Question: Calcium and Vitamin A Supplementing for Eurycea fed partially on Fruit Flies

[SeraphimSept]

I may be aquiring some Eurycea from a keeper who is shifting their attention to other amphibians in the next week. I am planning to feed them primarily the night crawlers and red wrigglers that I feed my newts, but cut into smaller sections, but I also have the option of wingless melanogaster fruit flies, as I breed them for dart frogs. For dart frogs, fruit flies are always dusted with Calcium every feeding aside from one to two feedings a month where Vitamin A dusting is used. Is this supplement regime recommended for salamanders consuming fruit flies as a substantial (~ 20 %) of their diet as well? I have checked the Caudata Culture Eurycea sp. care sheet as well as the articles about food items and their nutritional formulation, and haven't seen any mention of supplement dusting.

 

[frank beard]

Unless you mean you are culturing those worms and are going to be feeding tiny hatchling worms then no, Eurycea species can't eat night crawlers and most species couldn't eat red wigglers due to the size. Moreover Eurycea species generally do not feed heavily on (or even at all) worms as adults. They will however eat fruit flies and especially if they are dusted as you describe fruit flies can form the majority of the diet. What species of Eurycea are these? There are some species that are neotenic, some that are tiny, some that are small and some that are modest size and could probably eat a red wiggler (now whether they would is an entirely different issue).

 

[SeraphimSept]

Ahhh that is good to know! I was going off of the Eurycea care article on Caudata Culture, which mentioned finely chopped earthworms. I am guessing that only works for larger species, and mine would be Eurycea cirrigera, so tiny Eurycea. I do have access to hatchling worms in my culture bins, but I would rather grow them out and feed them to my macedonicus or crocatus colonies if the Eurycea probably won't touch them anyway. I have plenty of fruit flies and bean beetles to offer instead.

Thank you so much for your help!