Red spotted newts

[newtamander]

I have noticed a great decrease in my local red spotted newt population. I want to start breeding them in captivity so that if there ever was a large problem for the wild population, I could have a captive population for them to survive as a species. My problem is a have minimal experience with this particular species. How many adults should be housed per 10g. of tank, and how should I make a setup to promote breeding?

 

[Azhael]

Do you just want to pick some up and keep them captive or are you planning on breeding for re-introduction purposes???
The latter is a noble idea but not a very practical or good one. It should not be done.
If you just want to get some, then check your local laws, if they allow it then it´s legal and you can do it.
However if the population is crashing i can only think that depriving the population of even more adult newts is not going to help at all. Bare in mind that you are not only taking the adult newts but also all their potential offspring(which can make an impact on a given population).
If you want to help the species there are a few things you can do that do not require undermining the troubled population. If you have the possibility, creating ponds, or even just hibernaculums close to where the population exists will probably be of great help.
Capturing a few animals and bringing them into captivity is not going to save the species. The species is fairly well stablished in captivity(though we need a lot more captive breeding). If you want to contribute, then acquiring some CB stock and breeding it yourself is a decent way of doing so. Taking animals from the wild, i insist, is hardly of help...
I hope you see my point...but anyway if you decide to take them(provided the law allows you to), check this link, which has all the necessary info:

http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Notophthalmus/N_viridescens.shtml

I should also say that wild caught animals don´t always respond well to captivity...even if they go directly from the wild to the tank(instead of suffering the horrible journey that pet-shop animals do).

 

[Greatwtehunter]

To get mine to breed I lower the water temperature during the winter to around 55F for about 2 months then I begin to raise it to 62F and I then maintain that temperature. Make sure you have LOTS of plants in there, preferably something like elodea. The amount of plants seems to be a key in getting them to lay.

The larval stage is pretty straight forward and you shouldn't run into many/if any problems. When they morph and become terrestrial is when the heart breaks will come. Now I will pre-warn you that until you get the hang of these guys your first few breedings will only have about a 20% success rate. The best advice I can give you for the efts is too put them in a tub full of springtails, whiteworms, and pill bugs. I also use termites and ants but I don't recommend them unless you use extreme caution to prevent escapes. I have found that if you keep there enclosure loaded with food then there survival rate increases, well at least it does here with mine. I think that about covers it from me but if you have any other questions let me know.

 

[newtamander]

I don't intend to take any from the my population since its gotten this bad but I have a friend who's supposed to give them to me. Also how many adults should be housed in a 10g. tank.

 

[Greatwtehunter]

You could easily house 4 with no problem. I would also recomend going with 3 females and 1 male.

 

[newtamander]

Thanks for the help.