Question: What to feed recently morphed salamanders?

[sawsalamander]

Hi everyone,

I have a recently morphed Ambystoma salamander (I believe a spotted salamander). What do
I feed it now that it is out on land? It just started coming out of the water last week and it is
about 2 inches long from nose to tail. I was feeding it frozen blood worms before morphing. I have put fruit flies and mini mealworms in it now, but have not observed it eating anything yet. Suggestions?

Thanks,

Scotty

 

[Asevernnnn]

Chopped up nightcrawler/earthworm is great food to feed aquatic and terrestrial newts and salamanders, but sometimes newly morphed salamanders go through a 'phase' and they don't eat, so don't be alarmed if it doesn't eat right away/

 

[sawsalamander]

How small of pieces and will they eat it just laying there or does it have to be moving?

 

[Asevernnnn]

For things that small I try to keep them a little less than an inch, they won't move a whole lot of they're cut that small, but I would try wiggling or just holding it near its head using a toothpick or tweezers.

 

[ellenc]

young Sotted metamorphs will often take food from forceps. Try small crickets and waxworms. They usually continue to take defrosted bloodworms for a while, but live tiny crickets and waxworms are good.

 

[sawsalamander]

How small of a cricket like petco small size crickets or pinhead size crickets that I would have to order?

 

[Asevernnnn]

I am personally not a fan of crickets, they would have to be dusted, they can escape pretty easy sometimes, and theres always a chance that uneaten crickets will bite your salamander, unless feeding with tongs or in a separate feeding container although they could probably just jump out of that.

 

[sawsalamander]

Thanks, Guys and Gals for the valuable information. I still have not seen it actively feed. There are still a few mealworms roaming the aquarium burrowing through the substrate and the salamanders itself says buried most of the time. Which bring up an interesting question if he is buried how can I feed it without digging it out? My substrate is coconut fiber (about 2 inches deep) and it falls in on the salamander as it burrows.Also can salamanders feed while buried and can it track the mealworms down through the coconut fiber substrate.

Thanks,

 

[sawsalamander]

Good news! One of my salamanders finally ate again tonight for the first time in over a week and a half since fully morphing. It ate two thawed bloodworms on the end of a shewer. Thanks for being patient with me, guys!

 

[Asevernnnn]

Mealworms probably aren't the best idea. Their hard exoskeletons are hard for salamanders and newts to digest, which could potentially cause impaction, uneaten ones can bite the caudate and leave wounds, and they will eventually turn into beetles if not eaten aswell.

 

[sawsalamander]

Mealworms probably aren't the best idea. Their hard exoskeletons are hard for salamanders and newts to digest, which could potentially cause impaction, uneaten ones can bite the caudate and leave wounds, and they will eventually turn into beetles if not eaten aswell.

Thanks Aaron! I will be getting some earthworms today from a bait shop or some place out away from my house. I will be feeding the mealworms to my leopard frog and gecko and the crickets too for now.

 

[michael]

I like to seed the setup with dwarf isopods and springtails. I then feed the salamander chopped earthworms. In this "lazyman" set up no hand feeding and less clean up is necessary. The salamander will eat the isopods and springs. The springs will eat uneaten earthworm bits.

Another good supplemental food is whiteworms.

 

[sawsalamander]

I like to seed the setup with dwarf isopods and springtails. I then feed the salamander chopped earthworms. In this "lazyman" set up no hand feeding and less clean up is necessary. The salamander will eat the isopods and springs. The springs will eat uneaten earthworm bits.

Another good supplemental food is whiteworms.

Hey where can you get isopods and springtails.

 

[michael]

Hey where can you get isopods and springtails.

Check the for sale adds or email me.