Eisenia fetida Problems and Solutions?

[seandelevan]

Hi im a proud owner of two young Cynops ensicauda popei. Acquired them as young newly morphed juveniles. They have grown up quickly and easily, feeding them everything from fruit flies, blackworms, bloodworms, whiteworms and as they got bigger common earthworms I've found in my yard. It is these they ate voraciously, but the last few months these worms have been hard to find due to summer. Instead I bought 200 Eisenia fetida for them. They do not eat these, unless absolutely starving.

I know they emit a foul substance when harmed. At first my newts ate these only to "throw them up" immediately. Most of the time now they swim away when I try to feed them these worms. They might eat a very small piece of one only when they are starving. This is causing major problems now. They rarely eat frozen blood worms, and the closest place that sells blackworms is 2 hours away and a lot of times they are "out", leaving me with only these worms. I do have fish that eat these worms so they are not going to waste. But is there anything I can do to fix this? Any tips? It's pitiful to have seen my fat heathy newts waste away since they won't eat these worms. Help!

 

[evut]

I keep C. pyrrhogaster and they won't eat these worms either, only sometimes very small ones will be taken by my greedy females. The males don't want even garden worms. I managed to get them to eat pellets on a regular basis and they get lesser waxworms and bloodworms (their favourite food) occasionally. Try to find some small axolotl pellets. The newts probably won't be too excited about these at first. Let them go hungry for a few days if they refuse to eat them and hopefully they will accept them in the end. Well formulated pellets should provide good nutrition. Lesser waxworms are difficult to get hold of and aren't the easiest to culture, but they can be offered as a treat once in a while.

 

[michael]

Get some E. hortensis earthworms. Set up a little recycling bin for your vegetable scraps. Feed the salamanders worms that are not fetid. If you raise your own you will have all sizes available.

 

[sde]

E. fetida aren't liked by some caudatas ( I believe it varies from individual to individual as well ), so I agree with Michael, E. hortensis is a good one. -Seth

 

[mr cyclone]

I have had this issue with nearly all the newt species I've kept , the best solution I have found is to use smaller worms than you would usually offer the secretions in the smaller ones must be greatly reduced or non existant /non effective

 

[Jennewt]

If the OP is just purchasing worms (doesn't mention wanting to grow them), then I'd suggest trying to find Canadian nightcrawlers at your local Walmart stores. Canadian nightcrawlers are a staple food at my house (even though I also grow the Hortensis worms).

To FIND the worms at Walmart, go to the gun department (it has to be staffed) and ask them if they have live bait. Most do.

 

[chaimdov]

I find that washing the worms very well with regular tap water (chlorine and all) makes them much more palatable.

 

[seandelevan]

If the OP is just purchasing worms (doesn't mention wanting to grow them), then I'd suggest trying to find Canadian nightcrawlers at your local Walmart stores. Canadian nightcrawlers are a staple food at my house (even though I also grow the Hortensis worms).

To FIND the worms at Walmart, go to the gun department (it has to be staffed) and ask them if they have live bait. Most do.

Even though these tend to MASSIVE compared to the newts being fed? Chop them in to tiny tiny pieces?

 

[Jennewt]

Even though these tend to MASSIVE compared to the newts being fed? Chop them in to tiny tiny pieces?

Exactly. There's even an article about it:
Caudata Culture Articles - How to Feed a Large Worm to a Small Newt