Newts eating too much?

[karen]

My 2 eastern newts have very hearty appetites....they eat every day (usually bloodworms). I've read that they should be fed 2 or 3 times a week. I definitely don't force the newts to eat, but when I put their food in their feeding dish, they go crazy, like they haven't been fed in a long time. I feel bad holding off and only feeding them a few times a week if they are indeed hungry. Am I doing them a disservice? Will newts just eat even if they aren't hungry? Or should I keep feeding them as long as they are eating?

PS- I am trying to reduce their portions b/c one newt is getting chunky and wedged himself behind the filter and needed to be helped out.

 

[erik]

yeah there were overfeeding dont feed em every day like you used too, from what it sound like youve got things solved

 

[ali]

Karen, I'd wait for some more advice from the big experts on this one. Like Erik, I'd like to agree and say you're feeding too much, but I'm not sure. I like to feed my newts all that they'll eat a few times a week. Since I go through an elaborate deal of putting my tarichas in separate dishes for feeding to cut down on waste, feeding them every day would be a huge deal so I've honestly never tried it.

 

[ester]

notophthalmus are fairly active. Feeding them every other day is probably ok. Occasionally skipping an extra day doesn't hurt. While my female is laying eggs I feed them extra (every day). Even then she still eats her own eggs when she gets a chance. When I feed them I use a single cube of frozen blood worms.

 

[al]

I have found live worms (black worms) will can live in the tank if they are clean and healthy. Newts like to forage around especially at night. Over feeding can be a concern for any captive caudate. Newts are used to periods of abundance and scarcity in terms of food sources that coincide with the seasons of their natural environment. Notopthalmus have been known to gorge themselves in the spring when temperatures are warmer (50-60's), water levels are high, and food sources are great. There are accounts of them relishing small anuran larva. Like Ester said, if you try to mimic the seasons with photoperiod, temperature, and food availability, they will do better. I think some species like a "winter" period of less feeding, cooler temps, and shorter light cycles (several weeks). When this is done either deliberately or by accident (power outages), they not only survive, but seem to thrive.
I sometimes forget that just because my tanks are in a indoor (temperate) environment, they can still be subjective to temperature and light changes that may trigger earlier "spring" and breeding/feeding behavior. Some species, like Spanish ribbed newts, get stimulated just by a good feeding and a water change.