My t. grans are just being big babies. Help!

Alright. I've hit what I often refer to as "the point". The point in time where you still love your pet like crazy, but you're finally not so happy about doing "the dirty work" anymore (not that you mind, it's just no fun anymore).

This bit of chopping up worms every other day is for the birds! (actually, it's for the newts. muahahahaha.)

I have no problem with my cynops. I plop them in the feeding dish and she gobbles them all up within five minutes. My taricha, on the other hand, simply don't understand the feeding dish. They smell the worms, it seems like, but look AROUND the feeding dish, and not in it. And if they do get their nose into the dish, then they play with the worm for a minute, and then move on.

When I put them into a separate container, I can leave them with worms for an hour, and come back and none are gone. It seems that the only way is to put them in a container with worms, and wiggle the worm in front of them, and then they're like "oh! food! CHOMP! *voracious shaking of the worm by newt* CHOMP CHOMP!" But that's the only way they get it. This takes me about 45 minutes every other day (Even after I was gone for a week and a half leaving them with no food, it still took me forever).

So, any ideas? I simply don't have that much time. It would be nice if there was live food that would live in the tank that they could eat, but they're t. grans (somewhat large) so I don't think daphnia, etc. would really be suitable. I wouldn't mind the cutting up of worms if I didn't have to feed them like babies.

And advice greatly appreciated!

A little unorthodox: Put a towel over the front of the tank, so they can't see you. This might take a while. They may not be eating because they're watching you, waiting for you to give them food. If they can't see you, they will be more interested in investigating that smell in their tank.

That seems logical - I'll give it a go!

Ali:

My taricha respond well when I put the food on tweezers or feed them by hand. I had the same problem as you at first, they would ignore the worms that were sitting inches away. Now when I approach and open the tank..they swim up and are snapping. Pavlovian! Feeding takes moments.

I should say mine are 90% aquatic and feed only in the water.

Gord

Gord, thanks for your help also. How exactly does one feed by hand?

Use a tweezer, clip on the worm section and hold it in front of the newt and swing it around a little. And they will bite on it.

Thanks Ian, but I've tried that too.

Ali:

I just put a piece of worm in my fingers. They grab it right out. It took time but they do it with gusto!

ge

This is so funny! I was going to post about this but it looks like others share my plight... My McGloop and McGlop have turned into little princesses. I feed them frozen worms, they are water feeders, so I let them take the first bite from my fingers and then used to be able to let the remainder float or settle to the bottom and they would just chow it all down. But NO... Now they want Mom to hand feed them all of it. I have to go back in, pick up a clump and they are right there at my fingers chowing down again. I'm really not complaining. They are just too cute. I am just shocked that they are as human interactive as they are. McGloop just loves to wrap himself around my finger, too, hanging on as tight as he can with his little feet. I call them my little monkeys, they seem to be so playful and full of life.

I was very hesitant about getting them but I am completely enamored now...
Take care,
Mary.

PROBLEM SOLVED! Well, I was out the other day and decided to get my newts a new feeding dish. The previous one was clear and didn't have very big edges and had to be weighed down with a rock. (Not ideal, but it was something I had laying around so I used it).

When I was out, I got a new one that is actually a reptile water dish by "eco-terra" or something like that. Anyway, it's slightly bigger, has about 1 inch side walls, and is of course not clear.

When I fed my newts last night I put the worms down in it and kind of edged the newts toward it to get them going in the right direction before I tried Joan's idea with the towel. Before I even got my hand in the tank they were both eating like little pigs again!

I think that since I have brownish gravel in the tank, the worm bits looked like gravel since my feeding dish was clear, or something like that. Anyway, they eat like pigs again and are finding the food fine now without any help. This sure revives my love for them because, while I do love them, an hour long feeding session for three newts every other day was killing me.

Thanks for the help and support.