Question: Inactive/shy Chinese fire bellied newts...

[Lydia]

I have two Chinese fire bellied newts (I've had them for about 3 days) which are not yet adults but aren't very young. Their tank temperature is about 17 degrees celsius and they have eaten since they arrived.They have been hiding in their little house for quite a while (about a day and a half)and I am slightly worried. I know they like to hide in small spaces but they aren't very eager or active. Winter is almost here so I was thinking it could be that there is not much light. Any ideas?

 

[Jennewt]

Some of the FAQs here might be helpful:
Caudata Culture - Frequently Asked Questions

You say "they have eaten"... did you mean that they haven't? This is a common problem. The newts are wild-caught, so they have only eaten live foods up to now.

I don't think that the lack of light is a problem. Obviously, they need to see their food, but they have no particular requirements for light beyond that.

 

[Azhael]

Your newts are almost certainly adults, just because they look small it doesn´t mean they aren´t mature. They can be sexually mature with sizes as small as 5cm.
I´m assuming your newts are terrestrial right now? If that´s the case, hiding is pretty much all they are going to do, particularly during the day. This is perfectly normal even for healthy animals, let alone recent imports that are going to be incredibly stressed. Newts in general are not active animals, but terrestrial ones in particular are known for their extremely low activity lives.

Make sure to read the caresheet and the articles on cycling and water quality (you can find them in our signatures). In order for your newts to have a chance to adapt to captivity and recover from their terrible ordeal, you need to offer optimal conditions ASAP. That means a minimum of 10 gallons of water, packed FULL of live plants. You need to monitor water parametres while the tank cycles and do 20% water changes daily or as required.