Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was wondering how everyone feeds thier pets. More to the point, if you use live food, like earth worms, do you just drop them in the tank and hope that they are found? I have 3 very large critters in a 75 gal and have problems feedig. If I just drop the worms in they are most likely not found and worst of all the worms make their way down into the gravel and die. This fouls my water and increases the time I have to take to maintain the system. Does anyone move thier pets to a feeding tank at diner time? Is this worth the effort? Any suggestions on feeding practices would be greatly appreciated.

It depends on what you are feeding. Most of the larger species I work with I feed off of tweezers so I can make sure they are eating as well as the quantity the animal is getting fed.
If you list the species, I might be able to supply more information.

Ed

I have 3 necturus and have been feeding them night crawlers by hand. They seem to love them and cant get enough. By the way how much is to much? I try to let each get about 2 large worms every other day. Is that too much? Not enough? Thanks for your reply.

The metabolic rate is dependent upon the temperature of the aquarium and the rate of growth of the animals. At about 65-72 F I tend to feed to satiation twice a week if the animals are adults or close to adults if this helps you as a guideline.

Ed

I would recommend getting a long feeding tongs or long hemostat and hand-feed them. Newts will often eat more readily if the food is held in front of them.

All my critters have different eating habits.

I have an Axolotl who loves red wiggler earthworms. I buy them at a local bait and tackle store. If they are a little long, I usually cut them in two for feeding. I then us a bamboo skewer (the kind you use for shish kabob) - skewer the worm and then hold it down in front of the Axolotl's nose. He usually snaps and graps right away and rips it off the skewer. I then feed the other half. He is still in his growing phase so he goes through one worm per day.

I have a Chinese Fire Bellied Newt who also loves the red wigglers. I chop them up into little bitesized portions and feed the same way. Usually just one or two per feeding and I feed (on average) once a day.

I also have two vicious Paddletail newts who will eat anything. I cut and skewer the worms the same way, or give them a small chunck of frozen bloodworms which they will rip and tear into bits the second it begins to thaw. They are living eating machines!

Farvoyager