FOOD FOR FBN!!!!

T

the_newt

Guest
Can I feed those wood louses to the FBN I am getting as a main diet? There are lots where I live and I was thinking about using those instead of worms. The thought of worms kind of grosses me out. And once in a while small crickets. Please help me!
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Woodlice are good food, but they don't breed very quick. A female woodlice only produces 3 to 4 batches of young ones a year.

You'll get used to worms
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PS, don't be too hasty getting a newt. Check the www.caudata.org/cc pages to find out what species you'd really like to get. There are lots of people here who breed newts, in a few months there might be offers for offspring.
 
Well thats ok I don't need to breed them becasue there are millions by my house! I can find them in any season. And yes I will feed worms once in a while but it is WAY faster and easier for me to get wood lice. I am getting one in september, and don't worry I have spent hours doing research. I always do that when I'm really excited about getting a new pet. Thats good though, since woodlice are bountiful where I live.
 
Plus I can probably only get a FBN since those are the only ones sold where I live, and I will not ship the animal since it costs so much.
 
you need to take into account the aquatic tendancies of these newts when planning the diet. it may be hard to feed woodlice to a newt that spends over 90 percent of the time underwater.
 
Actually I have read that a lot of them are semi-aquatic and lots prefer land. People have told me that their fire-bellied newts won't even eat in water. Therefore it also depends on the animal.
 
That is true for juvies, but as for adults, i will quote caudata culture:

"Once established and fully comfortable in their new surroundings, the adults tend to be highly aquatic, often only resting on rocks or floating vegetation for short amounts of time at night."

lots of people (including myself) consider an adult C.o. spending extended ammounts of time on land to be a sign of stress or disease.
 
"In the wild these newts are largely aquatic, but they should be provided with a land area which they can climb out on to rest and bask (the occasional odd fire bellied newt will spend a fair amount of time on land)."

"Semi Aquatic :

Alpine Newts
California Newt
Crested Newt
Eastern Newt
Emperor or Crocodile Newt
Japanese Fire Bellied Salamander
Mandarin Salamander
Marbled Newt
Northern Red Salamander
Oregon Newts
Spanish Ribbed Newt"

"Japanese and Chinese Firebellies are much smaller and are more aquatic although it wouldn't be that bad with a 50/50 set up. You could toy with it and see what they like. "

"They have Fire Bellied newts at out Petsmart. My brother wants one for Christmas. They look pretty cool.

The ones there did go on land, there about 10 in a 20 gallon and it was liek the first drawn pic just a bit more land. About half were on the land just walking around, but they looked wet alot, so I'm assuming that they go on land for like 5-10 minutes and go back and then back on land if they want to."

"Fire-Bellied newts are smooth when young and aquatic, turning rougher with age as they turn more terrestial.


So I don't know, there are lots of sources that sugest fbn can be more terrestrialized, but also many that say they are mainly aquatic. Like I said before I hope that this is the case because I have no other choice. From what I know of there are no other types of salamanders or newts around where I am.
 
Forgot this one
"I always have used a 25% water to 75% land setup, and my newts have always been healthy and happy."
 
Whether this species is terrestrial for long periods of time in the wild is uncertain, but some individuals and particularly newly purchased individuals will commonly refuse to enter water for long periods of time. The cause of this is generally poor captive conditions and stress experienced prior to purchase such as fouled water, high temperatures, and being housed with larger, aggressive species of amphibians. While this can be the behavior of an ill newt, it is also common in healthy individuals, so if your newt shows no apparent signs of illness in conjunction with this behavior then don't worry unnecessarily. This is often more of an inconvenience to the owner than a real health problem and once settled, most individuals eventually make their way back to the water. Individuals can also be persuaded to return to the water by providing land areas where the newts cannot fully emerge from the water or resting areas with only 1-2 mm (0.1 in) of water . If the newt cannot keep its skin completely dry, this often reverses the "terrestrial" urge.
 
Yes, i know all of this. you're still missing the point. Don't rely on a terrestial food source for a newt species that is know to be largly aquatic.
 
Yes but I don't see the problem in doing so. I can still give it to them in the water, and there was a page that specifically said that they could be a food source. I just wanted to know whether or not it could be used as a main diet instead of earthworms. I understand what you mean know I just got a little confused. Thanks for your help!
 
<font color="0077aa"><font size="+1">although im new to this i really dont see any harm in using woodlice as the main part of the diet other than if the newt would reject them. my newt went through a terrestrial period for about a week after i got it. if your does i would take this time to get he/she used to woodlice. after the terrestrial stage it should recognize woodlice as its main source of food. if it doesnt take to woodlice let it get hungry (the can go without food for up to 2 weeks). Just PLEEEEEASE make sure the woodlice's shells arent too hard.

PS when ira said she is grumpy she MEANS it LOL
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You are mostly terrestrial but go swimming once in a while. If someone really wanted to they could keep you in a fully aquatic environment and just provide you with a resting place so you don't drown at night.

This is what you are talking about when you want to keep semi-aquatic newts fully terrestrial.

If you cannot provide the optimal care for the pet you wish to keep, then simply do it a favour and <font color="ff0000">don't</font> buy it. Take a dog, guinea pig, rabbit.. those are all fully terrestrial.

Chinese fire bellies are living beings too and deserve to have <font color="ff0000">their</font> needs met and not yours.
 
<font color="0077aa"><font size="+1">actually ester my fbn chose not to enter the water even though i provided with plenty of it. i suppose this is from the stress of moving to a new home. it is now fully aquatic though i did provide it with a raft. i am not asking the_newt to keep its pet from water. just that if it goes through a terrestrial stage to feed it woodlice during this time.</font></font>
 
<font color="0077aa"><font size="+1">also the_newt what type of fbn are you getting?</font></font>
 
i'm a he

"if it doesnt take to woodlice let it get hungry (the can go without food for up to 2 weeks)."

you should not be owning animals if you have this sort of attitude. When you take an animal into your care you need to provide with what it requires to live, not force it to live under the care you want to provide it with.
 
Hello,

I have 16 adult/sub adult C.orientals (Chinese Fire Belly)newts. Of all these newts, only one subadult prefers land area (and she expects to be handfed). In my experience, these newts are closer to fully aquatic than semi aquatic. A few choosing to rest a bit on the elodea provided for them, but never the land areas. The majority of the time, they are fully submerged, either resting, or foraging. I could not envision my newts going to land and hunting woodlice (they'd probably expect me to hand them one).

IMO the best way to keep this species of newt is in an aquarium either 1/2 to 2/3 full of water, with floating land areas. Either keep the tank bare bottom, or provide a feeding dish for their food. I feed thawed, rinsed, bloodworms, and earthworm pieces.

The advantage of having aquatic species is that you can see them most of the time. This helps you to monitor their behavior and health, not to mention viewing pleasure.

Should you prefer a terrestrial setup, you might want to keep another species.
 
<font color="0077aa"><font size="+1">sorry truly sorry ira. not used to that sort of name in the south. im not rich. to tell you the truth i only paid 3.84 for my chinese fbn. i really wasnt expecting a creature with so many needs. it wont eat pellets, mealworms, and i didnt try the woodlice in this area as their shells are too hard. i dont have access to earthworms. the pet stores dont sell them. does anyone have a way to lure them from the soil?</font></font>
 
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