Very basic Qs (Firebellied newts)

[l.]

Hi, I'm going to be adopting a firebellied newt from a friend of a friend who doesn't want it. I've never kept one before, and while I've done a fair amount of my own research about what they eat, temperatures they need, etc, there are some things I can't quite figure out...

1. How big of a tank does one firebellied newt require?

2. Are they very social? Should I get another?

3. How can I tell if he's a healthy newt? I suspect, unfortunately, that this person has lost interest and therefore may not have been keeping the care up to speed with the little guy.

Thanks in advance .

-L

 

[joseph]

Well, firebelly newts aren't social, so it would not need another newt to keep it company. Besides food competition and breeding they pretty much look at each other like stepping stones

If the newt doesn't look very skinny, and has no sores or injuries it could be healthy. If the guy has owned it for a long time then chances are it is healthy(or at least once was).

 

[dot]

Hi and welcome to c.org!

Here's a caresheet for the more commonly found species of firebelly newts, Chinese Firebellies, (Cynops orientalis).

http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Cynops/C_orientalis.shtml

Good luck!

 

[mark]

No, they are not social, but that was pretty funny, about the stepping stones, but I always say "If you have the room, why not get your newt a buddy?"

 

[jesper]

You are contradicting yourself Mark. They aren't social so the buddy thing is just in you mind.
Having "buddies" is a social thing, you are projecting your own feelings on the newts.

However I do agree that it is nice to have more than one if you have the room, since you will see them more often and have the chance of getting to see a little sexual action

 

[l.]

LOL! Thanks guys, I'm pretty sure it's a Chinese firebelly, but not having seen him yet I don't really know. I have a betta fish and an african dwarf frog already, so I'm fairly good with water quality stuff. Hopefully between that and this site, I'll be able to take care of the little guy properly

-L

 

[benjamin]

Don't mix it with the other animals, you'll lose all three!

 

[l.]

Oh yeah, I know The newt has a separate tank (at the moment, a 6 gal terrarium), fish and frog are in a divided 18gal. Not as stupid as I look

Heading to pick him up in a half hour. Wish me luck!

-L

 

[lynn]

Hi!
i have a newt and i noticed about 2 days ago that on the elbow part of his front leg he has a huge cut can anybody tell me how to care for this injury?

 

[l.]

Well, little fella's here. Looking a bit traumatixed from his car journey, currently terrestrial (though he did give the water a go briefly) and breathing quite quickly. Gonna give him over night to calm down before I start deciding he's at death's door though. His new tank is much bigger than what he was in, so I guess that'll take some getting used do.

Lynn, sorry I can't help you -- new at this myself

.

-L

 

[heather]

Lynn, i suggest that you start your own thread for your little newt. i think you will get more help that way


Im not very good with injured newts...
hopefully you can get ahold of an expert on your new thread...

 

[paris]

yes lynn, since this thread is not 'injury' related, help will be few and far between. i suspect that if you cannot identify the source of injurt-like another tank mate, or a sharp chunk of obsidian, then he may have an ulcer from an infection-read these threads-if they cannot answer your question, or if you want more details afterwards then post a new thread in this same section.
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/sores.shtml
http://www.caudata.org/cc/faq/FAQhea.shtml

 

[l.]

How long would you expect a firebelly to remain terrestrial due to new tank stress? He's moved from his little bit of driftwood to the plant that sticks out of the water, so he has BEEN through the water while I was asleep. When do I worry?

-L

 

[paris]

worry if he seems not to be eating-they will eat more and better in water usually because they are locating food by smell, on land they locate food by sight-which doesnt have that chemical excitement to it-although it does have more of a 'hunt' excitement. if you offer food in the water then poke him in till he will stay in a bit an actually smell the water (they do this by opening up the mouth and passing water over a sensory organ in the mouth)-if its frozen food-let it melt a bit before poking him in. on land you could try crickets that have spent some time in the fridge or a small enough chunk of worm-this stuff, if slow enough ,will not frighten him and may activate the appetite. water isnt necessary (they can do fine just kep damp), but it should be optimum for the best appetite-and when aquatic they are easier to view and to monitor for health.

 

[mark]

Right, thanks jesper for accusing my stupidity, I meant exactly what you said.

 

[l.]

Well, I tried feeding today - a full 24 hours after his arrival - to no avail. Still attributing this to stress as he was driven home in less than ideal conditions (howling storm outside, bumpy roads). Tried both in and out of water with Frozen Bloodworms (I defrost them in a small amount of tank water separately, then squirt them into the tank with an eye-dropper). I tried in water, out of water, I tried wiggling them in front of him to make him think they were food... nada.

Tank is currently maintaining a temp. of 20degreesC, roughly 68F. It seems to be within the bracket for the newts, but even with the window open (It's December, it's Scotland, it's 12 degrees at best outside) it won't drop below that in the water or out - and he's beside the window! The heat is off in my room. In fact, out of the water the heat is 21degree, it's cooler IN the water... yet he's choosing to sit outside of it. XD Just to spite me! He was quite aquatic in his old tank, I SAW him in there!

Also, when I tipped him into the water he panicked and swam rather desperately for the next available island. I've seen him swim quite calmly between them -- I'm wondering if he's thinking there's some predator in the tank with him, just because it's still a new environment or what. My African Dwarf Frog was always very wary of new tank set ups in case there was something lurking at the surface (the frog's been in three settings since I got him in July).

I'm going to give him a week from yesterday and see how his behaviour improves. Thanks for all the advice so far

-L

 

[paris]

they will panic when first thrown into water this is normal for newt in water denial-essentially they are still repelling water and will do so until their skin changes, sort of like putting your own hands into water-they will take a while till they are hydrophyllic, and will repel water at first, you will notice in the first time he goes into water he will have bubbles of air on his skin -until his skin adapts to the water, this is one of the reasons we advise high water levels for new guys-like it is stated in the care sheet-while their skin not acclimated to water it will be hard for them to dive and break surface tension. how thin is this guy?

 

[l.]

He's not thin at all, quite robust and healthy looking - no sores, his bones are well hidden under his flesh. His previous owner seemed to be overfeeding, in that when I caught him from his old tank I disturbed a veritable cloud of old, uneaten bloodworms. He doesn't look bloated in the traditional sense (I've never seen a bloated newt, but there's no part of him that looks to be overly full), though his body is consistantly wider than his tail. The water level is 5.5 inches with only two small areas above it. His tank itself has varying depths though, due to stacked gravel and a fishtank ornament tunnel I put in so he'd have something to hide under. The plants in there are fake for the moment, as I've never dealt with a planted tank before. He sits either on the leaf of the silkplant or on a piece of driftwood on the opposite end of the tank. The tank is roughly 12 inches long and 16 high. There's no filter, so the water is still (though I am still considering getting one).

Should I suspend my paranoia until he appears to be losing weight?

(Message edited by ThePirateKing on December 23, 2004)

 

[l.]

Some pictures of the little guy and his tank setup.

 

[benjamin]

He looks pretty healthy, if you could take some more pictures of the newt's side underside, then the people here can sex it.