Do Salamanders Eat Dead Bugs?

Salamanders are generalist carnivores that feast on worms and a wide variety of bugs. These amphibians are not picky eaters and will eat almost any prey they can catch and fit into their mouths.

Salamanders are ambush predators and are instinctively attracted to movement while hunting for food. For this reason, most salamanders do not eat dead bugs, or even recognize them as food.

Salamanders, and most other amphibians rely on their vision when hunting for food, and are attracted by the movement of their prey.

Most Salamanders Do Not Recognize Dead Bugs as Food

Salamanders are instinctively attracted to movement when hunting food. Dead bugs that are not moving do not trigger salamanders’ hunting instincts.

Blue-spotted salamander eating a worm
Blue-spotted salamander (Ambystoma laterale) eating a live worm. Photo by: herpsandseasons (CC BY-NC 4.0 DEED)

A salamander that is placed in a box with only dead bugs will not recognize the bugs as food, and may eventually starve to death.

Many insects play dead (Scientifically known as thanatosis, or tonic immobility) as a way to avoid being eaten by predators, including salamanders.

Some insects, such as the larvae of some European ant-lions (Euroleon nostras ) can play dead and remain motionless for over an hour.

The longer the insect is able to feign death, the greater its chances for survival. It will not not register as food to the salamander, as long as it remains motionless.

Salamanders Are Primarily Ambush Hunters

Salamanders are not fast-moving creatures. This means they can not actively chase after prey as other quicker predators do. Instead, they wait for the prey to come to them, by using a passivesit and waithunting strategy.

This is an ambush-style technique where the salamander hides in shady areas or burrows slightly in the mud and then pounces on any prey that passes by.

While salamanders may seem like lazy hunters, they are aggressive predators – and will attempt to eat almost any prey they can catch, overpower, and fit into their mouths.

Since salamanders are ambush hunters, their hunting instinct is only triggered by bugs that are moving or wriggling around.

Some Captive Salamanders May Be Enticed to Eat Dead Bugs

Feeding live bugs to a salamander is very straightforward; simply simply dump the food into its enclosure and let the salamander have its fill.

However, this would not work for dead bugs because would not see them as food.

To entice a salamander into eating dead bugs, you have to manually move the bugs yourself.

You could push the bugs around with your fingers to make them look alive – but the most effective way is to move the bugs with the use of some tongs.

Use the tongs to gently hold the food item, then rub it near the nose of the salamander. Once he sees it, he will grab it and eat it.

That said, this method does not work for all salamanders. Some individuals may refuse to eat dead bugs, even when enticed.

Salamanders do not naturally eat dead prey in the wild, so it’s always best to feed live bugs to your captive salamander.

Can You Feed a Salamander Dead Bugs From Outside?

While you could feed your salamander wild-caught bugs, it’s generally not a good idea.

This is because wild insects may carry diseases and parasites that your salamander is vulnerable to.

Also, wild bugs in a seemingly clean area could be carrying pesticides or other harmful chemicals they picked up from another area.

It is highly recommended to only feed your salamander captive-bred feeder insects that are sold as food for amphibians or reptiles.

Live Bugs vs Dead Bugs: Advantages and Disadvantages

There are advantages to feeding a salamander dead bugs, but there are also some disadvantages.

Advantages Disadvantages
Live bugs
  • Commonly available
  • Need to be kept alive until they are fed to the salamander
  • May sometimes bite salamanders during feeding
Dead
  • Commonly available
  • Easy to store
  • Can be preserved for long periods
  • Not accepted by most frogs

Live Food Is Always Ideal for Salamanders

In the wild, salamanders munch on worms, grasshoppers, moths, spiders, snails, grubs, and more.  All this prey is eaten live and whole.

Even in captivity, it’s best to give your salamander a diet that closely mimics what it would eat in the wild. This means live prey is almost always better than dead prey for captive salamanders.

These live prey items can be purchased in a pet store, online, or even from another hobbyist.

What adult gray tree frogs eat in captivity

Here’s a list of things you can feed a salamander in captivity:

  • Crickets, dubia roaches, orange head roaches
  • Wingless fruit flies, nightcrawlers
  • Mealworms, waxworms, Super worms,
  • Phoenix Worms, black soldier fly larvae
  • Silkworms, hornworms
  • Pinkie mice

The most appropriate food will depend on the size and species of the salamander.

However, dusted and gut-loaded crickets can make up a majority of most salamanders’ diets.

Large salamanders, such as tiger salamanders enjoy the occasionalpinkiein their diet. Apinkieis a tiny, baby mouse. You can find them in pet stores either alive or frozen although it can be difficult to get salamanders to eat the dead/frozen ones.

For fruit flies, I recommend Hydei fruit flies as they are considerably bigger than the Melanogaster fruit flies and make a richer meal for your salamander.

A varied diet is recommended, so be sure to change up the food items offered to the salamander every few feedings.

High-fat foods like waxworms should only be fed as an occasional treat.

Here Is the Nutritional Content of Different Types of Feeders:

Protein Fat Fiber Moisture 
Silkworms 13% 2% 3% 79%
Hornworms 9% 3% 1% 85%
Waxworms 14% 18% 3% 62%
Crickets 18% 6% 2% 73%
Dubia roaches 21% 9% 5% 65%
Flightless fruit flies 21% 5% 5% 70%
Earthworms 10% 2% 2% 84%

Frequently Asked Questions

Do salamanders eat dried mealworms? Salamanders are instinctively attracted to movement while hunting for food. For this reason, most salamanders will not eat dried mealworms or other dead bugs. However, some salamanders may be enticed into eating dried mealworms with the use of tongs.

Do salamanders eat dead crickets? Most salamanders do not eat dead crickets, because they are instinctively attracted to movement when hunting for food. Dead crickets will not trigger salamanders’ hunting instincts unless they are manually moved around to make them seem alive.

Can you feed dead insects to a salamander? In general, salamanders should not be fed dead insects, because they only eat live insects in the wild. Dead insects are not part of a salamander’s natural diet.

Featured image credit: Sean Wallace, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Sources:

Humphreys RK, Ruxton GD. A review of thanatosis (death feigning) as an anti-predator behaviour. Behav Ecol Sociobiol. 2018;72(2):22. doi: 10.1007/s00265-017-2436-8. Epub 2018 Jan 15. PMID: 29386702; PMCID: PMC5769822.