Dendrobaena earthworms

They should be fine as long as they are from a chemical free environment.
 
That group of earthworms tend to be somewhat distasteful to newts and salamanders, but they usually come around to them unless you cave in and offer them something else during the refusal period (don't give in!). It will help if you cut the worms in two and let them sit in some water for a while to wash away the yellowish fluid they secrete. I wish we could buy small earthworms here in the US like the first item there. Anybody know of seller of very small earthworms?
 
John said:
It will help if you cut the worms in two and let them sit in some water for a while to wash away the yellowish fluid they secrete.
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Before you soak them, another trick I use is to squeeze the cut chunks firmly in kitchen towel. This forces out much of the yellow secretion.
 
What is the yellow fluid is it bad for the long term health of the salamander.
 
Hooky87 said:
What is the yellow fluid is it bad for the long term health of the salamander.
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I don't know the compounds but it is not harmful.
 
All of my newts eat Dendrobena earthworms, no problem. I feed them whole, not cut, and no newt has ever refused them.
 
Refering back to the uk based worm suppliers......Would the smaller varity be ok to feed my axolotl? (sorry to kind of change subject)
 
Let me rephrase... All of my newts, salamanders, and axolotls eat Dendrobena earthworms, no problem. I feed them whole, not cut, and no newt, salamander, or axolotl has ever refused them.
 
Jennewt said:
Let me rephrase... All of my newts, salamanders, and axolotls eat Dendrobena earthworms, no problem. I feed them whole, not cut, and no newt, salamander, or axolotl has ever refused them.
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In my experience the degree of this is very much dependent on what the company has been feeding the worms.
 
True. I grow my own on vegetable scraps. I also think that the Dendrobena-type worms are less-noxious than the red wiggler worms that I used to grow.

Actually, the genus name Dendrobena is now incorrect. The two species of worms are now both in the genus Eisenia. Redworms = E. fetida or E. andrei and the larger compost worms (formerly Dendobena) are E. veneta.
 
Jennewt said:
Actually, the genus name Dendrobena is now incorrect. The two species of worms are now both in the genus Eisenia. Redworms = E. fetida or E. andrei and the larger compost worms (formerly Dendobena) are E. veneta.
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True but as many companies say Dendro as Eisenia.
 
John said:
I don't know the compounds but it is not harmful.
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This thread got me curious, so I began searching around to find out if it's known what they secrete. In case anyone else is curious... it seems that the secretion is called coelomic fluid and is a complex proteinaceous mix of antibacterials and immunogenic compounds. Some of the bacteriolytic factors have thiol-activated groups to coordinate metal ions. This makes me wonder if it these thiols may contribute to the foul taste... I'll have to keep digging to see if a more conclusive linkage is known, though.

Non-science definition - the worm's secretion contains a handful of proteins meant to prevent infection, kill bacteria, and ward off would-be-eaters. One compound contains thiols, which are type of sulfur linkage in organic compounds. Thiols can have a foul odor and can be found in familiar smells like skunk spray, skunked beer, onions, and garlic. This may or may not be what gives the worms a foul taste, but hey, you learned something.... Regardless, as John stated you will not harm your caudates feeding them worms.
 
I have now started to feed my Fire salamanders these worms, all of them ate with no problem but i have a couple of questions.
1) The size of the worms i have are to big for my salamanders so i have to chop them, but i have noticed that the back end of the worm does not wriggle and move as much as the front end, and so my fire salamanders seem to ignore it and then the worm dies, should i just offer the front end of the worm.
2)I have read that you should feed newspaper to worms as food and to keep them alive for longer, the problem i have is will the ink off the paper harm the salamanders, and is there a better food source for them.
3)And the last question is i use wet paper towel and when feeding my salamanders the juices out of the worms stain the paper towel should i change it straight away.
Thanks in advance for all you help
 
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