Terrestrial JFBN Juvenile Question

[FatherOfGojira]

Hello, I heard that juvenile Cynops Pyrrohgaster are terrestrial for a year or two and was wondering how big of a land area they would require I currently do not own one but hear that most available captive bred ones are juvenile when bought. Thank you for any info you guys can provide

 

[shmifty5]

im not sure what the tank requirements are for a single individual but im positive a 10 gallon long would be more than plenty, maybe a 5 gallon shoe-box type plastic storage bin would work and it would be pretty cost effective (i can get a much larger one at wal-mart for 6$ canadian, so like 3$ US for you).

aside from "enough room for him to meander around and do stuff" im not sure i can be more help, a single JFBN juvenile can't be too big and even when full grown they aren't HUGE, so i guess a big plastic storage bin would work perfectly for his entire life, just change the land for water and it's a done deal.

 

[Jennewt]

In my experience, it's most practical to keep them on a soil-type substrate, rather than trying to set them up aquatically with land. Coming from an aquarium background, it was difficult at first for me to think about putting dirt into a tank, but it's actually easier to maintain soil than water. It is possible to raise them in a shallow semi-aquatic setup, but you need to find ways to feed them on land, that's the hard part. What setup you choose may depend on what kind of foods you will use. See:
Care for juvenile Cynops pyrrhogaster (Japanese firebelly newt)

 

[Azhael]

I think fully terrestrial is perhaps simpler for a beginner. Use a small container, either a small tank or a tupperware, so that the live foods can´t go far and remain close to the newt. As Jen says, you can use soil, although my personal choice are moist paper towels. They require a good deal more maintenance but foods can´t hide or scape (or get dirty). Make sure to have plenty of hiding options, good ventilation and lots of tiny live foods.

This species can be kept fully aquatic from an earlier stage than other species. When they reach about 7-8 cm long, they are, in general, ready.

I would also like to congratulate you for wanting to acquire CB animals of this species. They are a challenge, but the WC alternative is just dreadful.....

 

[FatherOfGojira]

Thank you all for the info you gave, I appreciate it I think i'm going to try to find an aquarium-ready one for sale. Thanks again! (So just to make sure, is a ten gallon aquarium large enough for 2 adults?)

 

[Azhael]

Yes, it is, but since females can get quite large when they are old, you might want to upgrade them to a 20gallon. They will apreciate it, and so will you.

 

[FatherOfGojira]

Thanks Azhael :happy: in that case I may just get one female and in the future buy another one and a larger tank.

 

[evut]

Hi, I raised 4 juveniles in a shallow semi-aquatic set up as a complete novice (with help from members of this website of course).
Maybe it's luck but the newts grew big and strong without any problems. Their diet was mainly chopped earthworms and defrosted bloodworms.
There's photos of the set up in my album
http://www.caudata.org/forum/members/evut-albums-cynops-pyrrhogaster.html
I think they are supposed to grow faster in a semi-aquatic set up. Mine worked well and could easily be transformed as they were getting more aquatic. It's just a plastic box, we cut a hole in the lid an attached some net fabric over it with duct tape. Now they live in a large tank.

 

[Bellabelloo]

Eva, your pictures are wonderful. You should post more all over the forum

 

[evut]

Thanks, Julia. my newts are extremely photogenic
I hope Andrew will post pictures us his newts once he gets them.

 

[FatherOfGojira]

Yes I will be sure to post pictures when/if I get it/them (And I have to agree those pictures are absolutely awesome! )