NOTE: Be certain to wash your hands thoroughly before handling any food.

In their natural environment, live foods such as insects, worms and crickets, are newts' only source of food and therefore is the main preference. However, newts raised in captivity are introduced to a wider variety of foods such as frozen and commercially prepared products, thus allowing for more selection. Terrestrial species consume food on land, and aquatic species will also consume food on land, but mostly prefer to eat in the water.

Newts are strictly carnivores, not herbivores nor omnivores. Meaning they thrive on and consume mainly worms and various insects, not plants. Vegetation of any kind is extremely unhealthy and dangerous as this material will lay in the newts' stomachs where it will inevitably rot. Their systems have no means of digesting plant material, thus causing severe gastric ulcers to form. Therefore, newts should be fed a main diet of live foods such as worms, crickets and various insects. Vegetation, plant material of any kind must be strictly avoided due to these health dangers!

All food is swallowed whole, therefore it is wise to feed your newts appropriate sized, and easily digestible foods. Live foods are best as they contain vital nutrients required for good health and a strong immune system, thus increasing the life span. When live foods are not always available or safe, frozen foods are a great alternative. In order to maintain a balanced diet, variety is essential, and can easily be achieved by alternating between live and frozen foods. This will also prevent newts from losing interest in a specific food item which has been offered over a long period of time. Be sure to reduce the number of foods high in fat content to no more than once a week. Variety is key to promote good health and longevity by providing essential vitamins and nutrients!


All caudates (newts and salamanders) posses cone-shaped teeth on both the upper and lower jaws. They even posses teeth on the roof of their mouth as well. Caudate teeth are commonly referred to as pedicellate, which means they can be replaced indefinitely. Although their teeth do not appear like humans, they do function for much the same purpose: to assist in consuming food. However, newts and salamanders, unlike humans, will use their teeth to hold their prey and not for chewing as all food is swallowed whole.
 

NOTE: Occasionally during feeding, newts may ingest a piece of gravel accidentally. Usually this is released, however it may be swallowed. Generally within 2-3 days it is passed through their system. 

Feeding Methods: Food preferences differ depending on the newt. The best approach to feeding is trial and error. Experimenting with different foods is a good idea, especially when first beginning in order to determine food preference. Your newt will either eat the food item, or they will not. If a newt "sniffs" at a food item and wanders away, this usually indicates a lack of interest in that particular item. What your newt was fed at the suppliers can also influence their preference, especially if your newt is fairly young. Newts rely heavily on scent to find their food and therefore determine different food items by the scent, often taking their time to smell the food before consuming it. When offering a new food, the scent may be unfamiliar to the newts, and therefore, may not eat it right away. The best approach to introduce a new food item to newts is by offering only that particular food item for a week, allowing the newt enough time to recognize the scent as a food item. Be sure not to provide any other food source during this time. After this trial period, if the newts still will not eat, try another food item, as this generally indicates a lack of interest. Keep in mind that if a newt fails to eat any foods offered, after several attempts, possibility of illness is a factor. Generally, newts which are ill, lack of appetite is the main symptom. Newts which are new to the environment, have recently been ill, or which have, or are experiencing stress for whatever reason, might need a little coaxing to get them to eat. Taking the food, either in your fingers or using sterile tweezers, wiggle the food slowly in front of them, just slightly above the head. Often the movement will aid in stimulating their appetite, or it will annoy them enough that they will take a swipe at it. Over time, as newts adapt to their environment and become accustom to you they will often accept food right out of your fingers. Be cautious when using tweezers, that the newts' mouth doesn't come in contact with the sharp, pointed edge, as this can cause serious injury. Be sure to grab the food far enough up that an ample amount hangs down that the newt can grab without coming in contact with the tweezers. Placing the food on the tip of your finger is a safer alternative.


Caudate sight is limited and varies depending on the habitat and species. Terrestrial species do have slight advantages over aquatic, being able to distinguish objects and shapes easier than aquatic species. Pupils will dilate and contract according to intensity of light as with most animals and some species can even distinguish colors. Most caudate species have the ability to see in almost complete darkness, useful when searching for a midnight snack! With the exception of permanently aquatic species such as axolotls and sirens, all newts and salamanders have moveable eyelids as well as a second eyelid called a nictating membrane to protect and lubricate the eye.
 

Feeding Schedule: It is acceptable to feed newts and salamanders every other day, providing the portions are kept quite small, in order to prevent overfeeding. This can lead to obesity, and can pose serious health implications as newts do not have the ability to process and digest foods as quickly as humans. Large portions, or if fed too often will cause the newts too appear bloated for days until fully digested as the food is swallowed whole and will ultimately lay in their stomach. Once every 3 to 4 days is preferred, giving moderate portions. Newts can go up to a week or longer without eating, but is not recommended. Experiment until you find the proper amount. Overfeeding is not only unhealthy to your newts, but also causes excess waste, creating poor living conditions. Any uneaten portions of food, such as earthworms or crickets, which are a couple of days old should be removed. Old food will begin to decay and all nutritious value is lost. Eventually excess food waste will cause the pH to lower. With changing water conditions, pH will naturally fluctuate slightly and is not a concern. However, extreme and/or frequent increase or decreases, can cause your newts to become stressed.

NOTE: It is best to keep newts on a regular feeding schedule. Over time the newts will adapt to this. Sudden changes in frequency of feedings or missed feedings, may cause the newts to turn on each other. This will often result in fighting, thus causing injuries, minor and/or severe. This will affect some newts more than others, and each newt will react differently. Some newts will exhibit more violent and aggressive behaviour, whereas others may not become affected at all. Depends on the individual. If you do wish to increase or decrease feedings, it is best to make this change gradually over time, in order to allow the newts time to adapt and allow you to observe their behaviour. Pay close attention to any negative effects it may be causing, and deal with accordingly before the problem becomes severe.

Food Portions: The key to portioning food is to experiment as there can be no set amount. This is due to the abundance of possible variances which can influence the portion size. Keep in mind, each individual newt and each species is different. The size of the newt is also a factor. In general, larger species and larger newts will be able to consume bigger portions than a smaller species or smaller newt. But again, this can vary depending on the individual itself and you want to avoid overfeeding. Portions will also depend on the population size and the particular food which is being offered. With such an abundance of variances, listing set portions is not possible. Experimenting is best. Perhaps a rule of thumb to aid in this: If the newt(s) consume all food within 5 minutes, increasing the portion the next feeding is recommended. However, if food is left behind or it takes 15 minutes or longer to consume, decreasing the portion a small amount is suggested.