Sunset yellow firebelly newt?

[deedee71]

Hi
I was going to get Cynops orientalis but the breeder let my pet shop down. So my pet shop owner is going to get a firebelly which he said was yellow on the forearms I think he thought they were called sunset? Does anyone know of such a newt please x

 

[Sith the turtle]

Don't know of a species. Could be trying to con you out of money, I would see what it looks like first

 

[Chinadog]

Its true that captive bred firebellies, although often in perfect health generally have yellow or orange bellies instead of the deep red seen on wild caught animals. This is because their captive food is often lower in carotenoids than the typical diet in the wild. The diet, coupled with the fast growth in captivity means their belly/under arm colour can be much lighter their whole lives.
Sunset must be some kind of creative name made up by the wholesalers or the petstore. Please don't be fooled by them claiming to buy from breeders, it takes between one and three years for firebellies to grow to a size that the petstores will buy and obviously this means somebody has to house and feed them for all that time so to sell them in the store for ten or fifteen quid is impossible without making a huge financial loss. Think about it.
Goodness knows what will turn up at the petstore, but apart from H. orientalis all the common petstore newts are either Wartys (Paramesotriton) or paddletails. (Pachytriton) These species are all often sold as firebellies but are territorial and aggressive to members of their own kind,so can only be kept on their own or sometimes in pairs, but they are imported with tropical fish and are extremely cheap.

 

[deedee71]

thanks chinadog and sith.

 

[deedee71]

Well, been looking online at google images of newts, I wonder if my petshop man is referring to the cynops ensicauda because some photos I saw the newt was yellow on the inside of his/her arms and a yellow tummy, a very beautiful newt.

this would be better than the orientalis as more easy going on temperatures

my petshop man is adamant they are captive bred. he said the wholesaler is like tmc where they frag their own corals and have breeding programmes for marine hobby, so I am hoping he is right. I just hope they come tomorrow because otherwise I will look at dartfrog but it looks like they are charging £40 for reptile courier

 

[Sith the turtle]

You could ask if the people that are giving it to the pet-store if they have any pictures of it

 

[Rupert]

I have a feeling it might not even be a cynops species.....

 

[Sith the turtle]

I have a feeling it might not even be a cynops species.....

It may be, I like to think of it as "Schrodinger's newt"

 

[Chinadog]

Me too. Its not beyond possibility that the petstore can order captive bred Triturus, Plurodeles or other cheap and easy to raise species. Its very rare, but it makes it believable. The expense and hassle of housing and feeding Cynops through at least eighteen months of their tricky "eft" stage means they would have a price tag way, way above what most people will pay, after all, most petstore newts are just a cheap, impulse buy to be tossed in with the tropical fish or turtles to die.
I could be wrong, I hope I am, but my cynical side says unless they are tiny terrestrial juveniles, they will be one of the usual wild caught Asian species, after all, if they were coming from a breeder they would be sold under a valid scientific name, or at least the widely used common names, why would they make up this "sunset yellow" nonsense? Like I say, I hope I'm wrong and I am intrigued to see what turns up!

 

[Asevernnnn]

Petstore logic is like, if there is orange, yellow, or red anywhere on the belly, it's a firebelly. I've heard of even Taricha being referred to as a firebelly at a petstore.

 

[Sith the turtle]

And, adding on Aarons logic, a pet-store had labeled a Chinese water dragon as a "Baby Godzilla lizard"

 

[Sith the turtle]

I found the article: New Species Named Baby Godzilla Lizard

 

[Sith the turtle]

Did you take any pictures of the newt yet?

 

[deedee71]

Hi not got them yet xx

 

[deedee71]

Just rang the pet shop. He has a pair of newts. Weren't the sunset bellies but are a orangey red firebelly that is captive bred and like an alpine newt. Browny black back..mm.


Well that sounds like a firebelly to me not an alpine? I thought alpine were brown with spots and big Fins x

 

[Sith the turtle]

Take pictures, we can't identify them by a description

 

[deedee71]

yes I understand. my petshop is about ten miles away, so I usually go there on a Saturday with my mum for something to do lol. anyway, I guess I will post a picky when I go there tomorrow or when 'if' I bring them home x well, I most likely will bring them home with me as I will likely feel sorry for them even if they aren't the orientalis I have longed for x

 

[Sith the turtle]

There's no shame in buying some, just make sure that they appear healthy first. If there are any external signs of illness, don't get them. Even then, I would still monitor them for awhile to make sure

 

[deedee71]

Hope this picture loads.

 

[deedee71]

And this picture

Sorry about huge label on box. He is now in the tank sat on his bit of bark

He is charcoal dark grey with black spots barely noticeable. Pointed long tail with orange underneath tail and throat, neck and body. No black blotches on orange underneath.