Semiaquatic newts

[oxydoras]

It seems that most newts available in the hobby seem to be fully aquatic in their adult phase. Are there any newts that will actively use and appreciate both water and land area in their enclosure?

 

[JM29]

It depends on what you mean by "both water and land".

Besides fully aquatic species, there are species which alternate aquatic life (breeding period) and terrestrial life, but for each of these period, they are fully aquatic or fully terrestrial.

Keep in mind that when a newt is in its fully aquatic period, the area and volume of its aquatic part will have to be large enough as for a fully aquatic species. Idem for its terrestrial period. So an aquatic / terrestrial enclosure must be very large.

 

[oxydoras]

It depends on what you mean by "both water and land".

Besides fully aquatic species, there are species which alternate aquatic life (breeding period) and terrestrial life, but for each of these period, they are fully aquatic or fully terrestrial.

Keep in mind that when a newt is in its fully aquatic period, the area and volume of its aquatic part will have to be large enough as for a fully aquatic species. Idem for its terrestrial period. So an aquatic / terrestrial enclosure must be very large.

I was thinking something that would act sort of like a semiaquatic lizard. In other words, a newt that would use both land and water when fully grown, and would need the space of both an aquatic and terrestrial newt, like you mentioned. I don’t really have a problem with needing to provide a large tank, my focus is finding a species that fulfills these requirements if one does exist. I get that a lot of newts have a land stage, but that wasn’t really what I was referring to.

 

[Roughskinned]

I believe Rough skinned newts meet this description. My California newts do often venture into their water feature, but not to where I’d say half their time is spent in the water.