How/when to transition marbled newt

[MnGuy]

I have a marbled newt, T. marmoratus, that will be two years old next spring. I keep it in a terrestrial 5 gallon tank. I intermittently use a water dish. I take it out often because the fruit flies and bean beetles I feed always jump in the water, drown and pollute it. The newt doesn't seem to like eating them once they're floating in the water. I mist it once or twice a week.

When and how do you transition a marbled newt to an aquatic setup? Or, do you prefer to keep your mature marbled newts terrestrial? Or, 50/50 (if so, when do you make that transition)?

Thanks!

 

[Herpin Man]

I prefer to keep my adults in a planted terrestrial set up, with a water dish. However for breeding season, I have to put them in the water. For me, there really is no transition. I keep a separate aquatic tank for them, with lots of driftwood and vegetation, and just plop them in when the time comes.
I can’t really speak to the benefits from, or issues specific to, keeping them aquatic year round, as it isn’t something that I’ve ever done. But I understand that’s what some people do, and it works out just fine, I’m told.