Newt ate his skin

[kara]

my pachytriton labiatus was just ripping the last of his tail skin off in a shed and i watched him choke the whole thing down, it was cool....it was like a struggle, but he seemed to be reall enjoying it...why do the do this? I know it is common, but does it help it come off, or the just like it?

 

[heather]

I think one of the reasons both amphibians and reptiles eat their shed skin is to recover any nutrients from the shed. I have not observed my newts eat shed much, but when I kept anoles I saw them eat their sheds all the time. They were quite the contortionists trying to get shed from their backs! Sometimes I see uneaten sheds in my Cynops tank and in the water bowl of my Ambystoma, but have yet to see my Pachytriton eat shed, or see loose shed in her tank. The loose sheds are kinda ghostly though, and usually disappear after a short time from when I seen them, so I guess they get eaten after all.

 

[joan]

Yeah, I agree with Heather. No point in wasting the calories.

 

[kara]

Heather you are right, my newt was contorting and twisting and it looked like he was enjoying himself! when I got him from my bf's petstore, he was skinny and had many scars...He has since fattened up and with this shed his scars look smaller, and he is much happier.
Thanks for the replies guys!