Disappearing newt?

Hello i am new to this site, but i really want to learn more about newts so i joined. Back to my issue. I somewhat recently (a month ago) purchased a group of 3 chinese firebelly newts. They all live in a 10 gallon tank (i know might be too small/but it's temporary) with about 20% land area and the rest is water. All three have been living perfectly in there and seemed fine until last night. or this morning. I woke up to check on them and i saw i only had 2!! i can't figure out where the other one is. my tank has a cover, there's no way it could've climbed out. I checked on the floor, around the desk/stand no water or footprints or anything and nowhere for this newt to be found! the only thing i can think of is it dug itself in the gravel.. do newts dig into gravel? the land portion of the tank has about 5-6 inch level of gravel, i tried to dig under to see but nothing either. i even opened up the water filter to make sure that it wasn't sucked in there..but none.. someone please tell me newts dig and dig deep at that..? can anyone help?

Newts are erudite little escape artists. If they want out and there is even the smallest of openings they will exploit it. He may also still be in the tank and just hiding somewhere. Looking in the filter was a good move. Was this fellow smaller than the other two? Though cute little buggers, newts will eat what fits in their mouths and that includes other newts. It is not all that common with the newts you own but it is still a thought. Keep your eyes open and be patient. A bit of chopped earthworm is also a tempting lure.

What kind of cover do you use? Is there any opening in it, maybe as in this aquarium-covers for pipes and cables? As MRIGUY said, they may use the smallest opening and climb glass.

Good luck, hope you find your newt healthy and happy!

I don't know how though. There really aren't any holes or cracks for it to get through? and i've checked around the vicinity of the tank and haven't found anything. all three newts are the same size. i have no cover as of yet. the only cover i have was the filter. or if newts can dig. it's got about 5 to 6 inches of gravel to get underneath. i've put bloodworms out and the other two have eaten it. the third newt, still nowhere to be found.

I had a c. orientalis that was gone, I thought, and she appeared again after a few months, all skinny. I think she was hiding in a tank decoration. This was over a year ago, maybe two. She's fattened up and fine now. I've had her about 3 1/2 years, in total. I don't really know if she's a girl.