Fire belly eft

[Michaelmiskimm167]

My first fire bellied newt has came to land and lost his gills. What should I do next? I’ve seen a few videos but always seek the best advice as a beginner

 

[JaceW/Lifer-Log]

I generally hear people say set them up as terrestrial salamanders, I have never kept them though so I'm not completely sure.

 

[Michaelmiskimm167]

I generally hear people say set them up as terrestrial salamanders, I have never kept them though so I'm not completely sure.

I’ve heard that too, have him in a tub with some wet/moist paper towel at the moment, being a first time owner is stressful

 

[JM29]

Yes, like very small salamanders.
They need tiny preys, like springtails, little fruitflies, enchytreas.
Some people use pinhead crickets but I've had issues with them.

Give them a wet (damp) zone and a drier zone, so that tey can chose where they want to stay.
And, of course, an hermetic lid to avoid evasions...

 

[seandelevan]

I literally take the dirt from my earthworm enclosure which is filled with little critters and lay a half inch down in a ten gallon tank. Put Java Moss, rocks, pieces of bark, leaf litter and other miscellaneous plant cuttings from my planted fish tank. They’ll scavenge around a bit but eventually will need bigger pray like baby worms or pieces of small worms. My cynops pyrrhogasters became efts this time last year and they are still efts. Some barely bigger than when they first morphed, others 3 times bigger. The bigger ones will probably start becoming aquatic within the next few months.

 

[parski]

How do you know when they are becoming aquatic again? Mine are still unhatched eggs but I'd like to know these things well in advance so that I can be proactive.

 

[JM29]

Theoretically, they remain terrestrial until they become adult.
In fact, you can try getting them back to water about 1 year after metamorphosis, but not all of them will accept that.
I once managed to make one eft get back to water after 6 months terrestrial life.
Another one never left water after metamorphosis ; this one is growing very fast.

I'm trying to keep some efts semi-aquatic after metamorphosis, with one inch deep water and a lot of aquatic plants (Java fern, Java moss).

 

[parski]

Do you try getting them back by dropping them in a semi-aquatic tank with deep water, a purely aquatic tank or in a terrestrial tank with shallow water and determine that they are drawn to the water? I'm trying to determine if "try getting them back to water" means dropping them in an aquarium and making sure they breath within two minutes (?) or if there's more of a gradual process.

 

[JM29]

When I said "try getting them back to water",
I meant
"wait for a weekend when you're at home. Put them in shallow water (1 to 2 inches deep - the length of the animal) with a lot of aquatic plants so that they can climb on the plants to easily reach the surface and not draw. Detect the efts which are reluctant to stay in the water (they never put their head in the water and try to climb outside the tank) and put them back in their terrarium (Next time perhaps).

If an eft eats underwater, you've won


Update : once metamorphosed but still in water, it's very important to feed them a lot. I feed mine with frozen bloodworms, change the water every other day to keep a good water quality and I'm helped by little snails (Physis) to get rid of uneaten food.

 

[parski]

When I said "try getting them back to water",
I meant
"wait for a weekend when you're at home. Put them in shallow water (1 to 2 inches deep - the length of the animal) with a lot of aquatic plants so that they can climb on the plants to easily reach the surface and not draw. Detect the efts which are reluctant to stay in the water (they never put their head in the water and try to climb outside the tank) and put them back in their terrarium (Next time perhaps).

If an eft eats underwater, you've won


Update : once metamorphosed but still in water, it's very important to feed them a lot. I feed mine with frozen bloodworms, change the water every other day to keep a good water quality and I'm helped by little snails (Physis) to get rid of uneaten food.

This is great information. Thank you for sharing! My first efts hatched today do I still have ways to go but I will come back to this post in due time. Again, thank you.