Choosing A Newt/Salamander

Hello all,

I am having trouble choosing a newt/salamander to keep and need some advice from the pros. I have room for a 20 gallon tank but no experience with these animals so I definitely want a hardy species. I would also like one that is active in the day and semi-aquatic. Any advice would be awesome because right now I'm lost

Thanks in advance!

It might help to ask, what species do you have access to? You can't always get what you want. I wanted Tarichas and it took me almost two years to get some. Which, by the way, are a great species and I think would fill your wish-list.

Welcome to the forum!

You should try to find captive bred animals as they are likely to be healthier and easier to feed. Pet shops rarely sell cb newts/sals so check the for sale section of the forum. Aquatic newts are often more active than terrestrial species so I would go for one of the following genus: Cynops (firebellied newts), Mesotriton (Alpine newts – like it cool), Pleurodeles (ribbed newts) or Triturus (crested newts). If captive bred none of these will prove too difficult to maintain.

There are several types of newts that could fit your bill. Couple of questions though...what kind of avg temps will the tank be subjected to? How much land/water area do you have in mind? What kind of food sources do you have access to? Some great starter newts include the aforementioned Taricha species, Alpine newts (Mesotriton alpestris sps), Japanese firebelly newts (Cynops pyrroghaster), Red-spotted newts (Notopthalmus sps.), and the nearly indestructible Spanish ribbed newts (Pleurodeles waltl), but each has it's own variation on what it needs and how it should be cared for.

Best thing to do is take a thorough perusal of the Caudataculture website, http://www.caudata.org/cc/ and check out the care recommendations for each group.

There are a number of breeders listed in the for sale section of this site who may be able to help you find what you're looking for once you decide what that is and can provide better care instructions than many mis-informed pet shop employees. This site is also a great resource for any questions that come up as you go along...

Good luck!

Brian, "starter newt," ha ha! I think that's funny.

not as good as "green-wall of silence" and "if newts are outlawed, only outlaws will have newts - and guns" but I've been inspired! lol

If you are buying a 20-gallon tank, I'd recommend getting a 20-long (30x12 inches), rather than a standard 20. The extra height that you get with a standard 20 is not useful for newts.

Thanks for all of the quick and helpful responses!

I've been doing a lot of reading and right now it seems like Cynops newts are the best for me. Still won't be a while until I get the tank setup so plenty of time for more learning!

To answer some of your questions...

I'm estimating the tank will be about 66-68 degrees, but once it's up and running I'll know for sure and can make any adjustments after that. A local pet shop has an abundance of live foods including crickets, bloodworms, nightcrawlers and ghost shrimp, along with a variety of frozen foods. And I will go for the 20long, thanks for the suggestion

As far as the tank plans, I really want to go all out and create a great and natural looking habitat for the newts. The tank dimensions will be 30x12x12 inches. Assuming I choose Cynops cyanurus, would about 60%Aquatic/40%Land with a water depth of 5-6 inches be good?

Thank you all again for all of the great help thus far!