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Feeding Red Eft Newts

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stefanie

Guest
I brought 2 red eft newts home 2 days ago. I fed them for the first time yesterday (chopped earthworm) Only one ate (I've changed their diet, the store was feeding them pinhead crickets) They both like to hide a lot, and it is difficult to spot where they are. How would I feed these guys effectively? Yesterday I managed to put the worm right by one of their faces, but the other was hiding and I didn't want to force it out, the worm did not attract it to come out. I have a feeding dish, but they have never wandered over to that side of the tank. They enjoy hiding under the wood and slate.
74804.jpg

Any advice on how to get them out from hiding to have a meal would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
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jennifer

Guest
Hi Stephanie, welcome. How to feed a small terrestial newt/sal is a perennial problem. If you have gotten one of them to eat worm pieces, that is wonderful! Keep doing that. After a few days of trying, it's possible that the second one will figure it out. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to get them to come out and eat; and if you take away their cover object, they are likely to get frightened and refuse to eat due to fear. The best bet is to arrange the cover objects so that you can see where they are, then offer the food near their head without disturbing them too much. Easier said than done, I realize.

If you really cannot get the second one to take the worm bits, you may have to do what the pet shop did and put in pinheads or flightless fruit flies. These foods need to be dusted with a vitamin/mineral powder.

Regarding the tank, I found that wet gravel did not work well as a terrestrial substrate. Any waste that gets in the gravel gets into the stagnant wetness between the stones and I got a nasty swamp-like smell. This isn't healthy. I know it can be a bit scary to put actual DIRT into an aquarium, if you're used to keeping aquatic setups, but damp dirt is actually a lot "cleaner" - it doesn't overgrow the nasty swamp-like bacteria that you get with wet gravel. See:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/setups3.shtml
 
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stefanie

Guest
Great! Thanks so much for your help. Would I get the dirt from the garden shop? Or go back to the aquarium shop and see if they have dirt substrate?
 
B

bill

Guest
dirt from the back yard worked for my brother's tiger salamanders. you might be able to bake the dirt to be sure there is nothing bad.

(Message edited by beejium on December 18, 2006)
 
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jennifer

Guest
I agree with bill's answer, but if you don't have yard dirt, you can buy top soil (NOT potting soil). It's out of season right now, but will be in shops in spring. I make a mixture of cheap bagged top soil + coconut fiber (Bed-a-beast, or other brands).

Pet shops do sell soil-type substrates (Jungle Lizard Litter is one). They are good, but overpriced.
 
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stefanie

Guest
I've changed their habitat and posted pics under the "new red efts" thread. Thanks for all your help. Being a first time newt owner, I REALLY appreciate it! =)
 
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