New to Newts

[aghiowa]

Hi all. My kids and I have recently gotten a fire belly newt from a pet store. They were keeping it in a small plastic box with some gravel and water. I didn't really have a chance to watch its behavior.

We took it home to our setup

The water is treated tap water, and it had been up and running for a few days before we put the newt in. The temperature is probably around 75 F, since it's summer here and hot.

Anyway, since we got it, all it does is sit under a rock. It doesn't move, it doesn't eat, nothing. I currently have that TetraMin pelleted food, which I understand may not be it's favorite food.

Here is a picture of our newt.

Is this a normal size/weight for this type of newt? What are we doing wrong? It's in a fairly busy part of the house. Is it just too much activity for the little guy?

I have tried reading all I can about care etc. but I haven't seen much about behavior.

Thanks all!
Angela
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g272/AngelazTNT/Fred.jpg

 

[oregon newt]

What are your water parameters? A couple days might not be long enough to cycle. If your tank is not cycled, then you will need to be doing partial water changes every day. Alot of your questions can be answered in the FAQ at caudata.org/cc/. Try feeding the little guy some live food. Maybe some earthworms, but make sure you cut them small enough.

 

[Jennewt]

The tank looks nice. The newt looks healthy. Its skin has the normal granular texture of a CFB that is land-adapted. The link to the FAQ that Will mentioned is in my signature line.

It's behavior seems 100% normal to me. The reasons it is staying terrestrial are: (1) the stress of import and being in a new setup (2) the summer temp, and (3) the presence of a very inviting and comfortable land area. Being recently removed from wild where it presumably ate live food, it isn't recognizing TetraMin as being food. Some newts will eat non-live food in the water, based on smell, but on land it won't work. It will need small live food (crickets or bugs from outside such as pill bugs or slugs), or to be trained to eat worm pieces or frozen bloodworms from a toothpick. For food ideas, see:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/foods.shtml

 

[aghiowa]

Thank you so much for the considerate replies. As I went back and searched the forum I saw countless people asking the same questions I did. Sorry I didn't search first and then ask.

I have put small pieces of earthworm and centipede under the rock with my little guy, and the next day they're nowhere to be found, so I am assuming he/she's eating them. I will continue offering live food every day until he/she plumps out a bit and maybe decides to venture out from under the rock.

I have looked at the lists of suggested live food, but I haven't seen any specific mention of ants. Do they just fit under the category of "invertebrate" and are they OK to feed to a newt or not? I think they might bite... They're just really easy to catch and are the right size for my tiny newt.

I will continue with earthworms as they are also easy to get. (Compost heap, here I come.)

Thanks again for your polite, informative forum. This is a great place!

Angela

 

[grunsven]

Ants are not suitable. They are to hard, many have acids which make them distastefull and somme can bite or sting.

 

[aghiowa]

Thanks. I was kind of thinking that about ants.

Yesterday I placed a tiny (1 cm) centipede thingy in front of our newt, and he actually ate it right there in front of me! I'm thrilled because now I know he will eat.

Angela

 

[chrispy]

What size tank is that?

 

[aghiowa]

It's a 10 gallon tank.

Angela