Short answer: A healthy, well-fed adult newt can usually go about a week without food, and some go longer, but that is a limit rather than a plan. Adults do best fed every one to three days, and juveniles should eat more often. If a newt refuses food for more than a week or two, check the tank and call an exotic-animal vet.
How often to feed
Adult newts are normally fed every other day or a few times a week, with small portions they can finish in a few minutes. Juveniles grow quickly and should be fed daily or close to it. Exact needs depend on the species, the age of the animal and the water temperature, because newts in cooler water eat less.
How long can they survive without food?
A healthy adult in good body condition can often skip meals for a week or more, because newts have slow metabolisms. Thin, young, recently ill or breeding animals have far less reserve. There is no safe, universal number, so do not plan trips around a figure you read online. For a related topic, see how long salamanders can go without eating.
What to feed
Newts are carnivores. Good foods include live or frozen bloodworms, blackworms, brine shrimp, small earthworms, and, for larger newts, small feeder insects. Pellets made for aquatic amphibians can add variety. Do not offer fruit or vegetables, since newts do not eat plants. Our guide on what you can feed newts has more ideas, and what newts eat in the wild shows what a natural diet looks like.
Vitamins and supplements
If you feed feeder insects, dusting them with a calcium and vitamin supplement made for amphibians or reptiles helps fill nutritional gaps. Follow the product label.
Why a newt may stop eating
Common reasons include water that is too warm or poorly filtered, stress from a new tank, a seasonal slowdown, or illness. Test the water, check the temperature for your species, and remove any uneaten food right away so it does not foul the tank. Newts that are thin, swollen, lethargic, or have skin sores need a vet.
If you are going away
For a trip of a few days, feed your newt well before you leave and make sure the tank is clean. For anything longer, ask a reliable person to feed small portions. Automatic feeders and long-lasting blocks are not a good fit for newts.
Bottom Line
Adult newts can generally skip meals for about a week, but feed them every one to three days, feed juveniles more often, and have a vet check any newt that stops eating for longer than a week or two. This is general information and does not replace veterinary advice.
