how often should a newt eat?

[chrisrolinski]

I am desperate for an answer to this question, as I am worried about my newt. He is very active now I have moved him to an aquatic aquarium with a rock and log for land. He last ate about a week ago. But I had fed him every day for a week - and he had eaten. Maybe he just isn't hungry again yet? He was eating bloodworms fine and dislike brineshrimp. I try offering food but it won't eat. Maybe I just need to wait for its appetitie to return. Has this happened to anybody?

 

[gecko]

Hi there,
Yes i have a smooth newt he ate an earth worm first day, then for 5 days ate nothing, then next day ate some frozen bloodworm on tweezers, in my only recent experience it seems newts take days like spaces of 5 days or more to be bothered to eat again!, you just have to be patient,and dont stress them by poking food in their face, I found if you dangle the food but dont touch them with it, they will try and eat it for you!. For your newt to have ate everyday, I would have thought that unusual,maybe it depends on the species,I dont know, but I am NEW to newts as I said, I know how you feel, they are trying little creatures!lol.I have not read what times people feed their newts here, but I find mine is always interested around early afternoon, I just need to get the size of worm right for him, have you tried earthworms?they are very good for them*
Im sure there will be way more experienced people to give you the answers you are looking for

 

[Abrahm]

Well, what kind of newt is he? What temperature are you keeping him at and what are the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels? What is your water maintenance schedule like? Does it include regular partial water changes? All of these could have an effect on why he is not currently eating.

As for duration without food it can be considerable, but is related to temperature. At low temperatures they eat less and at high temperatures they eat more. Remember that newts like to be kept cool so temperatures over 70 should be brought down.

If you had fed him daily for a full week then there is no need to worry if he has gone off of food for a week, but I would try to figure out why he didn't eat by answering the questions I posted above. He may be stressed by some factor of his enclosure like buildup of metabolic wastes or temperature.

 

[Jennewt]

Did the newt stop eating immediately after you moved him to a new setup? If so, then perhaps the newt just needs time to adapt to the new setup; this is normal, but shouldn't take a whole week. Or perhaps the setup is arranged in a way that is stressing the newt or is not conducive to finding/eating the food. If the newt is stressed out by the new setup a full week after being put there, I'm thinking there is something not-quite-right about it. Can you show us a photo of the setup?

 

[chrisrolinski]

Thank you for your help. No luck with live worms today either. What to feed him!?

The newt is a Red spotted Newt and lives on its own in a 10 gallon tank. It has aquatic plants to hide in and is in about 4 inches of water (unfiltered until wednesday when I get a filter). There is a brick and a cork log with moss (under which it hides sometimes) for land. It seems pretty relaxed just not hungry. The room temp is 20 degrees celsius (around 69 F?) It now spends time in land and water as opposed to just land in the old setup. The water is cleaned every other day. And netted clean every day.

Any advice on picking his appetite up? He's such a precious, lovely little fellow - despite costing only £4.00 -I would hate to see him fade away horribly. In physical condition he is small (probably not more then a few months our of his eft stage) but not emaciated, yet.

In the pet shop the newt was kept with 3 others in a small plastic tank about 10 cm long and in about 3 cm of water. It was kept in a glass case full of other amphibians and reptiles - so it was heated to way above 70F. I hope this hasn't made him sick.....