Can Salamanders Eat Dried Mealworms?

Mealworms are one of the most popular feeder insects used by pet owners. You’ll find them in almost every pet store, sometimes alive, crawling in a box, and sometimes dried and packaged. So can salamanders eat dried mealworms?

The short answer is no at least, not in a healthy or practical way. While a salamander can technically swallow a dried mealworm, it usually won’t recognize it as food. And even if it does, dried mealworms don’t provide the moisture or nutrients that salamanders need to survive.

Why Live Food Is Best for Salamanders

Salamanders are visual hunters. They aren’t like cats or dogs that can sniff out a meal from across the room. Salamanders rely mostly on sight and movement.

They spot their prey when it moves. A wriggling worm, a twitching insect, or a tiny bug crawling past, that’s what gets a salamander to pounce.

Dried mealworms don’t move. They just sit still on the ground. To a salamander, they don’t look like food. They look like part of the environment.

As a result, most salamanders will simply ignore them.

Some pet owners have tried placing dried mealworms directly in front of a salamander. Others have used feeding tongs or tweezers to wiggle the mealworm back and forth.

But even then, success is limited. A salamander might take a bite out of curiosity, but it might not go for a second one.

And that’s not the only problem.

Why Dried Mealworms Aren’t Good for Salamanders

Even if a salamander does eat a dried mealworm, it’s still not a great choice. Dried mealworms go through a process that removes all the moisture from their bodies.

They’re hard, dry, and lightweight. The drying process also changes their texture and reduces their nutritional value.

Dried mealworms are:

• Hard to chew (especially for animals that swallow their food whole)
• Low in moisture (which salamanders rely on for hydration)
• Lower in vitamins and fats compared to live insects
• Made mostly of chitin (a tough shell material that’s hard to digest)

That last point is especially important. Mealworms have an exoskeleton made of chitin, and when they’re dried, that shell becomes even tougher.

Salamanders aren’t built to chew their food. They gulp it down whole. So when they swallow a dried insect, that hard shell can cause problems.

In some cases, it can even lead to impaction, a condition where undigested food builds up inside the body and blocks the digestive system.

Can You Soften Dried Mealworms?

Some people try to soften dried mealworms by soaking them in water before feeding. This can help a little. The mealworms become less crunchy and slightly easier to swallow.

But even then, they still don’t move, which means the salamander might still ignore them.

Soaking dried mealworms also doesn’t bring back the lost nutrients. Once the mealworm is dried, many of its natural fats and vitamins are gone.

The moisture won’t return to full levels, either. Compared to live insects or thawed frozen food, rehydrated mealworms still fall short.

At best, a soaked mealworm is just a slightly softer version of something the salamander doesn’t want. At worst, it’s a digestive risk.

Do Dried Mealworms Cause Health Problems?

They can. Feeding dried mealworms to a salamander can lead to several problems over time:

• Impaction: The hard, dry shell can block the salamander’s digestive tract, especially if the salamander eats more than one.
• Malnutrition: Dried mealworms lack the full range of nutrients that salamanders need, including certain fats and vitamins. Research on amphibian nutrition shows that proper dietary balance is crucial for their health.
• Dehydration: Salamanders get a lot of their moisture from their food. If the food is dry, the salamander may not get enough water.
• Feeding refusal: Some salamanders may stop eating altogether if dried mealworms are the only food offered.

If a salamander goes too long without proper food or water, its health will suffer. It may become lethargic, lose weight, or develop a weakened immune system. Over time, this can lead to serious illness.

Do Any Salamanders Eat Dried Foods?

It’s possible, but it’s rare. Some captive salamanders, especially ones that have been in tanks for years, might accept dried or frozen food items.

But even then, they usually prefer foods that have been thawed and softened, not dry and crunchy.

Most salamanders are too instinct-driven to change their habits. If they grew up eating live food, they’re not likely to switch.

And even if they do nibble on dried food once or twice, they may not continue if it doesn’t satisfy their needs.

Can Salamanders Be Trained to Eat Dried Mealworms?

Training a salamander to eat dried food is very difficult. Unlike some reptiles, salamanders don’t respond to smell or taste. They respond to movement. If the food doesn’t move, it doesn’t register as prey.

Some people have tried using tongs to make dried mealworms “wiggle.” Others have tried mixing them in with more familiar food, like live worms or crickets.

A few have had some success. But most salamanders either ignore the dried food or eat it once and never again.

The real problem isn’t just recognition. It’s nutrition. Even if a salamander learns to eat dried food, it still won’t be getting the nutrients it needs to thrive.

What Should You Feed Instead?

There are plenty of safe, healthy alternatives to dried mealworms. These foods are soft, moist, and packed with nutrition.

They include:

• Live Earthworms: One of the best choices. They’re soft, juicy, and full of protein and moisture. Studies on salamander diets show that earthworms significantly enhance digestive ability.
• Crickets: Easy to find in pet stores and can be gut-loaded for extra nutrition.
• Waxworms: A fatty treat that’s great in moderation.
• Bloodworms: Excellent for aquatic species. They can be fed live or frozen and thawed.
• Fruit Flies: Perfect for juvenile salamanders and small species.
• Blackworms: Another good option for aquatic salamanders.
• Feeder Roaches: For larger salamanders that can handle slightly tougher prey.

Frozen foods like bloodworms or blackworms can be a good option if you don’t want to keep live insects. Just thaw them before feeding so they’re soft and easy to swallow.

Unlike dried foods, frozen-thawed foods still retain moisture and more of their natural nutrients.

Why Moisture Matters

Moisture isn’t just a bonus for salamanders, it’s essential. Salamanders breathe through their skin, and they need to stay hydrated to survive. If their food is too dry, it doesn’t just affect their digestion. It affects their whole body.

Dry food can lead to dehydration, which makes the salamander’s skin dry out and lose its ability to absorb oxygen. This can be dangerous, especially for amphibians kept in dry or warm enclosures.

Environmental temperature studies have shown that digestive performance is closely linked to proper hydration levels in salamanders.

Live or moist food provides hydration with every meal. That’s one more reason dried insects like mealworms just don’t work well for salamanders.

Conclusion

Salamanders should not be fed dried mealworms. While they may be common in pet stores, dried mealworms are hard, dry, and lacking in nutrition.

Most salamanders won’t recognize them as food, and even if they do, they’re difficult to digest and may cause impaction or other health problems.

Stick with live or freshly thawed foods. Earthworms, crickets, bloodworms, and other soft-bodied prey are safer, healthier, and more appealing to salamanders.

These foods provide the moisture and nutrition your pet needs to stay active, hydrated, and strong.

Feeding salamanders isn’t complicated, but it does require the right choices.

Dried mealworms are best left for birds and reptiles. Salamanders do better with food that’s fresh, moist, and full of life.