Question: Winter Cooling and Starving

[achiinto]

Recently, I am able to drop the temperature down to around 10 degree Celsius planning for winter cooling and breeding. However, I noticed that my Japanese Fire Belly Newt (Sasayame) and my Fuzong Warty Newts started to reject food. Warty is better as I noticed that some pellets are gone. However, the Japanese FBN is not accepting earthworm, which they used to take.

Should I be concerned with them rejecting food? Other than the rejection to food, everything seems fine. No cloudy eyes and willing to stay in water. Water quality seems fine as well.

My other newts, Spanish Ribbed Newts, Chinese Fire Belly, axolotls, anderson, marbled and alpine are all still eating well with this low temperature. Is it because the JFBN and FWN are more tolerant to Warmth so that they are least active when cold?

Thanks,

 

[Jake]

At the cooler temps the newts' metabolisms will slow down considerably. I wouldn't worry too much about them not eating during the cooling period as long as the newts still appear healthy and don't begin to look thin. They may very well eat still, just not as often as normal.

 

[achiinto]

Thanks, it is getting warmer now and my Warty newts are starting to eat. Just that my Japanese Fire Belly are still not eating and getting skinny. I look forward to them eating again.

 

[achiinto]

Hey I got the jfbns eating now. Seems like when it is cold, they preferred the frozen bloodworms than the live earthworms.