Pet Store Follies

D

danny

Guest
I was in one of the local pet stores today and I noticed in one of the many tanks they had one that contained "Singapore Newts" Now I asked the lady what the latin name was for the species and like a typical non educated pet store employee I got the famous "i dunno" response. The newts are only about 2-3 inches long, they look like they are greyish with a speckling of dark dots, the tank is really just a "swamp" setup, lots of wet much it looks like. She said that they live in swamps and dont need deep water. I wish I could find anything about these newts, can anyone help? Thanx
 
Could you describe their shape and their skin? Is there any other species that you've seen here on the forum or on caudata culture that it could have been or at least looks similar to? Are you sure the animals you saw were adults and not just juveniles?

Speaking of bad pet store species labeling, I bought my female cynops orientalis, I knew I was purchasing a cynops orientalis, under the title of a spanish sharp ribbed newt; there was also a young spanish sharp ribbed newt in the same tank. I think my female was probably a left over from a previous group of newts that they had had, the rest of which were sold or died. I assume they recently got the spanish ribbed newt in and put it's label over the old chinese firebelly newt label, which I could see faintly through the Pleurodeles watl label, so they could try and sell the last remaining firebelly at the £8 price of it's tank mate instead of the £5 old price. Unfortunately I was in a rush and wanted the newt so I was forced to promote the this species mixing swindling. Luckily for them they managed to sell the animal almost double price before it was eaten by its tankmate.
 
The newts in the tank looked like CO's, they had similar size and shape, the skin was also textured like a CO, but they didnt have a brightly coloured belly from what I could see. The skin was a light colour brown, almost tan, and it was covered in little darker dots that ran the length of their body. It was hard to tell anything as the tank is really just one big mud hole, the newts were covered in mud, and they were feeding it the tiny 1-2week old crickets. I will have to phone them and as a supervisor or manage to check their receipts as to what they really are.
 
could it be a waaaaayyy mislabeled eastern newt? you know like from Singapore Ohio?????
 
ahhhhh...so they are from Singapore Spain!
our local pet co sold those ase 'crested newts'!!

(Message edited by paris on January 19, 2005)
 
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