Confession: I use pellets

[jennifer]

After years of condemning pellets as a food for caudates, I have a confession to make. Recently, I've discovered that most of my newts will readily eat Rangen salmon pellets. I now feed many of my newts a diet of about 50% pellets.

These are the pellets that the axolotl people have been using for years, with good results. Unlike the "newt bites" that are sold in pet shops, newts actually EAT the Rangen pellets! It appears that they are much more appetizing, probably due to stronger/better smell. Also, these pellets are softer than those you'd find in a pet shop.

For more information on these pellets, see:
http://bigapple.uky.edu/~axolotl/colony/obtain.html
http://bigapple.uky.edu/~axolotl/colony/prices.html
http://bigapple.uky.edu/~axolotl/colony/pellets.pdf

 

[alan]

Jen,
Worth pointing out that these are newts in the aquatic phase?

 

[paris]

jen,
i have yet to try those, some of the pellets i have used in the past either floated and were ignored to some degree after they lost their smell or would dissolve too soon after sinking to the bottom and thus were useless and fouled the water-how do the ones you use stack up? i use a commercial turtle diet with high protein content (floating sticks) for my guys who eat anything-like pleuros, sirens and axies

 

[uwe]

Hi all,

there are floating and sinking available (at least in Germany). These are trout pellets and you get all sizes. I use them regularly on Cynops and Triturus species and just recently on Salamandra larvae. Works fine and animals are developing extraordinarily good.

uwe

 

[william]

that's interesting that they can be used for larvae, i thought they only took live food

 

[michael]

I use Rangen soft moist pellets for food for lots of my salamanders. I usually go from baby brine shrimp straight to salmon pellets for the baby axolotls. For some salamanders I use pellets as a staple and for some I use it as supplement. It's also good for earthworm and grindal worm food. Rangen salmon pellets are usually sold in 3/32" and 5/32" size for salamander food. If you have a huge need it can be ordered in 44 lb bags from Rangen. For smaller needs it can be ordered from the University of Kentucky Axolotl people. I occsassionally sell pellets but don't have a lot of extra right now. I've found using pellets and raising your own earthworms to be a great money saver.

 

[uwe]

I just use regular trout pellets, nothing fancy, but a very good diet.

The Larvae smell and eat it.

uwe

 

[jennifer]

Alan - quite right, only newts in aquatic phase will eat them!

Paris - these remain intact for at least 24 hours in water. They must smell/taste great, because they do get eaten.

The ones I use are the Rangen soft moist salmon pellets, same as the ones from Michael S. and the axolotl colony.

Rangen sells both salmon pellets and trout pellets. I wonder what the difference is.

 

[pollywog]

I use Pollywog's Aquatic Amphibian Pellets, they are a soft moist pellet that comes in 3 sizes, highly scented and taken readily by most aquatic amphibians. I’ve used them with numerous Pleurodeles (adults & larvae), Tylototriton (adults & larvae), Cynops, Axolotls, Notophthalmus, Pachytriton, Paramesotriton, Mesotriton, Lissotriton, & Triturus as well as Pipa, Xenopus, & Silurana with very good results. I also find that freshly imported WC animals accept them readily.

 

[francesco]

I use Tetra Cichlid pellets for terrestrial and aquatic caudates. The only ones that are able to eat them without me moving them in front of their faces with tweezers are pleurodeles.

 

[ian]

is there any notible health issue with using pellet? That is my biggest concern.

 

[abrahm]

I happen to use HBH's Newt and Salamander Bites for my pachytriton. They don't make up more than a third of his diet, but he actually seems to like them, swimming around frantically in search of them. They are quite small, maybe 1-2mm in diameter and they don't tend to fall apart quickly and they sink readily.

Now I don't feel quite so bad for feeding pellets... Just a question, what are the nutritional values of the pellets everyone is using? Mine have 43% raw protein and 17% raw fat, though I can't remember the rest as the food isn't here.