New Chinese Fire Belly Newt Owner

Molch said:
aah, yes, you're right of course - but let's not make the OP feel any worse about it. I guess he's new to newts and didn't know any better about pet shop newts. Most of us have made that mistake at some point. So let's hope at least one of these does recover and if not, that he'll have more luck with captive-bred newts in the future :)
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Absolutely true. Still, is it not better to educate than to hold one's tongue at the risk of upsetting a new, inexperienced hobbyist?
 
Thanks everyone. I'll try not to buy any newts that I can clearly see are sick and/or injured. I can still buy any healthy ones I find though, right?

And also, since I can't have the filter in there, that means I'll have to clean the newts' tank more regularly. Are there any specific ways I am supposed to do this, and how often should I do it?

EDIT: Also, I tried feeding them pieces of earthworm earlier with tweezers, but I couldn't get them to eat, so I dumped the pieces in the water. Hopefully they'll find it and eat it.

EDIT: I read on another part of the forum that food that sinks to the bottom and into the gravel that sits there for too long will create ammonia, and that that's bad for young frogs (it was in the ACF section of the forums), and I'm guessing that it's the same for newts too. Well, I've been feeding my newts those ReptoMin granules, dried bloodworms, and earthworm pieces, and quite clearly too much of it because I want them to eat so bad, and it's been sinking into the gravel and sitting there. I was hoping having mystery snails in there would help the problem, but even they're not eating it fast enough. So I need to know what I need to do to clean the tank and get that food waste out of there, and also how I can know how much or how little to feed my newts. And also how I can get them to eat.
 
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yes, you should absolutely take out uneaten food. It should never sit in there for more than a few hours. A good simple way is to suck up the bits with a turkey baster or a hose.

It's best to do partial water changes. In a fully cycled tank only about every 1-2 weeks, but in a new tank maybe as often as daily. Don't scrub your tank ornamenst or walls though; you want the bacteria get established there that help break down ammonia.

You could install a sponge filter, run by an air pump. Those produce no current but provide good surface area for biological (meaning, bacteria) filtration.

oh, and just to make sure: do you have a good lid on there? Newts are escape artists.

And really, it's best to never buy pet shop newts, even if they look healthy. Pet shop newts are almost always wild-caught and have been imported under atrocious conditions, and their sale will help promote more such imports. Of course, a lot of us have done it before we knew better. I myself have 4 Japanese fire bellies I bought at a pet shop in 1998, before I was fully aware of the conditions under which they get there. I wouldn't get pet shop animals any more today though.
 
I hope I can find a sponge filter. And where am I supposed to buy newts and salamanders if not from the pet store?
 
From breeders. There are a few very professional breeders and plenty of hobbyist ones around the states and they should be able to ship to you. You´d be getting healthy, captive-bred animals, already used to captivity. Shipping is pretty safe if the seller knows what to do, plus there is a much larger variety of species to choose from than what pet-shops usually carry (and their animals are always stressed, frequently very badly cared for).
Wether you want to participate of the WC market it´s entirely up to you, of course. We are just offering an alternative that we wholeheartedly believe to be far superior, if not just because of the state of the animals involved, but also because of the state of wild populations.
 
Ok. How would I go about looking for breeders in my state?

EDIT: I looked in the for sale section of the forums, but only saw baby fire bellies for sale, and I don't wanna start out with babies since I'm new at this hobby. Young ones are okay, but I don't want to take care of babies just yet.
 
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Just be patient. In the spring, when species start to breed, there will be plenty of people selling a variety of species.
 
But I want to get started now. Is there no one that's selling any, on or off the site, around this time?
 
Wait for a reliable breeder to advertise, it's worth the wait, and much better than buying possibly more sick ones from pet shops
 
Today I checked on the newt that I thought had an infection before, and it appears I was wrong. The white stuff I thought was the infection turned out to be his bones sticking out. So now I guess I don't have to separate him from the other. Now all I need to worry about is getting him to eat, because he's really skinny.

I also went into the pet store today and asked them where they got their newts, and they said they get them from a place that breeds all their animals. And to be honest, the first two newts I bought were in good condition when I bought them as far as I can remember. Only one had a few missing toes on his foot. I think that the one I have now with the missing foot and all the missing toes ended up like that because his legs got caught in the filter, and he lost some parts, and now he's skinny because his body's trying to recover. The only newt I had a problem with was the third one, who had a missing foot and a white spot on his back that might have been an infection, and he was also skinnier than the other two. I think that all the toes and such he was missing when he died was caused by the filter as well. I haven't had any bad experiences concering pets I've bought from this store before, except for this last newt I bought, and that could've been my fault. Is it better to stay on the safe side and not buy any newts from them anywy? Today I ordered a couple newts, which they'll have in by Tuesday. And now that I know what to look for, I can check to see if the newts are healthy. Any comments?

(And yes, I'm referring to my newts as males, but I don't really know what their gender is. And I think that they're too young to tell what they are right now.)

EDIT: I'd also like to say that the three newts I bought were the last three they had in stock, and that they had more before I bought mine, so the ones I bought were probably the leftover newts that people didn't want to buy because they were the least healthy of the bunch, but from what I saw, they were still pretty health except for the one.

EDIT: I'm not trying to go against what you guys have told me, because I really do respect what you all have to say. You're all so helpful and informative. But I also have my own opinion, especially about this particular pet store which I've been going to now and then for years, and I want to be certain that the newts they're selling really are in bad shape before I stop buying newts from them forever. I hope you all understand.
 
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Can gold dusts be kept with fire bellies? Since I have 2 fire bellies right now, and maybe 2 more come Tuesday.

EDIT: Also, the tank I have right now is kinda small. I suppose I could set up a larger one though. The only reason I have a small one set up right now (I think it's 5 gallons?) is because the fire bellies I have are really small. When they got bigger, I was going to upgrade to a larger tank.
 
I figured. I don't know if I would want to set up a separate tank for another newt species. I was thinking about just focusing on one kind for now. However, I'll definitely give some thought to buying some of those gold dusts.

There were a couple times when I was a lot less experienced with newts where I mixed them with other species. I once owned what I think was a paddletail newt, and kept it with an African clawed frog. It got pretty big and lived quite a while, and as far as I remember the two never had a problem living in the same tank. The paddletail died though. Of what, I don't know. I just found it dead one day. I couldn't tell you what happened, whether I did something wrong other than keeping it with an ACF since I knew a lot less about newt keeping then. And then the only other newt I owned other than the fire bellies I have now was another paddletail. This time I know it was a paddletail. I kept it in the tank with that same frog. The two never had problems with each other. I'd also like to say that I got the paddletail from the store I got the fire bellies at, and the paddletail was really healthy. I know that much. Also, there were a lot of ramshorn snails in the tank with the frog and the latter newt. The frog loved snacking on them. I also once kept a betta with the ACF, and a smaller albino ACF. The albino ACF didn't last long before the larger one ate him, and it also ate the betta. The frog and the paddletail died, and it was my fault, for the most part. I was a more negligent pet owner at the time, and I wouldn't add more water to their tank for long periods of time. Well, one day their water level went down a lot faster than normal, and with me not filling it up often, they lost too much water and the two of them died. That was a sad day. I loved those guys. I had that frog for soo long, and the newt was so cool. But don't worry. I'm a far better pet owner now, and I'm going to take good care of my newts and my other pets. I had to learn the hard way what would happen because of my negligence.
 
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Too be honest, I think you need to get your current newts fit and healthy first before adding more. Get their set up right and let them recover first. As you have more on the way, make sure you do not mix them, quarantine them and make sure nothing comes into contact with each group.
 
Ok. Thanks for the advice.

EDIT: Since I took out that filter, and then cleaned their tank, the fire bellies seem to have been doing a lot better. I don't know if they've eaten yet though.

EDIT: So you guys know, I ordered the newts, but I haven't actually bought them yet.
 
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The skinny newt died. That's the second one. I'm so sad again... I really, REALLY hope the third one survives.
 
I bought a sponge filter for my newt like someone suggested. I'm also thinking about buying a paddletail newt or two from the pet store. They all look healthy, so I'm not worried about that. What do you guys think?
 
Paddletails are aggressive and territorial, and would require a much larger tank than the 5 gallon you have. Do not mix them with anything other than food. Being stream dwellers, they prefer cold water with a current.

I would not recommend paddletails to an inexperienced hobbyist.
 
I was going to put them in a different tank than the one I had the fire bellies in. A much bigger one. I've done some research on this particular species because I used to have one (maybe two, but I'm not sure if the first newt I ever had was a paddletail; i think it was), so I know what I need to do to take care of it. Because of the paddletail I used to have, I have an attachment to this species, and that's why I wanted one.

EDIT: I'm pretty sure I can take good care of it, but what I wanted to know is if you guys think I shouldn't buy it from the pet store, since you all don't approve of newts bought from pet stores. They all looked healthy, so that's why I was thinking of buying one. But I want to know what you all think. Also, I'm still not sure if I'm going to buy those fire bellies I ordered. It depends on if they're healthy when I go in to see them, and what you guys think I should do.
 
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