feeding fire salamander

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peter81965

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my fire salamander lives in a naturalistic set up that I keep stocked with woodlice and earthworms. i've had him 3 weeks and i've never actually seen him eat . I've tried feeding him with tweezers but he retreats. He appears healthy, but I was wondering if there is a more sure fire way of ensuring that he is eating during the night. is there a means of leaving food out for him without it simply vanishing into the moss and substrate rather than into his belly?
 
You shouldnt have anything in there that could bite him first off and im saying this so generally is because i dont know if woodlice bite,also a sure way to know if he/she is eating is to count how many woodlice/earth worms there are and re-count them when you wake up,with that said now ill give some help.I have a Paddletail newt and what i find effective with earthworms,night crawlers whatever you want to call them is to cut them in half and take the freshly cut end and put it by there face right in front of there mouth so they smell it,this usually works for me,hope it works for you,good luck.

Steve
 
I find most newts and salamanders go crazy for slugs - the small dirty white ones that go for your lettuces are particularly popular. My southern marbled newts now eat little else. I collect them in the garden in the evening. It goes without saying not to feed them slugs that may have eaten slug pellets.

Woodlice shouldn't chew your salamander, nor will earthworms. But most woodlice are a bit well armoured to make a tasty meal.

The best thing to do is to place the meal an inch or two in front of the animal and back off. Salamanders respond most to movement, but don't always like having things waved under their noses.

Tristan
 
One other thing you could try if you are really getting worried - put the salamander in a tub with a couple of slugs. Put the lid on and retreat - come back after half an hour or so and you should find the slugs vanished and a fat salamander! This worked for me today with a pygmy marbled newt I was a bit concerned about.

By the way, what time of day are you feeding your salamander? Fire salamanders are nocturnal and are unlikely to be very interested in feeding by day. I find feeding newts at dusk is generally successful.

Tristan
 
yes thanks Tristan. i'm less concerned now that i've got used to the nocturnal habits of the salamander. when i see him out of his hides he looks plump enough and generally healthy. i tend to put the prey in around nightfall, just as the salamander is stirring.
 
peter81965 said:
my fire salamander lives in a naturalistic set up that I keep stocked with woodlice and earthworms. i've had him 3 weeks and i've never actually seen him eat . I've tried feeding him with tweezers but he retreats. He appears healthy, but I was wondering if there is a more sure fire way of ensuring that he is eating during the night. is there a means of leaving food out for him without it simply vanishing into the moss and substrate rather than into his belly?
Click to expand...

the sama hapens to me and mi fire bellied newt i never see him eat only to hi's female wich is allready dead.
and i don't now why mi newt is so skinni:confused:any help please
 
TristanH said:
One other thing you could try if you are really getting worried - put the salamander in a tub with a couple of slugs. Put the lid on and retreat - come back after half an hour or so and you should find the slugs vanished and a fat salamander!
Click to expand...
I have also used this method on occasion. Some newts and sals will eat this way, but some are too stressed by being in a bare tub and won't eat. If you don't have slugs, chopped earthworm pieces (still wiggling) will also work with this method.
 
maniaticguy said:
the sama hapens to me and mi fire bellied newt i never see him eat only to hi's female wich is allready dead.
and i don't now why mi newt is so skinni:confused:any help please
Click to expand...
This is a common problem for new firebellies from pet shops. Please start a new thread where we can discuss your specific problems. It will help if you describe the newt's behavior, setup, and what kinds of food you have tried.
 
hi Peter try putting a shallow dish in his tank and get yourself some wax worm as the can't climb out put some in and count them the next day. Mine soon got used to dish feeding, but don't use wax worm as his main food or he will pile on the pounds. He's probably wandering around at night and finding food anyway, the best way to see if he's starting to lose weight is check his hip bones .
 
maniaticguy said:
the sama hapens to me and mi fire bellied newt i never see him eat only to hi's female wich is allready dead.
and i don't now why mi newt is so skinni:confused:any help please
Click to expand...


i got mi newt in 5 1/2 gallon tank i feed him with black worms blood worms and dried shrimp. i think mi newt is kind of shy i never see him moving himself whene i put the worms in front of him hi eat theme . o i think he move by night i even awake mi self at 3;00 am and he isn't moving :talker:
 
well, i got a good look at my fire salamander this morning as he was still out and about when i got up and he's nice and plump, so I guess i underestimated his hunting skills!
 
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