Jon Aaron
New member
Hello all! I'm new to these forums... I've been snooping about for a while now, and finally decided to sigo up!
I recently took the plunge into caudata and bought a quartet of fire belly newts. Due to the lack of local options, I purchased them from a breeder and had them shipped to me. They all seemed to be in decent shape when I got them, so in they went into my established 20 gallon long. It is densely planted and unheated, with a rather large synthetic log jutting up out of the water, which is at about 3-4" below the rim.
The problem I'm having is that while two of them have happily taken to the water and have begun eating (quite aggressively, I might add!) The other two have remained utterly motionless above the water. Both are refusing food, losing weight, and I fear for them.
I've read that many newts undergo a terrestrial phase in their lives wherein they become hydrophobic. Is it possible that this is the problem? I'm wondering if I should move them to a more terrestrial setup until they fatten up...but how will I know when they're ready to become aquatic again?
Any help you can offer would be immensely appreciated! Thesee are my first newts and I really want to right by them.
Thanks in advance!
I recently took the plunge into caudata and bought a quartet of fire belly newts. Due to the lack of local options, I purchased them from a breeder and had them shipped to me. They all seemed to be in decent shape when I got them, so in they went into my established 20 gallon long. It is densely planted and unheated, with a rather large synthetic log jutting up out of the water, which is at about 3-4" below the rim.
The problem I'm having is that while two of them have happily taken to the water and have begun eating (quite aggressively, I might add!) The other two have remained utterly motionless above the water. Both are refusing food, losing weight, and I fear for them.
I've read that many newts undergo a terrestrial phase in their lives wherein they become hydrophobic. Is it possible that this is the problem? I'm wondering if I should move them to a more terrestrial setup until they fatten up...but how will I know when they're ready to become aquatic again?
Any help you can offer would be immensely appreciated! Thesee are my first newts and I really want to right by them.
Thanks in advance!