Salamander and frog together?

[brian]

hi, i currently have 2 firebelly newts and 1 spotted newt in 1 tank together and they are great. but i want something bigger and am considering buying a salamander and was wondering if i could house it with a frog. i could get a spotted, tiger, or maybe (ideally) a fire salamnder , and would enjoy having a cool looking frog but dont know who would eat who? or if hopefully! they could co-exist and eat crickets together! thanks, a new enthusiast.

 

[justin]

You are lucky your first tank mix is ok. I would recommend splitting up all of those animals you have first, then get more.

 

[joan]

Justin's right. You're lucky your first tank's inhabitants haven't killed each other. By spotted newt, I can only guess you mean Notopthalmus viridescens. This animal is highly toxic, and fairly agressive. Firebellies are not as toxic and not nearly as agressive. Seperate them immediately.

It is not recommended to keep any caudates in mixed-species tank, and it's really not recommended to put frogs or toads into newt or salamander tanks.

For reasons why, read http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/Mixing_disasters.shtml

 

[ester]

All salamanders and I would guess most frogs/toads produce some kind of toxin to protect themselves from being eaten.
The problem is, unless species occur naturally in the same habitat it's impossible to say what the effect of that poison will have on another inhabitant.

Differences in temperament may also be a source of stress to the animals. In nature they can avoid each other but any terrarium/aquarium is a rather limited space. Even if you provide enough hiding spots it might still cause stress which can lead to the animals being more susceptible to disease.

This is why most people advice against mixing species in a terrarium/aquarium setup.

Also, when asking questions it really helps if you know the scientific name of the animals you keep. If you are unsure, check out this link:
www.caudata.org/cc/species/species.shtml

All in all you're better off creating a nice frog vivarium and keeping any newts you like in separate setups (ie. one species per setup).

 

[brian]

thanks for the responses. i wont go overboard and mix a frog in, as cool as those tree frogs are. the newt i have mixed with the 2 firebellies is a red spotted eastern newt. i checked and your right it is a Notophthalmus viridescens. it is still in its eft stage and is rather small. i owned one a long time ago and just always thought it was a shy and calm species. i made sure not to mix a paddletail in because i read they are very aggressive. Had the setup for 2months and put them together because they are still small. i expected to change them once they got bigger. i will do it sooner then.thanks.

 

[joan]

Also keep in mind that N. viridescens in eft stage is 10 times more toxic than as an adult. They're extremely toxic. Dangerous to pets, small children, and definately to other newts.

Good luck, and make sure to register and become a member.

 

[edward]

Brian,

You would be better off seperating the newts. If you want a frog, and are willing to set up the correct enclosure then you could keep a couple of squirrel tree frogs (Hyla squirrela) with the red spotted newt.
I would not recommend using any species that gets larger as there is a risk that the frog will try to eat the newt.

Ed