Strategy for Winter..?

[Ian T]

Hi, I have 4 Juvenile T Cristatus living in a planted aquatic setup. They have planted cork bark islands for their land area and so far rarely use them. The tank is in the garage and will get pretty cold in the coming winter months. I'm wondering how the Newts are likely to react to this..? I would prefer them to remain aquatic as the cork bark may not be adequate for their needs. If I were able to warm the water by a small amount over the air temperature would that make them more likely to remain aquatic..? Should I increase the land options during the winter months..?
Any advice much appreciated...

 

[otolith]

I've never had problems keeping Triturus aquatic during winter/periods of cool weather but my lowest temps are only about 7-9C. I suppose a small heater could be used if your garage is likely to freeze, if you go this route definitely get the smallest wattage heater you can find and have it at a low setting just in case of ambient temperature spikes. I don't think increasing the land options in an aquatic set up would be necessary. I would sooner just move the animals to a small terrestrial forest floor type set up and reduce or eliminate feeding entirely during the coldest months (this is my normal routine for my Lissotriton group).

 

[vince59]

No heating, mine are outdoor enclosures all year. In January, they were under the ice and it does not bother them. A period of wrinkling is good for repros. A small platform with a stash enough. Little or no food. He made up less than 8 ° C