Feeding my babies

[elisabeth]

What should I really feed my newts? I've read tons of sites and all of them say different things. My newts started out eating newt pellets. I got them from a friend, and that's all she was feeding them. I stopped giving them that, and started them on a blackworm diet. However, this diet is a real pain the in <font color="ff0000">&#149;</font><font color="ff0000">&#149;</font><font color="ff0000">&#149;</font>. Basically, I'll be spending my day tomorrow digging up all the gravel because a few of those stupid worms got loose, and now I have a large colony living in the tank. They seem really difficult to use as food. Any other suggestions on a healthy and easy newt diet? One of my newts is also much smaller than the other, so please keep that in mind. I'd like to fatten her up if I can. She looks like she's starving.

 

[TJ]

In a word (OK then, 2 words): frozen bloodworm.

http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/7/2329.html

...unless, that is, you're one of those people who doesn't mind chopping up live nightcrawlers and earthworms for food. Not me...

Make sure to siphon out any uneaten bloodworms after an hour or so. That goes for any other food left in the tank.

If you want to feed blackworms or tubifex worms without tank infestation, I'd clear away the gravel in part of the tank and drop them in that part -- or put a wide bowl in the tank at feeding time

 

[john]

<font color="ff0000">This was posted in the wrong section and has been moved.</font>

 

[elisabeth]

Ok, thanks. I think I might switch to the frozen bloodworms or nightcrawlers though. The blackworms are just too small and skinny, and frankly, they're an inconvience. I'll probably also save money going the other route.
Also, should I keep them on an all worm diet? I notice a lot of people give their newts all different things. Is that necessary?

 

[TJ]

Some longtime keepers say that bloodworm is in itself a nutritionally complete diet. Also, it's been pointed out that newts in the wild sometimes eat almost exclusively the same thing, and that they have remarkably efficient digestive systems that enable them to extract what they need. Just passing along what I heard

But you will also find some keepers who insist on using only live food. So sure, if you can take a blade to a nightcrawler, go ahead. I'm the soft-hearted hypocritical sort that would tend to keep the nightcrawler as a pet

I feed my newts mostly high-quality, vitamin-fortified frozen bloodworm, plus occasional treats of frozen mysis shrimp and live tubifex. These days, I occasionally give them Hikari submersible catfish tablets, but not all newts will eat those. I'd definitely avoid frozen tubifex as it fouls the tank.

http://www.caudata.org/caudatecentral/articles/foods.html

 

[elisabeth]

Ok, I think I might just go with nightcrawlers, as you can find them at any bait shop. I'll try to find frozen bloodworm cubes though. I don't think my petshop has them however.
I might have to search online, or just break down and go to PETCO *shudders*.
By the way, you've never gone fishing, have you?

 

[elisabeth]

Oh, one other thing I just came up with for food. Is chicken liver ok? We just had chicken today, and I saved the liver and it's currently in my fridge. I've read on other parts of the message board that some people feed there guys beef liver. So, please let me know what you think. Also, will it leave fatty deposits? I don't want my babies to get sick, although, I wouldn't mind them getting a little chunkier. Especially the female, since she's a bit too skinny and small.