Question: Cynops Pyrrhogaster TERRESTRIAL Set Up Advice Please

Hi All,

Ok about a year ago I purchased 2 lovely cynops pyrrhogaster from evut and she had hoped they would go aquatic round about summertime! Now hers and my newts are still not aqautic and also another members newts from the same batch are the same. I think a few of hers have gone aqautic but the rest have not!

Anyway I had them set up in tank with about 2/3 inches of water, some bogwood, rocks, silk plants standing up out of the water) and plenty of hornwort stems floating around so they had easy access in and out of the water. Neither Garfield or Odie spent anymore than about 30 seconds in the water before going back on a rock (their favourite place to watch the world go by).

So a few weeks ago I started looking into terrestrial set ups for them but before I made the decision for them I changed their tank by putting one of those plastic exo terra silk ficus vines which stick to the glass on the back wall so it covered the back of the tank and also freely floated in the water, plus their rocks & silk standing up plants again to see what they did!! Since then I have not even seen them in the water as they have been more interested in climbing the ficus vine!!

So can I presume that now after a year my newts would prefer to be terrestrial and if so what is the best substrate to use for the floor?? I was thinking some gravel at the bottom for excess moisture/drainage, followed by mud and then a layer of moss (got some exo terra moss) plus the ficus vine plant, rocks and bogwood and an exo terra large dish filled with water should they want to have a paddle.

Any advice ideas would be gratefully received!

Thanks Zoe

Hi Zoe,
sorry to hear the newtlets are misbehaving
I have some much younger than yours happily swimming already, and one about the same age who looked like it was going aquatic but changed its mind.

I would recommend keeping it simple - the drainage system would be a waste of time I think. My terrestrial set up (for T.marmoratus juvies) was just an inch of forest soil mixed with coco fibre, with moss and pieces of bark (also from the forest) and a coconut house. I misted it daily.

LOL no worries Eva just want them to be happy so if being on land and climbing is what they want to do thats fine by me

Do you think the exo terra water dish is a good idea so they can paddle etc if they want or do you think this is unnecessary??

Looks like a trip to the woods then, never a strain kids love the woods!

If you have any other newtlets that are not behaving by going aquatic am happy to buy some more from you xx

Definitely give them a dish a with water. When they feel like going aquatic, that's where they can practice swimming :happy: