Newts Eat Worms

Earthworms were one of the first among different types of live food I tried for feeding Eastern newts.

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Rinse worms before feeding newts. 

My newts react to live worms unmistakably - worms are the food to go for!

 Eastern (also known as red spotted) newts  are the smallest newts living in North America. 

Here you can see an adult Eastern Newt attack a wiggler. 

Eastern newts don't have teeth. 

And therefore, Eastern newts can eat only food that fits in their mouth. 

The newt has to swallow the whole worm.

 Newts spit out any worm that is too wide or too large to swallow in one piece. 

I cut a worm on about 1-2 inch long pieces for feeding.

 That is the way of reducing waste in aquariums. 

Here you can see two newts already waiting for food at the feeding spot.

 I feed my newts every other day only live food. 

It's always fun watching newts hunting.

Newts take time tracking the game. 

And they always check what other newts are hunting on. 

It could take 5-20 minutes for a newt to hunt and swallow a worm. 

Here is one of the fastest hunts I managed to record. 

There is always a chance that the worm may escape unnoticed during feeding. 

Earthworms and red wigglers stay alive in aquariums for over a week. 

Years back I did a video experiment about earthworms in water. 

You are welcome to check it out. 

So, even if the worm escapes now, newts eventually will find and eat it anyway. 

Just make sure to give no more than newts can eat in one feeding. 

The whole young small worms are better for feeding newts than parts of larger worms. 

Also, I want to stress your attention on the feeding spot. 

Here you can see that I drop food on the flat rock.

 Newts like to dig for food between gravel too. 

Though, flat rocks make it easier for newts to find food, for mating and keeping the aquarium clean.

 Check my video about flat feeding spots for more details.

 Flat feeding spots are great for newts and fish as well.

 A male newt is in a stalking stand watching another male hunt.

 This male just grabbed a worm. 

You have to eat fast or... 

Yeah, the other newt is already here to take your food. 

Confrontation is inevitable. 

Facing off each other. 

Oho! 

And the attacker may not be so hungry for this worm after all. 

My female newt SheShy watches males hunting and munching warms never herself going after worms.

Here she is. 

SheShy is very picky about her food - mostly eats scuds and small snails. 

Newts spit out too large to swallow worms. 

I have never seen newts eat dead, even freshly killed worms. 

I leave dead worms for fish, scuds and snails to finish - they will eat it clean. 

Newts are not interested in dead meat. 

No, not even hungry newt. 

Feeding newts takes time and it's very interesting to watch. 

I also tried feeding my newts with aquatic blackworms known as California worms. 

Blackworms are much smaller and newts eat them eagerly in quantities.

 I had blackworms in this aquarium before I got newts. 

Newts ate all blackworms and scuds in the first week.

 Smaller sized live food is better suitable for feeding Eastern newts. 

I have separate tanks and containers for culturing live food for feeding my newts. 

Check my videos about culturing all kinds of worms, isopods, snails and scuds. 

Newts love live food! 

And your pets deserve the best food you can get for them. 

Have fun and happy newts :)