A Red-Spotted Newt's Diet

The red-spotted newt is one of the few members of the newt family native to North America, according to the University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web. These small amphibians also thrive when kept in captivity, making them a popular pet. In order to understand the appropriate diet for a red-spotted newt, a pet owner must understand their life cycle and hunting practices. A newt's diet changes throughout its life.

  1. Life Cycle

    • According to the Radical Reptiles, Awesome Amphibians website, the life cycle of a red-spotted newt is divided into three distinct periods. Red-spotted newts begin life as larvae, grow into an adolescent stage known as the eft stage and finally become a full-grown adult. The larvae are gilled aquatic beings that go through a metamorphosis to become a newt that can travel onto the land after three to four months of development, states the Grizzly Run website. This eft stage may last anywhere from one to seven years before the newt becomes an adult.

    Hunting

    • Throughout the various stages of a red-spotted newt's life cycle, its hunting practices influence the types of food it eats. Red-spotted newts have also adapted their hunting practices to various environments. As a result, these amphibians are able to survive in frozen, stagnant and polluted waters, according to Radical Reptiles, Awesome Amphibians. Newts use their sense of sight, smell and taste to find food. The Animal Diversity Web states that larvae eat only in the water, efts hunt primarily on the land and adults may hunt in the water or on land.

    Larvae Diet

    • Larvae live in the water where they are born and must feed on food sources found in those habitats. According to the Animal Diversity Web, a larvae's diet consists mainly of water fleas, snails and beetle larvae.

    Eft Diet

    • As an eft, red-spotted newts adapt to hunting on land. During this stage, they primarily eat bugs and small animals found in the leaf litter of woodland areas. Efts feed on snails, spring tails and soil mites. Waxworms, fruit flies and pin-head crickets are common dietary items at both the eft and adult stage, according to Grizzly Run.

    Adult Diet

    • Adult newts are able to hunt on both land and in the water; this adaptability leads to a diverse diet for full-grown red-spots. In addition to worms, fruit flies and crickets, adult newts feed upon brine shrimp and ghost shrimp, according to Grizzly Run. Radical Reptiles, Awesome Amphibians states that insects, snails, slugs and spiders may also become prey for an adult red-spotted newt. Red-spotted newts are highly adaptable and will eat virtually any small invertebrate it can find.

    Captive Diet

    • The adaptability of eft and adult red-spotted newts is one of the reasons why these animals do well in captivity. According to Radical Reptiles, Awesome Amphibians, pet newts thrive on a diet of chopped worms, shrimp, snail and raw meat. Grizzly Run recommends feeding red-spots bloodworms, white worms and guppies. These animals, along with brine shrimp, may be raised as feeders at home and are also typically available at pet shops and bait stores.