Question: Juvenile Newts and eating

[Fea]

Hello
I am keeping 4 Juvenile Cynops e. ensicauda from 09, i hold them since November and they have grown somewhat meanwhile (some more some less as usual).
Everything is fine then ?
Well i am slightly worried about the pickiness or unabilty of my newts to , because i have to feed them the most of the time with bloodworms. , usually by tweezers so i have control about feeding.

earthworms, chopped: they dont like
microcrickets: i can feed with tweezers, but i dont like crickets in the house
springtails: maybe to small ? they dont eat them
Enchytraeus: they eat but ofc i cant feed them too often
and finally:
Fruitflies: D. hydei they dont seem to be interested , which surprised me somewhat, i can feed with tweezers but thats terrible

i am basically down to live bloodworms, which means too few variety


My newts live in a small aquarium (40x20) on an island of stones and gravel with a couple of hides, temperature is around 20-22 degree celsius at day, at night around 18 degree.

Any tips how to make em eat/hunt (especially) flies ?
maybe i should stop feeding with tweezers ?

 

[achiinto]

I guess that means they are still mostly terrestrial? Mind to suggest how big they are?

I have raised some 70 Cynops Orientalis by hand feeding frozen bloodworm before. I have also tried fruit flies, springtails and earthworms. All these food items were taken without problem.

If the juveniles are still young, they likely need a lot of motion to stimulate feeding. If you chopped the earthworm to very small pieces, you will need to use a toothpick and mimic some movement in front of the newts. However, this method require some patient. Sometime it takes 5 minutes before the newt is dare to eat it.

I think it is the same as fruit flies, the juveniles probably just need some time to get use to a new food item. The key again is being patient. Just simply put the flies in the enclosure, close it tight and let it be for a few days.

Hello
I am keeping 4 Juvenile Cynops e. ensicauda from 09, i hold them since November and they have grown somewhat meanwhile (some more some less as usual).
Everything is fine then ?
Well i am slightly worried about the pickiness or unabilty of my newts to , because i have to feed them the most of the time with bloodworms. , usually by tweezers so i have control about feeding.

earthworms, chopped: they dont like
microcrickets: i can feed with tweezers, but i dont like crickets in the house
springtails: maybe to small ? they dont eat them
Enchytraeus: they eat but ofc i cant feed them too often
and finally:
Fruitflies: D. hydei they dont seem to be interested , which surprised me somewhat, i can feed with tweezers but thats terrible

i am basically down to live bloodworms, which means too few variety


My newts live in a small aquarium (40x20) on an island of stones and gravel with a couple of hides, temperature is around 20-22 degree celsius at day, at night around 18 degree.

Any tips how to make em eat/hunt (especially) flies ?
maybe i should stop feeding with tweezers ?

 

[Fea]

yes they are terrestrial, they are about 6 cm long.
i know that i have to motion dead food, they simply didnt like earthworms (as it seems)

 

[Jennewt]

What type of earthworms did you try? If they are compost worms ("red wigglers", or Eisenia fetida), then these smell bad when they are cut, and are usually rejected. Can you try again with plain gray garden worms?

I find that pinhead crickets are the best food for them. I understand you don't want them in the house, but I have never had a problem with the tiny pinhead crickets - if they get loose, they die very quickly.

Also, I find that C. ensicauda grow very slowly in winter. I suspect that their appetite, and desire to try new foods, may be better when the weather gets warmer.