T. helveticus+vulgaris 1 month on

[william]

well some readers of the forum might remember me asking about keeping helveticus and vulgaris together, i then vowed that i would set aside my largest tank 6 by 1.5 by 1 foot tank for them and a few other native species.

well a few weeks on and there are no newts. i have searched everywhere and all i've found has been one small t. cristatus. where else can i look. so far i've looked under wood piles, ponds, rock piles. where is the most likely place to find them.

p.s. i know there are some in the area because i caught larvae in ponds around the place before i chose to start up the tank.

if it helps i live in shropshire near wales. so the climate is very wet but mild.

 

[caleb]

It's not really the best time of year to find them... they'll be pretty well hidden. All the places you've described sound reasonable, though.

I've found smooths and cresteds in compost heaps in autumn and winter- I presume they appreciate the extra heat from decomposition, and they're pretty moist places.

 

[justin]

hi there are you trying to find them in the wild cheers justin

 

[benjamin]

Newts can often hibernate beneath pond liners, or in run down artificial places such as an old cellar or under a garden shed. If you collect them in hibernation, be sure to keep them hibernating till the temperatures in your region raise naturally.

 

[william]

thanks for the info. i'll do one more blitz and if there are still no newts then i will leave it till spring.

Justin: yes

 

[william]

i'm going to have to down size on the tank, unfortunately. so i'm guessing a 20 gallon tank is to small for four newts

 

[caleb]

20 gallons (36"x12"x12"?)is more than enough for four smooths or palmates. Half that size would still be OK, I would say.

 

[william]

well i've set up the tank. 1/3 flat land with a clay base with a layer of gravel and then patches of moss and a few small plants. on that there are a few pieces of bark. then the land falls at a gentle gradient to the bottom of the tank, which has a kind of aquatic moss and elodea. the bank is covered in gravel with a few protruding rocks. and one 95% sure male triturus vulgaris,found this morning. let's hope the rest will follow soon. i'll post some pics in the photo gallery soon.