My Newts dont seem to be eating :*(

[ashley]

I have two fire belly newts .... I've had them almost 3 months now and I'm feeding them HBH newt and salamander Bites and they don't seem to be eating them ... the little one (bam bam) seems to be getting smaller and the larger one (bananas) just says the same size. If anyone could tell me what is going on or something I could do let me know I'm starting to get a little worried.

 

[ester]

Most newts don't go for pellet food. They prefer food that wriggles

Try some live food like: blood worms, water fleas, worms, red mosquito larvae. If a worm is too big you can cut it with a knife or scissors, not a fun job but your newts will appreciate it.

Good luck.

 

[ashley]

what about earth worms ? small earth worms or cut up . Would they be okay to try ?

 

[ester]

either small earth worms or cut up bigger ones are fine. It's better to start with a worm that's too small.

 

[benjamin]

If your animals haven't eaten for a while then it's probably best to stick with small worms. Although I might add that there's a common misconception here about how large a worm a newt can eat. I once offered my CFBs a worm twice as long as them, it was a long fight and it involved many partial swallows and regurgitations and the worm past between a few newts, but once it was exhausted enough it was eaten. I haven't done this since but my newts seem to have no problem at all with tackeling worms the same length or slightly longer than them.

 

[iced01]

How did they swallow it? I don't think newts can take bites.

 

[ashley]

so do I feed them the worms in the water or on the land ?

 

[ester]

if they are in the water, just drop the worms in front of them in the water.

If they are on land, hold the worm in a tweezer in front of them (don't push the worm into their face though).

You can drop a worm on the land part too in front of them, however.. I've had quite a few instances of a newt looking interestedly at the worm, and the worm digging itself into the ground before the newt decided to taste it or not.

 

[ashley]

is it okay to have my tank set up with mostly land and a dish of water like I do? Will they be okay like that . and if it's okay what can I put in it ...right now I have rocks like you would have in the bottom of your fish tank..I read about people putting moss and stuff in ... is it okay to do that too?

 

[ashley]

OMG I just fed my small newt a small earth worm.... it was the coolest thing I have ever witnessed in my entire life !! the bigger one eats the pelletts so I guess that's why he wouldnt eat a worm for me but omg haha that was wicked

 

[ester]

Cute eh, I always enjoy watching them eat worms too. You'll be surprised what size worms they can eat once they get used to them.

I've seen them eat worms their own size in length (when the worm isn't stretched out!).

Good luck with them!

 

[joan]

Worms are much more nutritious than the pellets. Stick with worms. Try coaxing the larger one. I'm sure he'll take it eventually. Once your animals are better nutritioned, you can buy earthworms from the local baitshop and cut them up.

If you have Cynops orientalis, a mostly aquatic setup would be more favorable (if your animals go into the water). A good caresheet can be found here: http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Cynops/C_orientalis.shtml and a few good setup ideas can be found here: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/setups.shtml

Good luck!

 

[ashley]

I got the worms from under a log in my back yard lol u know the little ones .. I washed the dirt off it and dropped it by their nose.

they seem to like the land set up a lot tho..sometimes they hang out in the water for a little bit but mostly just explore around the tank.

thanks everyone : ) I was getting scared he was getting so little

(Message edited by xrumsx on May 24, 2005)

 

[joseph]

The worms most baitstores sell tend to be the red wiggler worms. Some newts may not like them esp. when you cut them up do to the secretions. I've used them occasionally by washing them if they were cut to remove the yellow fluid. Some newts will reject them no matter what though. Earthworms from the garden are fine as long as no pesticides are used.

 

[joan]

Joseph, in my experience, they sell red wigglers as trout worms, red worms, red wigglers, tiger worms, etc, and you can buy earthworms as well. One surefire way to tell if you're getting earthworms is to look at them. Red wigglers are short (2inches or so) and move a LOT. Earthworms tend to have a flat end, be a lot longer (usually 4"+), and more sluggish.

 

[chelsea]

<font color="0077aa"><font size="+1">can u lure worms up from the soil. i cant find any just by digging</font></font>

 

[janice]

wait till after it rains? or how about finding someone who composts?