Reptotreat bloodworms in gel

[stefanie]

when i was in the store today, i saw reptotreat brand bloodworms, which are packaged in a "nurtient-rich" gel. i was wondering what you guys think of feeding this to eastern newts. my eastern is fed mainly on live blackworms (that are always on the tank floor), frozen beef heart, frozen bloodworms, freeze dried bloodworms that i rehydrate prior to feeding, and the occasional chooped earthworm or waxworm. i'm always looking for new foods, and these packets are pretty convenient, but i'm not so sure they would be as healthy as the foods he's already getting. according to the package, they also sell daphnia, gammarus and superba in gel, but i've never used any of these foods live before and havent seen the packages in stores, so i most likely wont be trying those.

the ingredients are:
bloodworms, soy protein isolate, xanthan gum, fish meal, wheat gluten, wheat starch, fish oil, guar gum, vitamins a, c, e, calcium, niacin, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, cobalt nitrate, inositol, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamin mononitrate, cyanocobalamin, cholecalciferol, managese sulfate, red#3.

also, any suggestions for easy to feed, easy to find food that i dont have to chop myself is always welcome

thanks

 

[joan]

I tried these many years ago, and found them more mess than convenience. The 'gel' doesnt hold them together in the water at all, and on land it's hard for the animal to eat even if you're hand feeding, since it's in goo-form.

 

[mike]

I personally wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.

The ingredients list looks like something out of a "B movie" chinese takeaway.

Stick to frozen if you want to feed bloodworm.

 

[stefanie]

i picked up a box, and found that if i emptied the packet onto a paper plate, i could pick the worms out of the gel and feed it pretty easily, but its not so much the ease of feeding as it is the ingredients that bother me.

i thought that it might be a good "treat" food, but both my newt, and my fish (a betta and kissing gourami) didn't seem to thrilled with it anyway. i think i'll stick to frozen.

 

[heather]

I use this along with their daphnia paste to feed my axolotl larvae, they like it alot and it says that the stuff is more nutritious than frozen foods...
you all seem to have a negative opinion about it but i like the stuff. It does get a little messy but...thats why i clean!

 

[shannon]

Jeniffer just informed me that a package of Jurassi-Diet newt food says on the back "does not contain soy products, which may interfere with calcuim absorbtion". I guess that would also include the #2 ingredient in your list, "soy protien isolate"... but would it have an effect on your animals, I don't know ... someone tell us!