No one owns smooth newts these days

[fintan]

i remember the good old days.... hey iv got a new smooth newt wanna come over and see it! and youd be like wow! a smooth newt! but now its all fire bellies etc

so im just wonderin if anyone owns any these days?

 

[william]

I have two pairs of vulgaris and helveticus breeding in an outdoor vivarium. They are what i call proper newts, not like all these foreigners

 

[alan]

In my opinion, Lissotriton vulgaris is a lovely animal but a poor terrarium pet. Secretive and terrestrial for 90% of the year and preferring lower temperatures than modern households can easily provide, they are much better off outside, and species such as Cynops orientalis are much better pets:
http://ia301107.us.archive.org/0/items/AJCsVirtualFrogroom018/frogroom018.m4v

 

[christopher]

we've got a population in the backgarden which i introduced a few years ago and have been breeding on and off ever since. great newts, really interesting when kept in a tank for breeding during the spring/summer months. can't say as i ever found them to be secretive either, infact quite the opposite

 

[alan]

They are secretive in the terrestrial phase = 90% of the year.

 

[christopher]

i'd argue otherwise, we have them in the ponds from late february till the end of the summer, which is at least 6 months of the year. i've also kept them in tanks for breeding for a good 4 months of the year when i bother with it, in an aquatic setup.

Chris

 

[fintan]

its good to know theres people out there

they are quite fussy about temprature thats why i keep them outside!