Variety in feeding

[Babidi]

I recently took a trip down to my local pet store and noticed they've gotten a lot more frozen foods in, including tubifex, bloodworms, krill, brine shrimp, squid, and some mixes they've called 'tropical mix' and 'pacific mix'. Upon reading the ingredients on those, it looks like just a mixture of shrimp, squid, krill, and other things.

As far as live food is concerned, they have mealworms, waxworms, phoenix worms, crickets, and superworms.

I occasionally feed my paddletail and CO a freshly shed mealworm, but they exist mostly on a diet of Hikari frozen bloodworms every few days. I'd really like to introduce more variety to their diet and have been considering buying some crickets that I can gut load, but have never really have much success keeping them when they're not being fed without them escaping. Not really pleasant, but I'm still willing to try if there's a better way of keeping them than in a semi-closed margarine tub. I don't have any local fishing stores, so nightcrawlers and earthworms are unfortunately out of the question, though they'd work perfectly. And I certainly don't trust grabbing some of the ones that can be found outside after it rains.

On an attempt of frozen tubifex, neither of them really took to it. I tried brine shrimp years ago and it was never eaten. I was considering trying the krill, but not if it has no nutritional value to speak of to it, or isn't good for them.

So, what sorts of things listed here would be good for them to try out?

[JBear]

Originally Posted by Babidi

I recently took a trip down to my local pet store and noticed they've gotten a lot more frozen foods in, including tubifex, bloodworms, krill, brine shrimp, squid, and some mixes they've called 'tropical mix' and 'pacific mix'. Upon reading the ingredients on those, it looks like just a mixture of shrimp, squid, krill, and other things.

As far as live food is concerned, they have mealworms, waxworms, phoenix worms, crickets, and superworms.

I occasionally feed my paddletail and CO a freshly shed mealworm, but they exist mostly on a diet of Hikari frozen bloodworms every few days. I'd really like to introduce more variety to their diet and have been considering buying some crickets that I can gut load, but have never really have much success keeping them when they're not being fed without them escaping. Not really pleasant, but I'm still willing to try if there's a better way of keeping them than in a semi-closed margarine tub. I don't have any local fishing stores, so nightcrawlers and earthworms are unfortunately out of the question, though they'd work perfectly. And I certainly don't trust grabbing some of the ones that can be found outside after it rains.

On an attempt of frozen tubifex, neither of them really took to it. I tried brine shrimp years ago and it was never eaten. I was considering trying the krill, but not if it has no nutritional value to speak of to it, or isn't good for them.

So, what sorts of things listed here would be good for them to try out?

My Paddletail always loved crickets. I would pinch the head, and drop it in. The feeding reponse was always almost immediate. Also live adult brine shrimp(rinsed with fresh water to remove salts), and online resources that will ship live black/bloodworms. The earthworms outside should be fine providing no pesticides/herbacides, etc. are used nearby. In a pinch, they will also take reptomin pellets, and baby turtle food sticks. Some specimens will take the freeze dried shrimps as well. Keep us posted, and good luck!

-jbherpin-

[oceanblue]

Assuming you live in Canada those worms you see after rain are the same as the nightcrawlers which supply bait shops across North America and much of Europe. They are Lumbricus terrestris, introduced from Europe and the ones in shops are generally collected from Canadian golf courses.

They are probably your first choice either whole or cut up as a good food meeting the nutritional needs of many species. Unlike many "wild grown" creepy crawlies they do not appear to harbour parasites harmful to caudates.

[Patrick]

I agree, though I live in the US I have used collected earthworms for years without a problem. While I also agree about the pesticides, I know that golf courses are notorious for using lots of fertilizer and pesticides, and I've fed my worms "canadian nighcrawlers" before without any trouble as well (though I have no idea if these were actually collected from golf courses). Furthermore, Pittsburgh has a reputation for being a dirty city and none of it's worms have killed my newts yet. So, I would imagine that if you live in a relatively clean area your worms would be perfectly safe.

[Babidi]

Thanks for the replies so far.

I know the grasses in front of my apartment are constantly treated with pesticides and other chemicals, though. The truck comes here about every week or two and the little signs are always in the grass to warn people, so I'm a little wary of it all. I've been trying to find some local bait shops for a long time now, to no avail. I'd be willing to take a risk and try the wild earthworms, but I've had my two for about eight years now and I really don't want to lose either of them. I've grown pretty attached to the little guys and all.

I used to feed my newts pellets when I first started keeping them, but I never had any luck with them. The newts that ate them almost always developed bloat shortly after, and I was told that Reptomin pellets tend to inflate inside the newt's digestive tract and plug them up until they died. That sounds really unreasonable, but ever since I stopped feeding pellets, my newts have lasted considerably longer too.

I think I'll pick up some crickets next time I hit the pet store. How do you guys usually keep yours? How do you keep them from escaping while in captivity? And when you say 'pinch the head', do you literally mean pinch the head to kill it just before feeding? I don't have much experience in keeping them at any point recently. Are newts fully capable of digesting them without any need for shedding like mealworms do? Besides gut/calcium loading, are there any other preparations that should be made for cricket feeding?

[Justin]

What you keep the crickets in really depends on the number you have. If your going to be breeding them then a nice big rubbermaid tote will do the trick, just remember to wrap packing tape along the top edge to keep them from escaping. If your just going to be housing the left overs until next feeding then one of those 'critter totes' will suffice. Just remember to keep items like pototoes, carrots, bananas, sponges, etc. in there so that they can have access to water to drink. Speaking of moisture, make sure the container has PLENTY of ventilation. Humidity is a major killer of crickets.

Crushing the crickets head isn't really necessary like it is in mealworms. I've been feeding them to my critters for years and have never had an incident.

Make sure you gut load your crickets before you feed them to your newts, this just means you makes sure the crickets are well fed.

[JBear]

I crush the head so that the cricket is immobile, yet fresh. It also releases a scent that I swear newts immediately recognize and go for. The risk of cricket bites on an aquatic newt didn't enter my mind, it was the immobilization, and scent. Reptomin will bloat your animals, but I doubt to the point of death. I only use them in a pinch during winter when worms are hard to come by for free (in the garden-lol). I would avoid your worms as the area is so frequently treated. Let us know what you find!

-jbherpin-

[Babidi]

I'll be picking up crickets from the pet store next time I go in, which will probably be soonish. I have a spare critter tote lying around, so that'll work well.

Just to be sure - frozen krill, squid, and brine shrimp aren't so great for them? And neither are fresh phoenix worms? I know wax worms are incredibly fatty and addicting, but I've never seen much about phoenix worms.