Newt eyesight

[Zaina]

Okay I need answers asap plEASE


Are newts blind? Or have poor eyesight?!

I have a few italian alpine newts and they, their entire lives, have behaved as if they are literally basically 100000% blind.

Like worms dangling in front of their very faces as they are frantically trying to eat their worms and they have zero clue.

 

[PNW]

Okay I need answers asap plEASE


Are newts blind? Or have poor eyesight?!

I have a few italian alpine newts and they, their entire lives, have behaved as if they are literally basically 100000% blind.

Like worms dangling in front of their very faces as they are frantically trying to eat their worms and they have zero clue.

Zaina,
I'm no expert, but all the newts I've kept see pretty well. If your newts are juveniles and living on the land, they will need live food, because they track their food using motion. Like reptiles, they basically see something when it moves. So my juvenile Alpines will literally put their noses on their prey and wait for them to move before they eat them. If they're in the water they also use their sense of smell to find food. They're less movement dependent in the water. I'm wondering if hand feeding them is scaring them? How do they do with small crickets, if they are on land? If in the water, will they eat frozen blood worms? They are very patient and often will not feed if they see you--especially if they are new and just getting used to you.