Do newts need vitamins?

[greenwood09]

Do newts need vitamin and mineral supplements? If so, I would appreciate any info on what kind of supplements I should give them. thanks

 

[Izzdelatorre98]

I believe bones get brittle, etc without some kind of supplement. Try Herptivite, I bought mine at PetSmart.

 

[Chinadog]

If they are fed a properly balanced diet based on earthworms or high quality amphibian pellets there's no need for supplements. The only times I use them is with very young terrestrial juveniles if I have to rely on live bloodworms for any length of time. I sprinkle powdered Hikari cichlid pellets or Vetark Nutrobal over the bloodworms and offer them on wet tissue paper so the powder sticks to the worms.

 

[keithp]

What if they eat like one earthworm a month, rest of the month eat frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, beef heart. My old newt ocassionally eats earthworms but not always so I feed a variety of frozen foods and sometimes blackworms. He never eats pellets either.

 

[Izzdelatorre98]

I think it would be better if you fed your newt(s) earthworms more than once a month. Maybe a few times a week? Earthworms are definitely the best food for them because they are very nutritional and newts (well mine at least) love them. You can continue to give them other food but overall, earthworms are your best bet. You can just dig them up from your garden, as long as the area is pesticide free of course.

 

[Asevernnnn]

Yes, earthworm should make up the majority of the diet if they refuse to eat pellets. Frozen foods should be fed as occasional treats, not the other way around.

 

[keithp]

I think it would be better if you fed your newt(s) earthworms more than once a month. Maybe a few times a week? Earthworms are definitely the best food for them because they are very nutritional and newts (well mine at least) love them. You can continue to give them other food but overall, earthworms are your best bet. You can just dig them up from your garden, as long as the area is pesticide free of course.

I should of been clearer, my newt refuses earthworms very often, that's why I say he gets worms on occasion, it's not by choice. So that's why he gets mostly frozen foods except live blackworms he eats those.

 

[Izzdelatorre98]

Ahh okay. Well in that case, like Chinadog said, you should dust whatever food you're giving him with some kind of amphibian vitamin supplement. I have herptivite and I got it from petsmart.

 

[keithp]

I brought herptivite calcium and also vitamin, how often should they be given, and how much?

 

[Asevernnnn]

I brought herptivite calcium and also vitamin, how often should they be given, and how much?

Im assuming that you're going to fish your newts out to feed? Because feeding them dusted food underwater won't exactly work lol.
How much, I would just dust them so they're covered in the supplement, and feeding can be done more or less depending on the water temperature they're kept in