Triturus marmoratus newbie..

[brian]

Hi. I just got 2 Triturus marmoratus at a trade show with a 15 gallon (bt) tank. I am using coconut chunks as a substrate because i heard good things about it and the people i bought them from recommended it. I have a large water dish for them and hiding spaces. They told me the newts were terrestial and should give a mostly land setup. They are happy, but still seem to be getting acclimated. I feed them crickets and waxworms and so far they seem to prefer the worms. One of the newts doesnt eat as readily as the other.I am concerned a bit.Compared to my tiger salamnders, and firebelly newt, they seem much more docile. Is this normal, and will they become a little more active? Thanks!

 

[jennifer]

Are they adults, or juveniles? What size? This makes some difference in how you set them up. It may be possible to keep them more aquatically than you are, but they should be fine in the setup you have. What and how are you feeding them?

When on land, they are quite sluggish. They can become tame enough to hand-feed, but they won't be very active unless/until you get them into water.

 

[brian]

thanks Jen. they are adult somewhere around 5 or 6 inches if i had to guess. they are getting feed crickets and waxworms. i left a few crickets overnight and they did not eat them even when i found a cricket right in front of the two of them. maybe they werent hungry so i will try to hand feed them tonight and see. they havent eaten much yet though, hopefully because they are still getting used to the tank.

 

[josh]

my marmoratus voraciously go after crickets with great success! as for how you keep them, marmoratus has been known to be one of the more aquatic species. ive heard some keepers keeping them totally aquatic their whole lives. i preffer to keep them terrestrial during the winter months and aquatic during the warmer months. my newts are very active on land (especially when food is introduced) but they are by far way more active in the water. good luck with your new marms!

 

[jennifer]

Brian, in case you haven't seen this yet:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Triturus/T_marmoratus.shtml

If they don't like crickets, try chopped pieces of still-wiggling earthworms/nightcrawlers. Bait shop worms are fine. Leave a few chunks in front of them, then walk away and don't bother them. Check later to see if they ate any. Some newts won't eat if anyone is watching.

I would also strongly suggest trying to put them into a setup with more water (even mostly water) and see what happens. This is the time of year when they do want to return to water. Also, it will be much easier to get them to eat if they are in water.

 

[brian]

i cant really put too much water in my tank because it isnt siliconed. maybe i could get someone to do it for me..could i use a larger bowel and pile the substrate up to it? it is hard to tell what they would like more, water or land. thus far it seems like land but i did just make the water more user friendly now. im glad they both ate their 2 waxworms today. thanks for your help and any more info!

 

[ali]

Not sure how big your tank is, but just a plain ten gallon tank from Wal-mart is only about eight dollars.

I know you can also buy at any pet store (and even some wal-marts) you can buy aquarium sealant in the fish section and do it yourself, shouldn't be too hard. Good luck!