Summer feeding habits

K

karen

Guest
Has anyone else found that their newts eat less in the summer? I try to keep my apartment cool by leaving the AC on, so the water temperature doesn't go above 70 F, but my 2 newts (nvv's) seem less interested in eating. They both seem to enjoy their land masses more now, although they do go in the water still. They seem as active as usual, but they're both definitely eating less. Should I be concerned or is this a seasonal thing?
 
In theory, newts should eat more during hot weather, as heat increases their metabolism. But there are a couple of reasons why they might eat less. (1) They spend more time on land (which is typical for some newts during hot weather), and their metabolism is slower on land, so they need less food. (2) Being on land disrupts their normal feeding habits. In other words, if they eat in water, but they are not in the water as often, they have less opportunity to eat. (3) If the heat is bad enough to be causing them genuine stress, a stressed newt will usually not eat.

I'm not really sure if you should be concerned or not, but hopefully this will help you decide.
 
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