Terrestrial Flatworms

[tony]

anyone else feed these to terrestrial salamanders? i find a few in the same spots i collect earthworms. this article http://www.bioone.org/perlserv/?request=get-abstract&doi=10.1674%2F0003-0031(1999)141%5B0305%3ALPAPHP%5D2.0.CO%3B2 says salamanders may eat them with no ill affects althought they are often ignored. considering they prey on earthworms they should be nutritious, maybe they taste bad or just too slimely.

 

[cameron]

I have found them all the time but I don't know for sure if they are okay. I'd just stick with earthworms.

 

[jennifer]

That's an interesting article, Tony. I had never heard of these worm-eating flatworms. The abstract you linked seems to suggest that most sals won't bother to try eating them. It's probably not something you want running loose in your terrarium (as it would eat escaped worms that otherwise might become future sal snacks).

 

[ryan]

You are talking about those yellow flatworms with a black stripe down its back right? I find these often. I also find them near red-backs.

 

[tony]

yup yellowish with a stripe, Bipalium adventitium
http://images.google.com/images?q=Bipalium+adventitium&svnum=100&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&rls=GGGL,GGGL:2007-6,GGGL:en&filter=0


surprisingly i was able to get one of my thinner and shyer salamnders to eat one from a tweezer today. my 5month old tomato frog took one too no surprise there its such a lil pig.

i find these flatworms occasionally ranging from 1 - 4 inches. i found 3 all about 1.5in yesterday and kept them overnight. seems that there's little harm in feeding them based on that study. considering there a invasive predator of worms if i can get my herps to eat them all the better. they give me the creeps since they have such a parasite look to them ... like tapeworms in the dirt

 

[ryan]

Yeah they do look weird (but cool), I found one 2 days ago, about 1.5 inches long.