good.
Black worms are a much better choice.