Question: Metamorphed newt help please!!

[metsa]

Hello

My firebelly newts are metamorphosizing right now! I had noticed changes in them so I'd dropped the water level and ensured there was clear land areas recently. I cleaned them two days ago, and all nine of the babies were fully aquatic and had full gills. Today, one was sitting on the land area when I came home, and now it's climbed the side of the tank! Another newtlet also threw itself onto the land area as I was watching.

So my questions are, firstly how small a size can the baby newts squeeze through? The one climbing the tank is 4cm long. There is a lid of the tank, but it has small air slots, each 2mm wide. Will the newtlets fit through this?

Secondly, what should I feed them? They have been eating blood worms and some daphnia and brine shrimp while aquatic.

Thirdly, will the set up I have currently be ok - the tank has two raised areas, one at each side, and the centre section is sunken. So I currently have water in the middle section only, also there is a hide in there and a plant. The land areas are totally bare plastic.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Thanks

 

[Greatwtehunter]

Any space that is as wide as their head the can get out of. I plug any hole that is half the size of the newts head just to be sure.

I feed my new morphs white worms and springtails.

 

[metsa]

Here are some pictures of the newtlet, on the dry area and climbing the tank. Sorry the climbing picture isn't in focus.

 

[Greatwtehunter]

One more suggestion......You may want to add some moss on the land parts for them to use as a hide.

 

[misslyss]

What type of cage is that? A generic hermit crab cage or something? Just curious.

 

[metsa]

Hello, thanks for the advice! I'll try and get some moss and food today. The tank is just a plastic tank I got from Pets at Home, they were placed right between the fish and small animals supplies, so I guess they are meant to just be generally useful.

 

[vistajpdf]

The morph seems to be at a good size - this is a positive. However, they may not eat for quite some time, even weeks. I fed mine springtails and flightless fruit flies and I thought they weren't eating at all for months, though they must have been as they survived. I guess they just did not when I was on guard.

Take a few paper towels or an old sheet cut a little larger than the size of the top of the cage and place them under the lid to be sure of no escapes. I'd actually move the morphs to a terrestrial enclosure. I had so many that I bought several shoe box sized plastic storage containers. They were readily available at Target and I drilled several rows of holes in the central portion, two inches from the edges, for air. I still used paper towels or an old sheet under the lid, but it was more to prevent their food from escaping.

Good luck,
Dana

 

[achiinto]

I had raised some 70 CO morphs with this method. I had two big plastic boxes with a substrate of 1/2 coconut fiber, 1/2 Black sand mix, This is a bog style substrate. I have a water dish with some gravels and java moss. I also have plant in my containers. The plants helped to keep the substrate clean, but for the 1 year of keeping the morphs, I have cleaned the substrate twice. I didn't replace the substrate, instead I added water to the substrate and removed the water from the substrate using syringe (an amazing tool). I did the adding and removing of water multiple times. This cleaning method seems to work fine but your mileage may vary.

The newly morphs might not eat for the first two weeks. I always have springtails ready for them. Currently, I only have 2 morphs, so I even have my own culture of springtails going in the container and the two newts require no care at all then feeding of fish flake to the springtails. When I was raising my batch of 70s, I was feeding them frozen bloodworms rolled as a ball on the tips of the toothpick. Now, since I have access to live black worm, I sometime would try them. I also tried feeding them white worms. If you want to feed them flightless fruitflies, you can cover your container with a piece of cloth (cut out of a used t-shirt), this will keep the fruitflies from escaping while ensuring enough ventilation.

There are many food sources you may try, you will eventually learn more from experience. Have fun and enjoy. If you have any problem just let us know.