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Chinese Fire Bellied Newts - Care Questions

Roho

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I'm going to be getting a Chinese Fire Bellied Newt (Cynops orientalis) in January, or later this spring. This will be my first newt, but I do have herp experience (Leopard Geckos, Crested Gecko, and very soon a Bearded Dragon) so I'm not totally new at this.

I just have a few questions about C. orientalis
1. I'm not planning on breeding or anything, so does sex matter at all? I believe females get bigger so I think I'd like a female, but I don't really care. Do either have a longer lifespan, brighter colors, or something like that?
2. Will a 10 gallon be a good enclosure for the newt for life? Will eat be too big for a young one or will it be fine?
3. I know newts are not a handleable animal meant for playing with, but when I pick it up to clean its cage and stuff, is it okay to just pick it up for a couple seconds, or is it just too stressful?
4. Will tubifex worms, mealworms, daphnia, Phoenix worms, bloodworms, and feeder guppies all together be a good diet? Do I need to supplement the food with calcium or something?
5. How often do you suggest I do a water change? And how much (10%, 25%, 33%, 50%, etc.) water should I change?
6. Are they okay with plastic plants. I don't really like live plants in newt tanks, for some reason I just think it looks weird. :crazy: I'm planning on having Exo Terra Floating Water Lettuce, Zilla Aquatic Plants, and Exo Terra Hanging Ampamallo/Ficus.
7. Will a turtle dock and some floating/ground/hanging plants be enough land for a FBN? Or should I get more land (I found this really cool bridge-thing at PetSmart)? Or will to much land clog up their swimming space?
8. Is it okay to buy a newt from a quality chain pet store. The Pet Supplies "Plus" near me is really good. I am friends with all the employees (and the manager) and I know they do a good job of taking care of all their animals. The newts are housed in large enclosures with 80% water and 20% land and all look healthy and aler. I know that buying from pet stores is frowned upon by many reptile/amphibian owners, so do you guys think it would be okay to buy from PSP?
9. Do they need any lighting at all? The room the newt will be in is well-lit during the day and it will have a definite 12 hour day/night cycle. Does it need any UV or anything?
10. Are Fire Bellied Newts diurnal or nocturnal. I'm pretty sure they are nocturnal, but I just wanted to double check.

I think that is it for now, but I'm sure there will be more questions to come! :talker:
 

spendday

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I just have a few questions about C. orientalis
1. I'm not planning on breeding or anything, so does sex matter at all? I believe females get bigger so I think I'd like a female, but I don't really care. Do either have a longer lifespan, brighter colors, or something like that?
As far as I'm aware sex has no real affect on colouration or lifespan (males wil sometime change colour a bit (i don't know why) all though but mine never have)
2. Will a 10 gallon be a good enclosure for the newt for life? Will eat be too big for a young one or will it be fine?
10 Gal is an OK size for a single newt for life, and i dont think it will be too big for a young one.
3. I know newts are not a handleable animal meant for playing with, but when I pick it up to clean its cage and stuff, is it okay to just pick it up for a couple seconds, or is it just too stressful?
it's not really stress that the issue with handling they are very fragile and have every absorbant skin, some people might not agree with me on this but i move by hand (on the few occasions i need to) as i tried using a net but that just freaked them out
4. Will tubifex worms, mealworms, daphnia, Phoenix worms, bloodworms, and feeder guppies all together be a good diet? Do I need to supplement the food with calcium or something?
Doesn't sound too bad for more diet info there a guide in the articals section on caudata culture
5. How often do you suggest I do a water change? And how much (10%, 25%, 33%, 50%, etc.) water should I change?
i do a 25% change weekly (I think thats the recommended amount)
6. Are they okay with plastic plants. I don't really like live plants in newt tanks, for some reason I just think it looks weird. :crazy: I'm planning on having Exo Terra Floating Water Lettuce, Zilla Aquatic Plants, and Exo Terra Hanging Ampamallo/Ficus.
yep plastics are fine (I have a exo terra large ficus in my tank)
7. Will a turtle dock and some floating/ground/hanging plants be enough land for a FBN? Or should I get more land (I found this really cool bridge-thing at PetSmart)? Or will to much land clog up their swimming space?
it doesn't really matter what you use as long as its safe. I would suggest something flat-ish so there not always clinging on to it like they might do with hanging plants.
8. Is it okay to buy a newt from a quality chain pet store. The Pet Supplies "Plus" near me is really good. I am friends with all the employees (and the manager) and I know they do a good job of taking care of all their animals. The newts are housed in large enclosures with 80% water and 20% land and all look healthy and aler. I know that buying from pet stores is frowned upon by many reptile/amphibian owners, so do you guys think it would be okay to buy from PSP?
Personally i would get capitve bred (the ones at large chains tend to be wild caught) but as long as the newt is healthy there isn't really much of an issue
9. Do they need any lighting at all? The room the newt will be in is well-lit during the day and it will have a definite 12 hour day/night cycle. Does it need any UV or anything?
some people use very low level UV (like 2% as high levels are harmful) but they don't really need it and do just as well without it. as long as there's a 24 hour cycle it should be fine
10. Are Fire Bellied Newts diurnal or nocturnal. I'm pretty sure they are nocturnal, but I just wanted to double check.
well mine are diurnal but some keepers see there most at night so i think it depends on the newt.

I think that is it for now, but I'm sure there will be more questions to come! :talker:


Oh and check out the caresheet morg posted its one of the best out there
 

Roho

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Cool thanks.

I read that caresheet and it was really good.

And I'll definitely follow all of your advice on taking care of the FBN. And I'll also feed wax worms, ghost shrimp, and if he accepts them, newt pellets.
 

Abrahm

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I would try to include regular old earthworms in their diet. They have an appropriate calcium:phosphorus ratio and tend to make an excellent staple food. Supplementing with other foods would be fine.

Brief handling of your newt should be fine. Just make sure you haven't used anything on your hands recently. No lotion, soap or any other chemicals. I would rinse my hands under cool running water for a minute or so before handling my newts.

As to buying from a good pet shop, I would still say no. Their animals are going to be wild caught and despite their otherwise good care wild caught animals come in starved, sick and often quite near death. I would recommend buying captive bred newts as they are healthier and longer lived than their wild caught pet store counterparts. I know Peter Lembcke has several (three?) species of fire belly newts for sale. Some far prettier than the standard Chinese fire belly sold in pet stores.
 
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Nathan050793

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They have an appropriate calcium:phosphorus ratio

Hehe, Abrahm, I think you meant Calcium: Phosphorus ratio. (Darn computer smilies!)

Oh, and I agree that you should consider buying CB from Peter as Abrahm suggested. They will be much healthier and well fed than WC pet store newts.
 

Roho

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I'd kind of prefer to find my first newt in person. I know you can't always trust what a pet store employee says, but they told me it was captive bred and I trust them. Also, it was active, in the water, not skinny at all, and I saw it eat. If it is CB, would it be okay?
 

Kaysie

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I REALLY recommend you get them from a breeder. Pet shops are pretty notorious for their... lack of truth in a lot of things. After all, the pet shop is there just to make money. Otherwise they'd be a zoo, and not a pet SHOP.
 

Abrahm

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I'd kind of prefer to find my first newt in person. I know you can't always trust what a pet store employee says, but they told me it was captive bred and I trust them. Also, it was active, in the water, not skinny at all, and I saw it eat. If it is CB, would it be okay?

How much are they selling them for? If they are anything less than $10 an animal they are wild caught. If they are aquatic that would be another problem as it would mean they are at least a year or two old. Nobody is going to sell something they've fed and raised for 1-2 years for $3.99.

I'm about 99.9% certain the animals your pet store is selling are wild caught. A lot of pet store employees are a bit clueless when it comes to the wild caught/captive bred distinction. Since you specifically asked if they are captive bred the appropriate sales tactic is to say what the customer wants so they are captive bred.
 

spendday

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OK i have to say, i don't like wild caught, and i would recommend that you get captive bred (preferably from a breeder), BUT it's really up to you. I'm sure there's plenty of people on heres first newt/salamander were wild caught, and as you were told its captive bred (although unlikely) and it looks healthy then I'm sure no one will really hold it against you.
 

Roho

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I'm seriously nearly positive that these are captive bred. They are healthy, a good weight, are active, feeding well, and they are $15, not $4. They also have Paramesotriton hongkongensis (Hong Kong Newts) for $19. If you all think it would be better to buy from a breeder because you all are a lot more experienced with newts than me, but I'll look around for them at the reptile show I'm going to in January.
 

Jennewt

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Many pet shop employees just don't realize that newts are still simply being harvested from the wild. Like most of us, they would rather not think about this. I really think your pet shop person was simply mistaken. There is currently NO commercial captive breeding/farming being done with firebelly newts. (It's difficult to raise them, and China is still selling wild ones so cheaply.) Also, when a breeder sells them, the newts are almost always juveniles, and yours are probably adults or near-adults? Some of them do arrive in good condition, so I do believe that your pet shop has been fortunate in getting healthy ones.

There is no newt breeder that will EVER do any commercial-scale rearing of Paramesotriton, so I can guarantee you that those are wild-caught. It takes at least 3+ years to raise an adult-sized Paramesotriton. It's just not feasible, and probably never will be.

Be sure to read the FAQ and articles on Caudata Culture. You will find a wealth of other helpful info there.
 

Roho

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I would try to include regular old earthworms in their diet. They have an appropriate calcium: phosphorus ratio and tend to make an excellent staple food. Supplementing with other foods would be fine.

Where can I get earthworms from?
 

Nathan050793

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Where can I get earthworms from?

Walmart usually sells earthworms/night crawlers. I also know that Petsmart sells earthworms too. If you aren't interested in buying, you could collect your own, granted they are from soil that is free of pesticides or other harmful chemicals. If you buy night crawlers they will most likely need to be chopped into smaller pieces to feed to your newts. There is a good article on that here- http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/worms2.shtml
 

mystic1925

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I'm seriously nearly positive that these are captive bred. They are healthy, a good weight, are active, feeding well, and they are $15, not $4. They also have Paramesotriton hongkongensis (Hong Kong Newts) for $19. If you all think it would be better to buy from a breeder because you all are a lot more experienced with newts than me, but I'll look around for them at the reptile show I'm going to in January.


where did you find Hong Kong Newts for sale? I am looking for one to replace my old guy that just past on... I had him for 10 plus years ... he was my first little guy and I would really like to get another.
any help this are would be great! thanks!
 

vistajpdf

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Grant,

I bought my pair almost exactly one year ago from Pet Supermarket. Do I love the store? Not really, though I'm quite friendly, and am on a first name basis w/ most who work there. On the east side of town, there aren't many choices in pet stores. I usually get all of my little friends from a Wildlife Care Center who rescues and rehabilitates injured, abandoned or surrendered animals. They re-release the native species and adopt out the domestic ones or exotic ones that cannot be released as they compete w/ native species.

Anyway, it was my oldest son's 8th b-day and he wanted these newts. I was totally ignorant on them, but tried to get up to speed rather quickly on their likes and requirements. I was told from the pet store employees that I thought I trusted (they've helped me on numerous water issues w/ a smile each time) that the pair, unable to be sexed, would not reproduce in captivitiy. They were sold for $4.99, I think, so knowing what I know now, they were certainly WC - I had no idea that was even legal last year when we made the purchase.

Well, a few weeks ago, I had a larva - now have a dozen w/ more eggs. It became very clear that the employees at the pet store knew far less than me. I'm still friendly w/ them all (buy my dog, cat, guinea pig, hamster, bird, frog and gecko supplies from them on a regular basis.) But, I realize these employees, for the most part, don't have more than a passing knowledge of the more unusual species they have.

The FBN, shortly after we made our purchase, became unavailable in the store. I'm happy about that, now, as I realize they probably were WC. I never asked and I'm not sure the employees would really know. As someone above said, they may think the location from which they come locally is a breeder. The newts kept dying at the pet store - was traumatic for me and my boys to see. I don't think they kept it cool enough after hours and the water was very shallow, not filtered (though not a must.)

Anyway, like most here, I'd hate to "support" places that sell WC newts, but I think I did a year ago and they are thriving - as are their young. I will say that the pet store workers have told me that only me and one other woman had success w/ the newts as the others who purchased them complained about them dying off rather quickly. Like you, I don't enter into things blindly if I can help it and tried to provide optimal conditions for them. Down here (S.FL), it gets hot and I'm sure most homes turn off the a/c when not there. Temps rise quickly inside and I'm sure it was too hot for them or they weren't that healthy from the start and I got lucky. You sound reasonable and are trying to get as well-informed as you can, so I'm sure you'll be an excellent owner of these amazing little creatures soon.

Best of luck,
Dana
 
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