Easiest newt to take care of for newbie??

Hello Everyone,

Just wanted to ask a question. Which newt or newts are the easiest to care for? Which are the strongest? I'm new to newts and would like to start off with something strong to give me some confidence in raising them.

Thanks for the help!

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Well asking the questions before comming home with the newts is a very good start. Most newts, despite their fragile looking bodies, are fairly hardy when maintained properly. I pesonally recommend Cynops orientalis as a good beginner because they are fairly forgiving. T. granulosa is also a sturdy fellow but harder to come by.

So...... The trick is to read the care sheets for the species you choose and ask questions before brinigng the animal home. There are lots of folks here who will help you so please feel free to ask specific questions and remember the basics.

Newts like moisture and in many cases mostly water.
Newts can climb walls and should never be kept in a tank without a tight lid
Newts do not require strong lighting
Newts do not like warm, they like cool
Newts are not pets that can be handled with any regularity
Newts can live a long time and are not a 3 year pet. Plan on 15 years.
Plan on setting the tank up well before you add the newts. If you have no experience with the Nitrogen cycle you have some additional reading to do.

There is a ton of additional info on this site. Click the link in the banner for Caudate Culture and spend some time reading the caresheets and you will do fine. The more time you spend reading and discussing before you beging, the better you chances are at a worry free set-up with healthy beasts.

Good answer from MRIguy. Regarding Cynops orientalis, this is the most likely newt you would find in a pet store. If you get healthy ones, they are fairly easy. Unfortunately, a lot of them are treated badly during import/shipping/retail and thus you'll see a lot of horror stories about them in the Newt Help section. Once they are established, they are easy and hardy. You will probably be limited by what you can find available for sale.

Thanks for the info MRIguy and Jennewt. You are right Jennewt about the type of newts available for sale. Right now none of the pet stores has any for sale, all they have are Axolotls and a few Salamanders. Maybe someone out there will have something when I am ready for some in about 3-4 weeks. If someone can help me out later please let me know. Once again guys thanks for the info.

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It's important to remember, however, that a person starting off is usually limited to whatever is available in his/her local pet shops. That's usually C. orientalis, or P. labiatus (at least, where I live).
Those are the only newts I've ever seen in a pet shop. As for sals, I've seen a few that I suspect were illegal to sell in my state, and only very rarely. So your best course might be to see what is available to you and go from there. Good luck!

Actually, imported Pachytriton (paddletails) seem to do pretty well - generally better than C. orientalis. Most of the paddletail horror stories that I've seen revolve around people trying to keep more than one together, or injuries suffered from tankmates prior to purchase.

In another thread, krk mentioned that he's in Hawaii. Is it legal to ship newts there?

As a point of clarification I was not advocating the keeping of sick and diseased specimens or buying them from a typical pet store. I still support my recommendation on C. o's because they are hearty, easy to set-up and maintain and are visible which is important with beginning keepers. Now you are absolutley correct that this species is often poorly caught and maintained in the pre-hobbiest phase. Captive bread specimens are available through this board and as a beginner who came here before purchasing a moribund specimen from a poorly run pet store my recommendation was to read up first. The species I recommended, when aquired through a reputable source, are very good beginner species.

Hello everyone,

Did'nt mean to cause such a stir around here. You are right that I am looking to get my newts from someone on this forum. I agree with the people who said the petstores are horrible in giving advice. I believe they are just doing their jobs in selling these critters. I now look to read up on all these newts that were suggested and find the one that best fits me. Thank you all for responding and giving me your opinions. I will be looking in the for sale department soon. Anyone who is selling in about a month after my tank is ready to go, please feel free to send me a message.

Thanks again!

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Hey, Jay, I was just trying to help. When I first started being interested in newts, I read a lot about different species and my heart was set on Tarichas. But they're not easy to find and it took me over a year, almost two, to finally get some. I just don't want someone getting their heart set on a pie-in-the-sky newt and then having their hopes dashed. I did advertise for one here, and if you look at the ads, you'll see you can't just decide you want something and then go get it. It might involve a very long wait.
So all I want to advise is, desire must be tempered with realism.