The newt is a tiny amphibious salamander that looks like the most adorable cross between a lizard and a frog – and it’s this creature’s cuteness that has made many a pet lover want to own one.
If you’re considering getting a newt, it’s best to be prepared. This means familiarizing yourself with its various needs, including the different kinds of foods it can and can’t eat.
So, what do newts eat in the wild? What do they eat as pets?
Read on to find out!
The Wild Newt’s Diet
They may look incapable of harming a fly, but newts are, in fact, exclusively carnivorous. As such, they obtain protein only from meat – specifically insect, worm, slug, shrimp, and tadpole meat.
As we’ll see below, what a newt’s diet consists of depends on whether the animal is hunting in the water or on land.
What terrestrial newts eat
On land, newts hide under damp, dark areas such as rocks, stones, logs, and compost heaps. As nocturnal animals, they usually stay concealed during the daytime and then come out at night to hunt. They’re most active when the evenings are warm and damp.
As terrestrial newts grow larger, they start preying on bigger and bigger victims.
Newts typically feed on invertebrates and other small meat items, including:
- Amphibian eggs
- Crane flies
- Insects
- Mites
- Other newts
- Slugs
- Small invertebrates
- Snails
- Spiders
- Springtails
- Worms
Like the toad and the frog, the newt has a long, sticky tongue, which it uses to ensnare prey.
The newt uses either of two hunting methods: active or passive. A newt that relies on active predation actively pursues other animals to eat. One that uses passive predation lies in wait for the perfect opportunity to ambush creatures unfortunate enough to come near it.
Newts aren’t picky when it comes to food. They’ll attack and try to eat earthworms much larger than them, for example. They’ll even feed on other types of newts!
What freshwater newts eat
Newts that prefer an aquatic environment live in ponds, typically concealing themselves among underwater vegetation such as weeds.
Some freshwater newts live in the water their entire lives, eating organisms they come across while swimming. Others spend time both in the water and on land.
The animals that aquatic newts feed on are as follows:
- Aquatic insects
- Aquatic worms
- Daphnia
- Leeches
- Mayfly nymphs
- Other newts
- Seed shrimps
- Shrimps
- Small fish
- Small crustaceans
- Tadpoles
- Water fleas
- Water invertebrates
- Water lice
- Water snails
Freshwater newts also feed on critters that fall into the water, such as:
- Ants
- Bees
- Beetles
- Insect larvae
- Millipedes
- Mosquitoes
- Sawflies
- Wasps
The aquatic newt’s feeding behavior changes depending on the time of the year. During the mating/breeding season, for example, it consumes its food where it breeds and hunts during both the day and night.
Because its long, sticky tongue isn’t as effective at catching prey in the water as it is on land, the freshwater newt relies on a different hunting strategy. Its jaw is equipped with plate-like structures that boast teeth-like projections called vomerine teeth. Though vomerine teeth aren’t sharp, the newt can use them to snag prey, which it then swallows.
Scientists have even observed aquatic newts violently shaking the prey they’ve grabbed to kill them in the same way a dog would kill a rat between its teeth. Such newts also use this shaking method to remove pond snails (e.g. great ramshorns) from their shell.
The Pet Newt’s Diet
Newts in captivity aren’t that different from their wild counterparts. For this reason, the newt you keep in your home has the same nutritional requirements as one found in a forest or swamp. It’s therefore your job to ensure your diminutive pet enjoys a diet that’s an extremely close imitation of a wild newt’s.
We don’t suggest finding your newt’s food in the wild, however; many of what newts consume can be purchased at pet stores. In fact, it’s better to avoid giving your pet any critters you’ve harvested from the wild, as they may be infected with parasites and diseases that they can pass on to the animals that consume them.
In addition, you should keep in mind that your pet’s species will heavily influence its diet, so as much as possible, give your pet food that its kind is known to eat.
Thankfully, as newts aren’t picky eaters and will readily adapt their diets to whatever is available, it’s not hard to find food for your pet. Several newt species, for example, will eat various insects and worms. Some enjoy frog eggs, tadpoles, and even tiny frogs. Others ingest fish eggs, small fish, and young amphibians.
Here are more specific examples of foods you can offer a pet terrestrial newt:
- Crickets
- Mealworms
- Phoenix worms
- Silkworms
- Waxworms
- White worms
And here are examples of foods that are perfect for a pet aquatic newt:
- Insects
- Bloodworms
- Brine shrimp
- Fish food
- Frozen fish
- Mealworms
- Mosquito larvae
- Nightcrawlers
- Plankton
While newts prefer consuming live prey, they can be trained to feed on dead ones.
It’s generally much better to feed your pet gut-loaded insects – insects that have recently enjoyed a calcium-rich diet.
Regarding supplements
Because wild newts obviously don’t enjoy access to supplements, many people think it’s unnecessary to feed vitamins to their pets. However, supplements can help guarantee your pet lives the healthiest life possible and even extend its life expectancy.
For these reasons, we recommend giving your newt calcium and multivitamin supplements once or twice weekly. Calcium is of particular importance to amphibians and reptiles, as this mineral plays a key role in the development and maintenance of strong, healthy bones. A lack of calcium can lead to irreversible deformities, brittle bones that are prone to damage, and even death.
How often to feed a pet newt
Unlike people, newts don’t need to eat several times daily. In fact, you don’t need to feed a full-grown newt every day.
Feeding an adult newt once every two days should suffice. Only feed a juvenile newt every day so that it acquires the right amount of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients necessary for it to enjoy healthy growth.
Consult a veterinarian to determine the appropriate feeding frequency for your pet newt.
Encouraging a stubborn newt to eat
If your pet newt refuses to eat the food you offer it, it could be because it finds its environment uncomfortable.
Transfer your newt into another enclosure and thoroughly clean the original one before returning it to said original enclosure. Alternatively, you can get your pet a new, better enclosure.
Then, provide your tiny friend with live, gut-loaded food. You can even wiggle the food in front of its face to entice it to eat.
Don’t give newts inappropriate foods
Newts are carnivores, so they only consume meat. For this reason, don’t give your pet any non-meat items such as fruits, vegetables, or mushrooms.
In addition, newts shouldn’t be offered animals that can harm them, that are much larger than them, and/or that have parts that are tough to swallow or digest. Therefore, don’t give your pet critters such as snakes, chickens, huge frogs, or turtles.
Seek veterinary advice
The best way to figure out what foods are most appropriate for your newt is to seek the help of a veterinarian who specializes in taking care of exotic pets. After examining your animal, they’ll be able to determine what specific foods will benefit its health the most at its specific stage of life.
Make sure to listen to all the advice the vet gives you and follow their instructions closely!
Conclusion
Newts are carnivorous creatures that feed on a variety of creatures, including small insects, arachnids, worms, fish, and crustaceans. Terrestrial newts and freshwater newts consume similar animals but use different hunting strategies.
To ensure your pet newt stays in good health, make sure to give it a diet that’s as close as possible to what a wild newt eats in its natural habitat. Thankfully, many exotic pet stores sell critters that are appropriate for newt consumption.
Don’t forget to seek veterinary advice if you’d like to know what foods are best for your newt to eat!