If the Paddle Tail is the mean one, whos the nice one?

I actually saw some Paddle Tails today at Petsmart ($10 each) and they were pretty cool looking. Not to mention Huge. Anyway I looked em up on here and they seem like some mean mofos. They actually kill other newts and frogs and whatnot just cause theyre that mean? Crazy. I didnt know newts could be that rough! So I was wondering do they have a rep for bieng mean? If they do, do any newts have one for bieng nice and laid back, not fighting with other animals or newts and stuff like that?

It's not that they're just mean, Dan. This is because they apparently need this behavior in their natural habitat. They should be fine in proper sized tanks with sufficient hiding places. Of course, species mixing is out of the question.

All newts are carnivores, so they are going to try to eat anything that moves at the right speed and is the right size. In addition to that, some species like PTN are territorial, so they'll use biting as a way to defend their turf.

Thus, the least aggressive newts are the ones that are small and totally non-territorial. Eastern newts, most Cynops, and the small-bodied former-Triturus newts come to mind as pretty "laid back". None of them are being "nice" to each other though.

I was just wondering cause it seems PTN have the rep of being aggresive. I wonder if theyll start to fight eachother in the Petsmart store cause they had 3 in a tank like where they keep the fish, with about an inch of water and firebelly toads mixed in. When I last saw them all were peaceful but I wonder how long thatll last.

I certainly hope those arent PTNs mixed with FBTs in only an inch of water. Everything you just described has stupidity written all over it. Of course, thats what you get with the likes of places like Petsmart and Petco.

certainly we all know the chain stores usualy do not give correct information or correct living situations for their aquatics section. Those are really not good places for buying living creatures. They are only seen as $$$$$$$$ there and not a living creature.

I am in very angry mood tonight.

Our local Petsmart got some paddletails and housed them with fire-bellied toads... I tried to advise them they should house them separately, but of course it went in one ear and out the other... I don't understand why pet stores seem to think all manner of amphibians can be houses together, yet they seem to understand that certain types of FISH (ie betas or oscars) need to be kept separate.

A note to the original poster: definately if you decide to purchase paddle-tails, they will need a LOT of space and do not, under any circumstances, house them with any other critters!

I have a horror story from my younger, less intelligent days when I used to think all newts could just "get along" : I had a Japanese fire-bellied newt housed with two paddletails (as if one wasn't enough.) The paddletails were totally aggressive and kept attacking the poor fire-belly... until I found the poor little fire belly with a leg half torn off

I separated the fire belly and miraculously she lived! And her leg regenerated. The moral of the story is Do Not Mix Species No Matter What! And for Paddletails - they are extremely territorial and they are very aggressive about their territory. They will attack other newts or each other, so be sure they have plenty of space so that they can "avoid" each other.

Good luck~

It does seem rather silly for creatures so slow-looking as newts to be territorial and aggressive. But hey, if God didn't have a sense of humor and a few surprises up his sleeve, we wouldn't had hippos. Beavers are weird too. And Star-nosed moles, those are strange.

i know that it has been awhile since anyone looked at this, but thank you all for writing what you did. i was going to leave in about 3 hours to go buy 2 paddle tail newts from pet supplies because the worker there told me it was ok to mix with my fire bellied toads. i was originally going to buy fire bellied newts to mix because petsmart told me that was ok, and i found some sites where people said that they did it too. i just switched up to a 29 gallon tank for 2 toads, i guess i should just buy more toads then anything else, huh?

i really want some newts, should i just put the toads back in the ten gallon tank and house the newts in the other? how many can i fit in a 29 gallon? or would they be ok in the ten??

Hi susie, first off, be very sure about which kind of newts you are getting. Pet stores often mislabel their newts, or just call them all "firebellies", so be sure you can ID them. See:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/firebelly.shtml
Chinese firebellies are small, and get along well in groups. Paddletail newts are much larger, and are often hostile to each other. Two or three CFB could live quite well in a 10-gallon tank. If you get a paddletail, one could live quite well in a 10-gallon. I would recommend not getting more than one PTN.

You are wise to avoid mixing newts with FBT. Sometimes they do OK together, but I think it's healthier for both to have a tank tailor-made to their needs, and to avoid possible eating/intimidation of each other.

If you really have a long-term interest in newts (and are patient), consider obtaining captive bred ones, rather than supporting the animal exploiters (pet stores and the wholesalers who supply them). Several people on this forum sell CB newts of various kinds. If you do buy WC, look for healthy aquatic specimens.

thank you so much. i think i will look into the chinese firebellies. i love the toads, and i am interested in getting these for the long haul.

i want to get the perfect tank set up before i get any. i heard that it is to find newts in the spring, is that correct? and i have seen people talk about the different kind of worms they eat, but do they eat crickets too? my toads do because they are easy to get here. there is only one local pet supply store here, all of the chains are 30 minute drive to the city

HI sorry i know this really has nothing to do with pet stores and all but i have to ask something? I just got to newts and i don't know what i should do they are being very aggressive one of them is biting the others head and hiding and i don't know what to do. i don't want it to kill the other.So if you know what i should do i would love to hear from you. thanks

Katrina, you will have a much better response if you start a new thread in the help section of this forum than you would by posting to an old thread.

About the only real solution is to separate the two newts. Give each one his own enclosure. If you don't have a second enclosure you can see if the pet store will take back one of them. Also, rubbermaid bins or other plastic storage boxes can make excellent enclosures and are quite cheap.

Alternatively, if your cage is large (and without knowing what type of newt you have, that's impossible to say.) You can try adding a lot of hides and decor to break up the bottom so they can make territories. Even then they will probably still end up fighting, at least occassionaly. This really won't work in small cages though. Not enough room for territories.

Katrina, to stop my paddletails from fighting I split up the tank with lots of plants. They each stay in their own territory and leave the others alone. It's really cool to watch because there are 2 who try to invade each others but never seem to cross that imaginary line.

Katrina,
You can also use a glass or plexiglass divider to keep them apart. I use overturned flowerpots with holes knocked in them as they are easy to defend and the newts feel comfortable in them. Good luck!