A Salamander’s Diet: The Ultimate Guide

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Most amphibians are opportunistic eaters that swallow anything moving and small enough to fit in their mouth. Some amphibians occasionally consume plant food but, for the most part, salamanders are carnivores.

Salamanders eat flies, beetles, ants, true bugs, springtails, mites, wasps, bees, crustaceans, mollusks, worms, isopods, brine shrimp, and insect larvae.

Large salamanders can also eat small fish, lizards, snakes, and crayfish.

This is an in-depth guide on the salamander’s diet – Here you learn what they eat in the wild and what to feed them in captivity.

What Do Salamanders Eat?

The Diet of a Salamander Infographic
The Diet of a Salamander. Image credits below.

Salamanders eat a large variety of foods. The table below lists only some of the popular sources of food for both terrestrial and aquatic salamanders. Each of the food groups includes enormous amounts of species and subspecies.

There are thousands of different types of flies, for example. They’re found throughout the world and they’re one of the most common food sources for Caudata.

With that in mind, a salamander in the Northern United States has access to different types of flies than salamanders in China.

A salamander’s diet heavily depends on the types of food available in their environment.

Salamander’s DietTerrestrialAquatic
Flies (adult, larval)Check IconCheck Icon
Beetles (adult, larval)Check IconCheck Icon
AntsCheck Icon
True Bugs (adult, larval)Check IconCheck Icon
Butterflies (larval)Check Icon
SpringtailsCheck Icon
MitesCheck Icon
RoundwormsCheck IconCheck Icon
Stoneflies (larval)Check Icon
CrustaceansCheck Icon
MollusksCheck IconCheck Icon
DragonfliesCheck IconCheck Icon
CricketsCheck Icon
SpidersCheck Icon
MillipedesCheck Icon
Wasps, BeesCheck Icon
A list of common types of food sources for wild salamanders.

This list is based on research data of the Black Mountain Salamander in Southeastern Kentucky[1], The Encyclopedia of Amphibians, and related sources. See the references section for more information.

A Salamander’s Diet During The Different Stages of Their Life

Amphibians eat different types of food throughout their lives based on their habitat and size. This section covers the types of foods a salamander eats during each stage.

Larva Salamander Diet

Fire Salamander Larva
Fire Salamander Larva. Photo by Eric Isselée / Adobe Stock

The larval form is the first stage of a salamander’s life when they begin eating things other than the yolk of their egg sack. This stage is akin to the tadpole stage of a frog’s life.

  • Unlike frogs, baby salamanders are not called tadpoles; they’re larvae.
  • A juvenile newt is called an “eft”. Newts are semi-aquatic salamanders capable of living on land.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s have a look at their diet.

Larval salamanders are carnivorous. They primarily eat insect larvae, roundworms, and small crustaceans[2].

  1. Fly larvae (Diptera)
  2. Roundworms (Nematoda)
  3. Freshwater molluscs (Sphaeriidae)
  4. Beetle larvae (Coleoptera)
Salamander larva do not eat algae, bacteria, or plankton covering aquatic plants like tadpoles (the larval form of frogs). They’re carnivorous from larva to adult.

One study from the Department of Biology at Davidson College in North Carolina examined the diet of Larval Red Salamanders (Pseudotriton ruber)[3]. They mostly consumed a type of fly from the Chironomidae family at 36.52%. Next was freshwater bivalve mollusks from the family of Sphaeriidae at 15.17%. After that was terrestrial prey at 7.87% and last was other salamander larvae at 2.25%.

Juvenile Salamander Diet

Juvenile Fire Salamander
Juvenile Fire Salamander. Photo by Schmutzler-Schaub / Adobe Stock

The juvenile stage of a salamander’s life comes after metamorphosis. Newts begin venturing on land and aquatic salamanders take on the same appearance as their adult version but at a smaller scale.

It’s at this point that their diet changes depending on their type. Newts are capable of surviving on land while fully aquatic species, like Axolotls, are not. Naturally, their diets are different depending on whether they’re terrestrial or aquatic.

Regardless, both types eat small versions of what mature Caudata eat.

  • Terrestrial – Flies, insect larva, isopods (“pill bugs” or “rolly pollies”), pinhead crickets, mosquitoes, and small worms.
  • Aquatic – Small crustaceans, mollusks, worms, brine shrimp, flies, and insect larvae.

Juvenile salamanders eat much of the same things as adults, just in smaller forms. One example of this comes in the form of crickets. Adults can generally eat full-grown crickets whereas young salamanders eat baby crickets, sometimes called “pinhead” crickets.

Adult Salamander Diet

Fire Salamander on Moss
Adult Fire Salamander. Photo by Wirestock / Adobe Stock

Adult salamanders are fully matured and, just like their larval stage, they remain 100% carnivores. They’re opportunistic feeders, willing to eat almost any living creature small enough to fit in their mouth.

Most adult salamanders eat:

  • Flies, mosquitos, crickets, locusts, roaches, isopods, earth worms, caterpillars, slugs, and spiders.
  • Small crayfish, brine shrimp, blood worms, roundworms, tubifex worms, small crabs, clams, and oysters

Some large salamanders also eat:

  • Small animals like pinky mice, caecilians, lizards, snakes, frogs, and fish.

The items listed here represent a typical diet for adult salamanders around the world. Each species has access to different food sources depending on where they’re located, the season, and of course, what is readily available.

For more information on the size of individual food items, see the “appropriately-sized feeder” graphic in the captive salamander diet section below.

Newt vs Aquatic Salamander Diet

A newt is a semi-aquatic salamander, capable of living on land. Their selection of food is broader than that of fully aquatic salamanders because they have access to land and water-dwelling creatures.

Terrestrial salamanders have the option of eating land-dwelling insects like crickets, spiders, and grasshoppers. Because they can return to the water, they also have access to minnows, brine shrimp, crustaceans, and mollusks.

Pet Salamander Feeding Guide

Feeding a pet salamander may seem like a daunting task, considering all the options… But have no fear, my friend. It’s not so bad. This section teaches you how to feed your pet, whether it’s semi-aquatic or fully aquatic.

The table below separates the kinds of food based on the type of salamander. Continue reading for more information about supplements, appropriately-sized feeders, frequency, and portions.

Popular Pet Store Feeders

TerrestrialAquatic
Crickets, fruit flies, mealworms, super worms, wax worms, horned worms, dubia roachesBrine shrimp, minnows, blood worms, tubifex worms, daphnia, meat-based fish pellets
A table listing popular terrestrial and aquatic food sources for captive salamanders.

Feeder insects available in most pet stores include crickets, fruit flies, mealworms, super worms, wax worms, horned worms, and sometimes dubia roaches. This list pretty well covers the terrestrial critters.

As for aquatic feeders, you’re most likely to find brine shrimp, minnows, blood worms, tubifex worms, daphnia, and meat-based fish pellets.

Salamanders are carnivores and should not eat plant foods. For this reason, only use meat-based fish pellets if you choose to use commercial fish pellets.

Many hobbyists choose to cultivate their own colonies for the sake of quality, time, and money. Feeder insects in pet stores often lack good nutritional value. For this reason, it’s important to either “gut load” or dust the insects with supplements before feeding them to your pet(s).

Supplements

Wild salamanders have access to a large variety of healthy insects. This is where they obtain the nutrients that keep them healthy. In captivity, however, the variety of insects is limited to what you can buy in pet stores or raise on your own.

And make no mistake, the variety is much smaller in captivity than it is in the wild. For this reason, it’s important to dust feeder insects with supplements in powder form.

Recommended supplements:

  • Multivitamin
  • Calcium

My favorites are Rep-Cal’s Herptivite, which is a multivitamin, and their Calcium with D3 (links go to Amazon). These supplements are in powder form and the object is to “dust” feeder insects with them before feeding your salamander.

Obviously, this won’t work well with things like frozen bloodworms. This is mostly for pet store crickets.

Appropriately-sized Feeders

Feeder insects should be appropriately-sized. This is based on the type of food and the overall size of your salamander. See the image below for an example.

Feeder Cricket Size for Salamanders

Feeder insects like crickets and dubia roaches should not be bigger than the distance between your salamander’s eyes. These are what I like to call “appropriately-sized” feeder insects.

This rule becomes complicated when comparing the size of worms to your newt or salamander. The length of a mealworm will exceed the distance between their eyes most likely. Instead, pay attention to the girth of the worm. Don’t feed worms that have a girth exceeding half the distance between your salamander’s eyes.

Meal Portions & Frequency

The amount and number of meals you feed your salamander each week depends on the age, size of your pet, and the type of feeders you’re using.

Because of this, it’s best to monitor your pet and adjust accordingly. If your salamander eats all the crickets you give him/her, consider giving one more cricket during the next feeding. If your salamander is a bit overweight or there are crickets left over after each feeding, consider decreasing the number of crickets going forward.

Pay close attention to their weight. Overfeeding and underfeeding is possible. See the list below for more guidance.

  • Larva Salamanders – At least once per day, usually more.
  • Juvenile Salamanders – Every day or every other day.
  • Adult Salamanders – Two to three times per week.

If you’re raising salamander larvae, I highly recommend researching this topic in-depth because I will not properly cover the topic here.

New hobbyists can try feeding 3 to 4 appropriately-sized crickets to their adult newts. Adult aquatic salamanders may eat an entire cube of frozen bloodworms per feeding. These portions should be adjusted accordingly, depending on the type of food you’re using. Monitor your salamander to ensure it remains healthy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can salamanders eat fruits or vegetables?

No. Unlike tadpoles, salamanders are carnivores from larva to adult. They eat live, moving insects likes flies, ants, crickets, blood worms, and brine shirmp.

Can salamanders choke?

Yes, salamanders can choke. It’s especially important to feed pet salamanders appropriately-sized insects. For more information, see the “feeder cricket” graphic in the section above.

Do salamanders drink water?

Salamanders absorb water through their semi-permeable skin. They’re heavily dependent on water but do not drink like mammals do.

Can salamanders eat fish food?

I recommend feeding aquatic salamanders things like brine shrimp, tubifex worms, and blood worms. They can eat specially formulated pellets, but because they’re carnivores, those pellets should be meat-based.

Do salamanders eat dead bugs?

Sometimes but usually not. Salamanders enjoy hunting live prey. Some fully-aquatic salamanders eat pellets.

Infographic credits: Salamander [4], Salamander and Caterpillar [5], Insects, Crustaceans, and Mollusks [6], Millipede, Worm, and Isopod [7]


References

  1. Hutton, Jacob & Price, Steven & Richter, Stephen. (2018). Diet of the Black Mountain Salamander (Desmognathus welteri) in Southeastern Kentucky.. Herpetological Review. 49., PDF[]
  2. Hofrichter, Robert. The Encyclopedia of Amphibians. Adfo Books, 2000., p. 173[]
  3. Cecala, Kristen K., et al. “Diet of Larval Red Salamanders (Pseudotriton Ruber) Examined Using a Nonlethal Technique.” Journal of Herpetology, vol. 41, no. 4, 2007, pp. 741–45. Crossref, doi:10.1670/07-019.1.[]
  4. Photo credit: Charles Dessalines D’ Orbigny, Dictionnaire Universel D’histoire Naturelle – CC0 Public Domain[]
  5. Photo credit: George Shaw, The Naturalist’s Miscellany – CC0 Public Domain[]
  6. Photo credit: Basicmoments / adobe stock[]
  7. Photo credit: Joris Hoefnagel, The National Gallery of Art – CC0 Public Domain[]