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Could use some advice...

srfr72

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So I've had a juvenile Fire Belly Newt for about a year now and it has recently been taking an interest in the water finally.... It never fully goes in, but wades in the shallowest part submerging maybe a quarter of it's body. Now my question is, should I keep feeding it the crickets and pieces of earthworms it normally gets? It seems to take no interest in the bloodworms when offered, but when I add the crickets it actively hunts them down on land. Is this taking away from it's urge to return to the water?
 

Azhael

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In order to get it to go fully aquatic, two needs are needed. One, is to make sure the conditions of the water are optimal. Two, the animal must be healthy and fully adult.
You say you got it as a juvenile, is it CB? If so, after a year under your care i would really have expected it to go aquatic unless it´s stayed very small.
One thing that in my experience helps quite a lot is to provide LOTS of vegetation. Open water intimadates them, the plants make them feel "secure", and they are of great help in avoiding drowning.
 

srfr72

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Thanks for the advice...I think it was wild caught. I was nieve before and didn't know alot about newts. In the tank at the pet store it was the lone newt out of the water. It was real small when I got it and in real bad shape. Didn't eat for about 3 months! But I finally got it eating small chopped up earthworms from tweezers and more recently pin head crickets. It's gotten much healthier and bigger but is still about an 1" smaller than the adults I have that are fully aquatic. So if I add more vegetation to the water and maybe less on the land the water will look more inviting you say? I shall give it a try. Thank you!
 

Azhael

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I also forgot to say that enticing it to eat in the water is also important. you can offer chopped earthworms under water cause they´ll stay alive for a while. You could also try live bloodworms, or blackworms/tubifex, whatever is available to you.

Do give a try to the plants, they make a huge difference ;)
 
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