CFB Being Greedy Over Food, Won't Share

[TLaw]

I have two CFBN's, I believe one of each sex, and have had them for about 7 months. Recently though, the one I believe to be the female, who is much larger than the male, has become very greedy with respect to food. I have a little food dish that I keep at the bottom of the tank so that when the bloodworms sink they don't fall into the rocks and are easy for the newts to eat. In the last little while, the female is bullying the male, keeping him away from the food dish, hovering over the food even if she's not eating it, and sometimes biting him if he tries to get near it. The first six months I had them together this didn't seem to be much of a problem, but lately it is happening often, and as a side effect, it almost looks like the male is getting thin because of his smaller diet, while the female is definitely getting kind of fat.

Any idea why the female would start behaving in such a way, and what I should do about this? I'm worried about my male not getting enough food, as well as the female growing to obese. Neither is healthy I'm sure.

[Dana]

There are many more experienced members here than me, but I would create a larger area with no rocks for feeding. I'm trying to envision this dish you have and I can't tell if the worms actually stay in there or not once the water is stirred up.

Also, this may be just a coincidence, but I noticed my female doing some nipping at the male before she began laying eggs, 11 months after I got the pair. I was minorly concerned and considered feeding him separately, though handling them unnecessarily is stressful. It's still an option, however, or you can consider another tank. Do you want to breed them? I had NO idea they would breed in captivity (lovely pet shop poor information) and had no idea she was gravid or that I had a male and a female. After seeing the pictures here it is quite obvious that she is/was gravid. My female, however, was always fuller than the male. I worried about him from the start as he was thin, less active, etc.

It doesn't seem like the right time for them to mate, but they be reaching sexual maturity and exhibiting some signs of interest. I'm sure one of the experts can shine more light on this and tell you if what I noticed is a mating ritual that yours may be having.

Good luck,
Dana

[Patrick]

I have had huge problems with this. Two of my T. Karelinii have lost tails over fighting after feeding. I would recommend feeding them in different parts of the tank. I personally feed my karelinii in a separate container now, but this may be too extreme a measure. Also, the "rocks" aren't gravel are they? There is a danger of newts swallowing rocks and dying if they are too small.

another thing I've noticed is that, even though I feed my males and females the same amount of food, the males are kinda skinny and the females are fatter. even when it is out of breeding season and the females are not gravid. Their size difference may be normal. try to make sure they each get enough food though.

[TLaw]

The rocks are about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, too big for the newts to eat. And the plate is about 4 inches long by two inches wide, it's usually fine at catching all the blood worms.

[Lindsay]

Depending on the animal, it can be stressful...but, there is the option of separating them for feeding time. If you are truly worried about the health of your male, it won't hurt.