Red Spotted Newt falling .. does it hurt?

[carlcaruana]

Hi, My 2 red spotted newts climb the glass and when they get to the top, they turn and fall down... do they hurt??

 

[Attenborough]

Mine do the same thing daily, onto solid rock. It sure looks like it would hurt but it doesn't seem to phase them. I'm more curious if them climbing is a sign they don't like their environment or if they're just curious by nature.

 

[eminem]

mine do the same thing, probably they see stuff behond the glass and want to see it so they climb to the top and fall ahaha. im sure they would stop if it hurt them

 

[carlcaruana]

exactly... i dont think they hurt, because if they DO, they would stop right? .... And i found that on their natural habitat, they go out and walk on HEAVY rain and it doesn't make a difference for them and they don't hurt.

 

[jewett]

These animals are so small I think the force they would generate in a short fall would not be great enough to create much injury, but I still think its abnormal for a content animal to always be climbing the glass. Maybe this behavior could be interpreted as something not right in their habitats - how are these animals being housed and fed? What are the temps? Look for some sort of husbandry issue that stands in need of correction, and then rectify it.
Heather

 

[nwmnnaturalist]

You can always put some aquarium/habitat-safe fake vegetation around the edges of the tank to cushion their falls. Even if it does hurt when they fall, they may still try to do it.

 

[caleb]

J. B. S. Haldane said:

"To the mouse and any smaller animal [gravity] presents practically no dangers. You can drop a mouse down a thousand-yard mine shaft; and, on arriving at the bottom, it gets a slight shock and walks away, provided that the ground is fairly soft. A rat is killed, a man is broken, a horse splashes."

Haldane, On Being the Right Size

 

[Kaysie]

I don't feel so bad about the P. glutinosis I accidentally dropped 10 yards down a cave now!

 

[carlcaruana]

thanks all for your replies!! I don't think they are hurting because are still climbing and active and no signal of injury is shown on them... I think if they hurt,they wouldn't climb anymore right ? thx