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N. crocatus feeding Tips

Iridophore

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Alright sorry for another N. crocatus post, but I've been kind of struggling to feed mine. Do any of you guys have any tips for feeding Neurergus?
 

xxianxx

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Like most newts they do well on live foods which you can culture yourself. Unlike chopped worms or frozen bloodworm they dont die and stink the tank up, with the exception of terrestrial bugs. You have three choices of how to source your live food. Shop bought, convenient but can be expensive, some foods may not be available. Wild caught, free but requires effort, may introduce unwanted pests and parasites. Culture your own, cheap but requires effort, research and space. Aquatic bugs you can culture includes blackworm, gammerus, hog lice, snails (the babies get eaten rather than adults) and daphnia. Terrestrial foods, if you have a terrestrial section they are good but some may be used aquatically. Fruit flies and their maggots, white worm, springtails, crickets, waxworms, pea aphids. A variety of food can be provided for your newts, some of which may establish a permanent self sustaining colony, others will require constant addition. If you check my past threads i have posted about whiteworm, fruitflies in a mantella thread and daphnia.
 

pa2069

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I had a hard time feeding them as well to start with. I had several juveniles - some went immediately aquatic some refuse to go to water (I have a paludarium set up) For an aquatic only environment (so much easier to feed)- started with live black works and live brine shrimp (newts love living and wiggling stuff) then within a week, I started mixing with live black worms frozen food such us: frozen bloodworms, mysis shrimps and frozen brine shrimps. I was not successful to feed in aquatic environment earth worms..
For terrestrial setup., young crickets really stimulate the newts, white and earth worms works but only if newts are really hungry.
BTW I had some issues with black worms as they would carry various hitchhikers such us liches. I have seen actually newts eating liches but I also have seen liches attaching to newts.. a bit concerning.
 

michael

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I feed mine soft moist salmon pellets, live blackworms, chopped earthworms, and daphnia.
 

NellRose88

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My N. Crocatus doesn’t seem to be eating. I have tried live black worms that he seemed scared of (they are now all over the tank in the gravel and I can’t figure out how to keep them in the feeding dish) frozen blood worms and chopped up earth worm. I don’t see him eating. He seems happy and swims around but he doesn’t look like he is gaining weight. Should I have a glass bottom only? Should I try getting him out of the water to feed?
 

Iridophore

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My N. crocatus were scared of the bloodworms I offered them at first, but after a few weeks they happily took anything I offered them. I put their food at the bottom in an open area with sand substrate when at first I tried to hand feed them with glass bottom. I think offering them an open place to forage and feed makes it easier. I don’t use glass bottom anymore since it just made it harder to clean up. Just place the food down and leave it overnight.
As long as they are still active they should be fine. I hope this helps.
 

David Kurn

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Order some red cherry shrimp from eBay and baby red worms. The shrimp will reproduce in the newts enclosure and keep it clean. Like Michael said mine also readily take salmon pellets He sells them at a more than fair price. Regards David
 
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