Newts eat Isopods?

[rebel]

Hi, I was wondering, could i feed my isopods(woodlice) to my fir bellied newts or would this harm them? im looking at other kinds of food to feed them other then rozen bloodworms, was also considering earthworms. Thanks:happy:

 

[Azhael]

Of course you can. They are a very nutritious food choice because they are rich in calcium, and contain certain amounts of carotenes (just make sure to use isopods of an apropriate size). Earthworms are the very best. They should be the staple of the diet, which you can complete with the isopods, with the bloodworms, and many other options.

 

[rebel]

thankyou for your reply, can i also ask how i would go about feeding the earth worms to my newts, its mostly a aquatic enviroment and they rarely go onto land so should they be placed in the water?

 

[Azhael]

Yeah, just dump the worms, or pieces of worm in the water and the newts will hunt them down. You can also feed the newts individually with tweezers to ensure that everyody is equally fed.

 

[micstarz]

Important to keep in mind that if you're collecting them, make sure the area has been clear of pesticide use for at least 5 years.

 

[rebel]

I want to feed them earth worms because ive heard its a good stable diet, alng with frozen bloodworms i normally feed them
If i put the chopped up worms into the water, will they go off or start to rot after some time?
:blob:

 

[Azhael]

A live, complete earthworm can survive under water for a long time, depending on species, up to several days. Worm pieces (if large enough) remain alive and mobile for a period of time, in my experience they may not start to decay visible for many hours.
I´d say it´s unlikely the worms or the pieces of worm will have time to decay in the pressence of a newt xDD As long as you don´t feed them more than they can eat, no earthworms should be wasted.

 

[rebel]

Couple more questions, Is it normal for my newt to gulp air fromt eh surface of teh water or should i be concerned?
Second im sure its normal but shredding skin, that alright?
:happy:
Oh adn can you feed smal crickets to newts?
Thankyou for your help

 

[Azhael]

It´s perfectly normal that they gulp air. They have lungs so they need to gulp air periodically. They also "breathe" through their skins, but that´s usually not enough.
Shedding the skin is also perfectly ok. If it happens too often, it can be a sign of certain problems, but otherwise it´s perfectly natural and normal.

You can feedthem crickets as long as they are an apropriate size. Don´t abuse them, though, they are not that good as an staple.

 

[micstarz]

It's normal to gulp air if they appear to be breathing. However gulping air while feeding can occasionally lead to gas bubbles entering their digestive system which poses a problem.

 

[insectsrock77]

make sure you dont feed very many isopods because too many too soon can clog the digestive system

 

[micstarz]

You have a point, although for isopods this is less of a concern as their exoskeletons are largely digestible compared to the extensive feeding of insects like mealworms and crickets which have exoskeletons made largely of chitin which cannot be digested.