Care tips for smooth newts

[oharakf]

Hi,

Im planning a setup for some smooth newts - Lissotriton vulgaris and I was just looking for some tips.

I was thinking of feeding them mainly on worms, how often would I need to offer them food? once a day? twice a day?

Aside from worms are they likely to take frozen mysis or live mealworms?

Any other tips appreciated.

Thanks

 

[SludgeMunkey]

This species is too small for mysis and mealworms are not suitable caudate foods. Fruit flies, crickets and white worms are choice. You may get them to eat frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp, but it may take coaxing, and only if they are aquatic.

 

[Niels D]

Small earth worms and pill bugs will do as well.

 

[oharakf]

Thanks for all the feedback, how often should they be fed do you think? Im planning on getting adults

 

[SludgeMunkey]

I use the data from Caudata Culture for European Newts. In my mind they all rear up about the same.
Just be prepared, vulgaris "efts" are the smallest terrestrial newt I have ever worked with....and if you get adults, plan on eggs.

 

[caleb]

how often should they be fed do you think? Im planning on getting adults

You don't need to feed them every day if you don't want to. Twice a week should be enough if you give them plenty, or you could feed small amounts every day.

Are you just intending to fish some out of your garden pond and keep them in water over the breeding season, or are you going to keep them all year round?

If you're just keeping them for a short while, make sure you keep them cool, or they'll try to leave the water. If you're going to keep them long term, you'll need to plan for what happens when they do leave the water- either you'll need to provide a land area alongside the water, or make another setup to transfer them too.

 

[Azhael]

I would like to try and encourage you to reconsider and not capture adults. Given the tremendous isolation that many british populations suffer, and without knowing which specific population you´d be collecting from, it´s plausible that just taking a few adults could have a negative effect on the local population.
It would be much more responsible and far less likely to have an impact if you collected young larvae. I know it´s legal in the UK either way (which baffles me), but that´s no reason to ignore reality.

 

[oharakf]

Thanks for the feedback.

I dont think I'll be doing any harm to the local population by taking a pair from the wild. The local area is full of them.

Fingers crossed it all works out

 

[oharakf]

The newts have now come out of the water. They are spending most of the time hiding in moss etc. Just wanted to check on the diet. I've put in some bugs and small worms. I tried to get crickets in the local pet shop but the smallest ones still seemed too big. Any other suggestions for food?

I think I can see eggs on some of the plants in the water so hopefully they hatch, Im planning on feeding them on artemia and then daphnia if they do.

 

[AngieD]

Most pet shops can order in special live foods. Have a word with the owners and ask if they can order in wingless fruit flies

 

[caleb]

You'd need thousands and thousands of fruitflies to feed adult newts.

Small earthworms are best if you can get them. Waxworms and/or lesser waxworms are good as well.

 

[Mark]

This time of year is really great for small woodlice and slugs. If you have a garden, a few minutes with a pooter and pair of forceps at night will be very productive. If you find where the woodlice hang out during the day (normally under bricks, pots etc) you can brush them off into a large tub for size sorting. Small maggots (from angling shops) and "mini" mealworms (just juvenile mealworms, from pet shops) are available commercially and are normally accepted by most newts. The difficulty lies in finding ones small enough for Lissotrition.