Fattenning up my Red spotted newt

[jayg20]

Hi i have an adult red spotted newt, he's only just started eating after 3 weeks of severe anorexia. He's eating daphnia at the moment as these, in my opinion, foul the water least. bearing in mind that he's only just taken back to water. i've started doing a water change everyday and keeping the temperature down to encourage him to eat as much as he can. I was wondering what would be the best food for him. he'll only take live food.

 

[Kaysie]

Try blackworms. They're like earthworms, only smaller and aquatic.

 

[Jennewt]

If you cannot get blackworms, then small whole earthworms or chopped earthworms. If the newt is reluctant to take non-live food, try offering it from a toothpick or broom straw or chopsticks so that it moves.

 

[lilsoul]

I have some red spots too that did the same thing I gave them less land and feed them live earthwormes and it worked real well mine like them beter then black wormes

 

[richierich]

If you cannot get blackworms, then small whole earthworms or chopped earthworms. If the newt is reluctant to take non-live food, try offering it from a toothpick or broom straw or chopsticks so that it moves.

I agree that blackworms and smaller earthworms are the food to be feeding the newt, but I also like to include crickets in the diet of my aquatic critters. Maybe you could try crickets held underwater with a tweezer? Well another option if you are thinking "fat" is the waxworm. Again just hold underwater with the tweezers, or drop onto the water surface. Sometimes the waxworm floats with little sparkling air bubbles on him and catches the newts eye. On the note of waxworms, I also like to feed my terrestrial sals maggots. I just leave a can with nail holes in it and a peice of roadkill outside where animals can't get it and wait a few days and you will have maggots.