Salamanders might look slow and peaceful, but their babies? They’re born ready to hunt. So if you’ve ever seen a salamander lay eggs or spotted tiny ones swimming around in a pond, you might wonder, what exactly do hatchlings eat?
Newborn salamanders eat small, live prey like microscopic worms, water fleas, and insect larvae. They rely on movement to find food, and they need it often to keep growing. As they get bigger, they go after larger prey.
It all depends on their size, environment, and species. Some hatch in water. Others start life on land. But they all have one thing in common: they need food as soon as their yolk runs out.
Right After Hatching, What’s Going On?
When salamanders hatch, they’re tiny, squirmy, and often fully aquatic. Most come out with gills, which means they breathe through the water like tadpoles.
They don’t usually start eating right away. For the first day or two, hatchlings live off the yolk sac still attached to their bellies. It gives them the nutrients they need while their body finishes developing.
But once that yolk is absorbed, it’s go-time. They start hunting.
The First Foods They Go After
Newborn salamanders can’t chew. They don’t have teeth like ours, just small gripping structures. That means they can only eat things they can swallow whole.
At first, they need tiny, soft-bodied prey that moves. Their eyesight is tuned for motion, and still food often goes unnoticed.
Here’s what they eat in the earliest days:
- Infusoria: These are microscopic organisms found in pond water, like protozoa and tiny ciliates.
- Rotifers: Another group of microscopic animals, good for very small hatchlings.
- Baby brine shrimp (Artemia nauplii): These are a top choice in captivity. They’re small, nutritious, and constantly wiggling.
- Microworms: A common live food raised by hobbyists. They’re just the right size and easy to culture.
- Daphnia: Also called water fleas. They’re slightly larger and good for hatchlings that are a few days old.
- Tubifex and blackworms: Chopped-up versions are fed once the salamanders grow a bit more.
In the wild, many hatchlings survive by hunting tiny insect larvae, plankton, and anything else that fits in their mouth. They spend most of their time lurking in the water, ambushing anything that drifts by.
Feeding Baby Salamanders at Home
If you’re raising salamander eggs that have just hatched, feeding them right is one of the most important things you can do.
Start with very small live prey, ideally baby brine shrimp or microworms. These are easy to find at aquarium stores or grow yourself at home.
They should be fed at least once a day, if not more. Hatchlings grow quickly and burn through food fast. If they don’t get enough to eat, they’ll stay weak, stop developing properly, or start biting each other.
That’s right, cannibalism is common in hatchling groups if food runs out. The strongest ones will eat their siblings if they get hungry enough. So it’s better to feed a little too much than too little.
Change the water regularly to keep it clean, and remove uneaten food to prevent fouling.
A sponge filter or gentle bubbler can help keep the water fresh without pulling tiny salamanders into danger.
When Do They Start Eating Bigger Things?
As hatchlings grow, their mouths get wider, and they start hunting larger prey.
Around one to two weeks in, depending on the species and temperature, they can usually handle:
- Chopped blackworms
- Daphnia (full-sized)
- Mosquito larvae
- Small bloodworms
- Baby fish (in some aggressive species)
They still need live, wiggling prey. Salamanders won’t eat pellets or flakes at this stage.
Some owners try crushed flakes, but unless the babies are already used to prepared food, it usually doesn’t work.
By the time they’re about a month old, they’re much more capable hunters. Their diet slowly shifts toward worms, insects, and larger larvae.
What About Salamanders That Hatch on Land?
Not all salamanders hatch in water. Some species (especially woodland salamanders like plethodontids) lay eggs on land in moist logs or under rocks.
These salamanders skip the larval stage and hatch as tiny, fully-formed versions of the adults. They don’t have gills or a swimming phase. But they still need to eat small things.
Their first foods include:
- Springtails: Tiny insects found in leaf litter.
- Mites
- Small isopods (like baby pill bugs)
- Fruit fly larvae
These hatchlings are tiny, but their instincts are sharp. As soon as they can move, they begin searching for prey.
If you’re raising them in captivity, you’ll need to seed their enclosure with springtails or similar micro-fauna. You can buy cultures online or from breeders.
How Often Do Hatchlings Eat?
A lot.
Baby salamanders grow fast. Most need to eat daily, especially in the first few weeks. Some even eat multiple times a day if food is available.
Feeding small amounts several times is better than dumping in too much at once. Uneaten food can quickly foul the water and stress the hatchlings.
If you’re keeping dozens of them together, make sure the food is spread out so the strongest ones don’t hog everything. Hungry babies will bite tails, toes, and anything that moves.
It’s also a good idea to separate the biggest ones once growth differences appear.
Otherwise, they might outcompete or eat their smaller siblings.
Do Hatchlings Recognize Food Right Away?
Not always.
Some hatchlings take a few days to figure out what’s edible.
In the beginning, they strike at movement more than anything else. A wiggling bit of debris might get bitten just as fast as a real prey item.
Over time, they learn what works and get better at targeting live food. That’s why it’s important to offer moving prey and avoid feeding things that just sit there.
Even in the wild, young salamanders rely almost entirely on their instincts to survive. They don’t get lessons from mom or dad. Once they hatch, they’re on their own.
What Happens If They Don’t Eat?
If hatchlings aren’t eating, there’s usually a problem with one of three things:
- Water quality: Dirty water, ammonia spikes, or incorrect pH can stop them from eating.
- Temperature: If it’s too cold, their metabolism slows down. They won’t be hungry, and their growth will stall.
- Food size: If the prey is too big or not moving enough, hatchlings may ignore it.
Try offering different live foods, adjusting the temperature (within the safe range), and keeping the water pristine.
Hatchlings that don’t eat for several days are at high risk of dying or being eaten by tank mates.
How Long Until They Leave the Water?
This depends entirely on the species.
Some salamanders stay in the larval stage for weeks or months before transforming. Others live in water permanently. And a few skip the water altogether and hatch directly into land-dwelling young.
Here are a few rough estimates:
- Tiger salamanders: Around 2–4 months in water before metamorphosis.
- Axolotls: Never leave the water unless triggered by extreme conditions.
- Eastern newts: Stay aquatic as larvae, then transform into “efts” that live on land for several years before returning to water as adults.
- Plethodontid salamanders: Hatch on land and stay there.
The timing matters because it changes what they eat.
Once they start losing their gills and forming lungs, hatchlings need different food and a different setup.
Conclusion
So, what do newborn salamanders eat?
Tiny, live, moving prey. That’s the short answer. From the moment their yolk sac runs out, hatchlings are on the hunt for microscopic creatures that wiggle, swim, or crawl.
Whether it’s baby brine shrimp in a tank or springtails in the woods, they’re always looking for food that fits in their tiny mouths.
They grow fast, eat often, and learn quickly. But if they don’t get the right food (or enough of it) they can turn on each other or stop growing altogether.
Feeding hatchlings may seem tricky, but once you get into the rhythm, it becomes part of the fun.
Watching a swarm of tiny salamanders lunge at a cloud of brine shrimp or swarm around microworms is a reminder of just how fierce even the smallest creatures can be.
Hi, my name is Ezra Mushala, i have been interested animals all my life. I am the main author and editor here at snakeinformer.com.