Why wont they go in the water?

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demonvanity

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Hi,
I got some chinese firebellied newts about 2 months ago, before I got them I built their tank, cycled the water made sure the whole thing was pretty newt friendly, the water is cold and still, they have land areas plenty of water, no current whatsoever, lots of things to hide in/under, loads of plants and lots of places to get out of the water if they need to. and yet so far they havent gone in atall. does anyone have any thoughts?
I read up before i got them and was under the impression they were mainly aquatic and used the land ares little to not atall, but so far not so much as a dip in the water.
 
Sounds like you´ve done all the necessary bits.
How many litres of water are there? Maybe with the land areas, the water volume is not enough and despite the cycling, the water is not in ideal conditions. Just a theory though.

Anyway, be patient. The newts have gone through a terrible importation and a most probably neglectful period in the pet-shop. Being terrestrial is their response to the stress. It´s not uncommon for them to take quite some time to go back to water. I´d suspect as the colder temps arrive they may take the plunge.
 
well, up until this everning they had 70 litres of water in the tank, there are only 4 newts. i took 20 litres out earlier to see if they would go in if it was a bit shallower, that way there are more landmasses breaking the surface and i thought they might be less nervous if it wasnt so deep. If in a week or so theyve not gone near i think ill put it back. as i say im clueless but i thought i could try it
 
Try to upload a picture of the tank, just in case it helps find a reason.
It helps a lot to have lots of plants in the surface area, like for example elodea simply floating in the water. It allows them to "walk" on the water and get used to it. If there´s no support for them in the surface they tend to get scared because they sense the depth.
 
I think it's a response to stress. Mine were huddled under a coconut hut for months. I didn't understand it, but an employee at the pet store where mine were bought told me hers did the same thing, so I just waited. Since returning to the water, they virtually never leave it and have reproduced almost a year after purchasing them, so I don't believe they were juveniles or anything. Be patient. It really took many months for mine to venture back into the water and it took a month or so before they ate. I was quite nervous about it, but they are obviously content with the large number of offspring they have given me (that I wasn't expecting!)

Dana
 
Yes, its all good gen you have beem given. I have some in a 3' tank and when first introduced sat like statues for weeks on their floating cork island. I managed to get them to eat some bloodworm from tweezers at the time. However, to look at them now you would not beleive they are the same creatures. Rarely out of the water and eating like pigs when i drop anything in for them to eat which is only every other day.
Good luck with yours & be patient.
 
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