Eastern Newt diet varieties?

[jbherpin]

What is the most common staple of fully aquatic Notos? I prefer rinsed Brine Shrimp(to remove salt), Fruit Flies, small worm tips, and for supplement, dried baby shrimp and Krill. Note: Fruit flies are offered on surface of water at depth of roughly 1.5 to 2". Are blood worms better(nutritionally), even if only available frozen? Blackworms? Tubifex? Thanks for the help!

Note from John: This is not an advanced question. Please think more carefully about where you post in future. I have moved this thread to the help section.

 

[slowfoot]

Right now, my Notos eat frozen bloodworms almost exclusively. My three newts get about one cube every 3 days or so. I think that's a pretty good amount - although my newts might be slightly (very slightly) overweight. Leftovers fouling the water aren't really a problem because the newts will search for every last scrap. They occasionally get small crickets, flies, earthworm bits, and aquatic snails (when the snails have babies). I think if I had to choose an ideal food, I would recommend live (rinsed) bloodworms. They last a long time in the tank and Notos are really experts at 'slurping' them out from between the gravel where they hide. Plus, I enjoy making the newts work for their food a little bit.

In the past, they've lived on just those freeze-dried tubifex worm cubes for years. It obviously didn't hurt them, but I wouldn't recommend it. That was back when I was a poor college student and cared more about going out and drinking than I did about my newts. They've also enjoyed, over the years, live bloodworms (a favorite), young zebrafish (not my idea, but my labmate used to feed his left over fish to my newts), mosquito larvae, their own kids, anything that was unfortunate enough to fall into the aquarium. They've lasted for almost 18 years, so their diet must be adequate.

They'll pretty much eat anything that will fit in their mouths. When I had the newts in a laboratory, my advisor once dumped a huge Pleco in with them. This thing was like a foot long. Don't worry - I took it out immediately. But before I could, the newts were already trying to find a way to fit their mouths around it.

 

[Jennewt]

The food I would recommend above all else is chopped fresh earthworms. They are high in calcium and are much loved by Notos in my experience. Beyond that, it doesn't hurt to use other foods as variety. Frozen bloodworms are quite convenient, but don't contain calcium.

 

[liam]

Hi there,

I don't know what the "most common" staple would be and can't really offer much more in the way of information than the previous replies have, but perhaps you would like another example. My Notophthalamus used to mainly get frozen bloodworm but nowadays they tend to get fed on either small earthworms or whiteworm (which they love). Once in a while I do still give them frozen bloodworm for a change, and occasionally live bloodworm (which they seem to enjoy over most other things). Unfortunately, I do not believe that live bloodworm are easily available in the U.S.A. but please correct me if I am mistaken.

For the sake of completeness, when mine periodically go terrestrial they remain keen to take both whiteworm and earthworm but will usually refuse the bloodworm.

Cheers!

Liam.

 

[xMIDNIGHTx]

I feed my notos bloodworms and they love every second of it. I do this because it is quick and easy. But like Jen said, earthworms are better for your newts so I suggest (as I do myself) giving them earthworms when you can. I feed my newts every three days and on the third feeding (about every week) I give them earthworms.

Mitch