What do you feed your alpines?

[Cheshiresbreak]

Me and my partner are getting some apline newts here in the next week and were wondering what to feed them/ how often?

We were thinking about buying some live bloodworms but due to the concerns that they could carry disease if we just buy them from anywhere we're no longer so sure about that. Would blood worm pellets be a good substitution?

 

[otolith]

Worms or nightcrawlers are the best staple food for pretty much all newts. I dig mine out of my garden beds and yard (I do not use herbicides or pesticides). Alpines are not generally fussy eaters, frozen bloodworms, black worms, earthworms, live brine shrimp, daphnia will probably all be accepted without any issue. I have been able to get adults to eat pellets too which makes things even easier. Red wigglers/Eisenia sp. (often sold as "trout worms") may be the only worm you may run into trouble with as they have a foul odor but even these can be accepted with time.

 

[Otterwoman]

I feed mine minced nightcrawlers.

 

[Cheshiresbreak]

Thanks for the suggestions! Have either of you ever had any problems with worms that are store bought? Our biggest concern was buying worms from unknown conditions that could bring in disease.

 

[Otterwoman]

I have never had problems with store bought worms.