Fire bellied newts + waxworms

[yossarian]

I just fed my fire bellied newts a wax worm each and they loved them. So much so, one of them after eating his tried to steal the other newts worm and they got into a kind of alligator death roll which i had to break up with my finger. I was wondering how often i can give them these worms?

 

[Azhael]

Ah, they really do love waxworms xD
You shouldn´t abuse waxworms, they are not nutritionally complete and they are rich in fat which can cause obesity (dreadful thing for amphibians). As part of a varied diet they are an excellent addition, though, so as long as you don´t base their diet on them, they are a great choice. The staple should be earthworms. I for example would do something like 2 out of 4 feedings being earthworms, and the other two a variety of other choices such as waxworms, crickets, isopods, bloodworms, Daphnia....
Variety is always good.

I forgot to say that you could feed waxworms a bit more frequently when the newts are preparing to breed. It gives them an extra bust of reserves that they will burn reproducing.

 

[yossarian]

I cannot find any earthworms and usually get bloodworms. I know there is earthworms in the ground but dont have time. arent earthworms too big anyway?

 

[Azhael]

Nah, you´d be surprised to see how big an earthworm they can tackle. The really big ones you can just cut in pieces.
If you don´t have time to dig them up, you could perhaps set up a small wormery. That would provide you with easy access to worms whenever you need them, and they are easy to culture even in smallish containers.
I strongly recommend that you try to feed them earthworms, they are the best food you can give them, nutritious and rich in calcium. I´d make a special effort, a good diet is essential for the well-being of your newts, and believe me, when they are healthy they thrive!!

 

[yossarian]

hey thanks for your info ill try to start a wormery.