Help - Newbie - Firebelly not Eating

I just bought a firebelly newt for my daughter. We set up a 20L gal aquarium with larger gravel, with a dry area, a shallow water 2" area and a deeper water area 8". There are live plants in the aquarium. I used reptisafe as a dechlorinator and had the water sit about 24 hrs before getting the newt. The filter is a smaller submersible filter in the corner of the deep end of the tank. It is set fairly low with the water output directed against the glass to reduce disturbance to the water even further. There is no water heater, but it is fairly warm here in ATL (might even have trouble with the water being too warm, (room temperature is 79 fahrenheit).

The newt seemed fairly active when we first brought it home. Since then, about 3 days ago, it has become increasingly lethargic and doesn't seem to eat. He/she is about 2 inches long including tail.

The pet shop told us that they had been feeding it a mixture of chopped up mealworms, small crickets and newt pellets.

We have tried the newt pellets, bloodworms and even chopped up mealworms, but there doesn't seem to be any interest. I put the bloodworms and mealworms in a small plastic drinking cap of a bottle of water. I put the newt pellets in the shallow end of the water, but I don't know how he would find them, as he doesn't seem to forage for food in the water.

When the newt did go in the water, he would swim on top of the water. Doesn't seem to like to swim underwater.

The newt tends to stay motionless in the corner (landside) of the tank. In the beginning, he would occassionally change locations to another land portion (sometimes swimming through the water to get there). In the last 12 hours, he hasn't changed location at all.

Help, I'm worried.

New firebelly newts tend to want to stay out of the water for some reason but can eventually be coaxed back into the water by providing them with less land overtime.

I think you may have a significant problem with your water temperature that needs considering. I would invest in a thermometer to take the temperature of the water as this can easily be differrent than air. It is possible that your newt is reacting to heat stress from the water by going to land and using evaporative cooling.

It is also possible that your water isn't of good quality. Did you create your shallow and land area by having a slope of gravel? These slopes are nearly impossible to clean underneath and allow uneaten food and bits of substrate that filter through from your land area to rot and foul the water. This buildup of waste products in the water could be keeping your newt out of the water.

First I would invest in a tank thermometer and I would also see if your local pet shop will test your water for you. Pay attention to ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. If you can compare the pH of your water with that of the pet shop this animal came from that would be useful too, but otherwise disregard pH as messing with usually causes more problems than it is worth.

Thanks for the tips. I'll get a thermometer today to check if the water is too warm. What would I do if the water is too warm? How could I keep the water cool enough if I'm not using a heater in the first place?
I don't think the gravel is a factor (yet) as the tank is only 4 days old, but it's something to think about in the future.
I'll check the temp tonight, as this would be the most logical explanation.
Do newts get lonely?

Cooling newts is often the problem most hobbiests have with these animals. There are a lot of god suggestions here.

The easiest (and cheapest) ones are:

• Placing a small fan to blow over the aquarium to evaporate some water and cool off the tank. Be careful to aim this away from land portions (where newts can easily dry out.) Note: Do not replace evaporated tank water with more tap water, use distilled (or deionized or reverse osmosis) or you will change water chemistry significantly. Making a water change and then refilling to the old line works fine also.
• Place several 20oz. plastic soda bottles 3/4 full of water in the freezer and then use these self contained ice cubes to cool the tank down. It is best to use dechlorinated water in these in case they break open.
• Find a new place for the tank. Basements are excellent. Locations closer to the floor also usually better. Try taking the temperature in various places in the house. Oftentimes you will find temperature fluctuations of as much as 5 degrees in one room!

There really is no such thing as too cool when it comes to newts and salamanders.

Newts are not social animals so there is no worry of them being lonely. If you do want more animals make sure that you quarantine them for 30 days before introducing them. Fire-belly newts often come in sick, this will keep both animals from getting sick. Also, do not mix species as they often do not live together well. It might be good for you to check out this sheet to make sure you know what kind of fire-belly you have as care is slightly different for each kind of newt.

Thanks to you both. I got a thermometer and guess what ... The water is 78 degrees fahrenheit, much too warm for a firebelly, I guess. I'm going to try floating frozen water bottles to get the temperature down for now.

Our newt did eat some bloodworms this morning, so the main concern has diminished somewhat. Now we just have to get the water temperature down.

I'll update this in a couple of days.