Warty Newt, food?

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TangyZizzle

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Hi,

I purchased two warty newts yesterday, they are both about 5.5 inches long which makes me think theyre fully grown.
Upon purchasing them I asked for some food, the shop assisstant gave me a pink tin of 'Supa Turtle Food'

supaturtle20.jpg


Description from site: A natural, complementary food for turtles and terrapin
ingredients: River shrimp, white shrimp, shrimp flakes and Tubifex

I broke up some shrimp yesterday and placed it in the tank, it was still there this morning so I cleaned out the tank and replaced it.
Is it that they don't like this food? and I should buy something more suitable? (mealworms? bloodworms?) or is it that they are still stressed from being captured and shipped here to eat just yet? ..if so, how long until I can expect them to start eating?

Thanks
 
The importtion may well make them starve for a while, it´s normal, but still that food is inapropriate.
Try earthworms, they are the absolute best (nutritious and calcium rich). To complete the diet, you can include bloodworms, waxworms, crickets, woodlice, daphnia, axolotl pellets, etc. Avoid mealworms, they are very lacking nutritionally, hard to digest and can bite.
 
Thankyou, I went to the pet shop today and asked about mealworms, the assisstant said that as far as he knew, warty's only eat bloodworms, so I bought some frozen ones. Iv dropped a cube into the tank and its broken down into individual worms by now, but neither newts seem interested at the moment. Theyre both still hiding out.
How long can I expect them to stay timid and stressed before they come out of their shells and begin to eat like normal newts? I mean, how long is too long for them to stay off their food and can I do anything to help them eat their worms?
 
It can be several days or even a week or two. Make sure you remove all the uneaten bloodworms once they have discoloured to save the water quality. Try dropping the defrosted worms in front of their hiding places so they don't have to come out far to eat, and try feeding in the evening under dim light or darkness. If you have a tank light, when it is turned off, but the room lights are still on, you can still see the newts but they are dim enough to make the newts more confident. Leave them over night as the animals may nibble after complete darkness.
Chopped earthworm is a good idea if they don't like the bloodworms. If you chop worms up into smallish chunks (for Paramesotriton, try pieces a cm or two long to start; they will get bolder and tackle huge pieces) and use the pieces that are neither the head nor the tail preferably, they will wriggle and twitch but not crawl away and so will attract the attention of a shy newt and not escape if it is slow to attack.

Also, make sure that there are plenty of crevice-like hiding places (so that they can hide individually and can't see each other if they want to avoid one another), that water quality is good and that temperatures are around 18C.

Good luck

C
 
Thanks.

Any recommendations as to how to keep the water quality at an OK level? As of now Im using tap water from the kitchen. There's a lot of bubbles gathering on the sides of the tank, is that an indication of anything?
 
Yep, that indicates the water has chlorine which is very toxic for your newts. Use a dechlorinator to get rid of it.
To guarantee that the water quality is ok, first you need a minimum volume of water. I´d say no less than 60l for a pair of Paramesotriton. That will provide stability, plus space is required for this genus of newts since they can be very agressive and territorial. Also, you will need to cycle the tank. You can read about this here:

Caudata Culture Articles - Cycling
Caudata Culture Articles - Water Quality

For now, i would do 20% water changes every two days, maintain a rigurous removal of uneaten foods and feces and get many live plants for the tank.

Read as much as you can about this newts around the forum, there is a wealth of information. Check the other Caudata Culture articles too. Your newts need the best conditions you can provide to recover from all they´ve been through, so read until your eyes are sore :)
 
Re: water quality and water changes - I have warty newts (P Chinensis) and have found that they are quite sensitive to water changes.

I put water conditioner in, but the water conditioner alone doesn't solve the problem; the water has to sit out for 24-48 hours.

If the water is put in fresh (even with the conditioner), the newts become very agitated and start to swim around restlessly or climb out of the water. So I always let the water sit out now.

PS re food: I second the comment re: earthworms. My adult newt would occasionally eat frozen bloodworms, but without enthusiasm. He loves earthworms though!
 
So, I put dechlorinator in the water last night, followed the instructions on the little bottle as well, but theres still bubbles on the walls of the tank ... ???

Also, theyve started to eat, 3 days after I first got them :)
 
The little bubbles that you get from tap water are not really caused by chlorine. The bubbles are caused by supersaturation of the tap water with gases. This is normal. Letting the water sit overnight allows the excess air to come out of the water. (It is possible that the excess air could deposit inside the animals' bodies.) You did the right thing by treating with the dechlorinator AND letting the water sit overnight. However, you should do this in a separate container, not in the tank.

Also, you should not be doing "total" water changes. Unless you have a very small tank. And if its' a very small tank, then we have a whole other discussion...
 
Ill be honest, its a very small tank. This isnt down to stupidity on my part, but rather the guy in the pet shop not taking my order properly. I wanted two chinese fire bellied newts, why he ordered two Hong Kong Warty Newts is beyond me. But dont get all pissy with me, as soon as I have the money for a larger tank Ill get it.
 
How big is the tank? I have two Hongkong newts, P. honkongensis, and they do well in a 10-15 gallon set up.
 
6 litres = 1.58503231 US gallons.. so yeah its quite small, but theyre not agressive towards each other so everythings ok so far.
 
Ah. My two used to be kept in a set up that was too cramped and they got into scuffles quite often.
 
Iv re-arranged my plants and rocks in such a way that there's a few hiding places, but they seem content to share hiding areas. More often than not, when I look for them.. I find them in the same spot, one on top of the other.

Who knows? maybe theyre a male and female? aaaaww.. lol
 
what.. the.. ****?!

I fed them this morning, they attacked each other.. one seemed to have some skin hanging off his mid-section. He began rubbing up against a rock and shed ALL of his skin....... then he ate it :S :S :S :S
 
6l is ridiculously small for two of these newts. You can house them temporarily in a large tupperware (you can find cheap ones that are up to 90l). You absolutely need to get them into a larger container, no excuse!
Shedding and eating the skin is perfectly normal, nothing to worry about there. Mind you the agression is definitely worrying. These newts can be very territorial and agressive and can cause very serious damage or even kill each other. Separate them if you see any more agression.
 
Hello again! They've become QUITE savage towards each other over the last few feedings.. I swear to God this morning one chomped on the others leg, coiled himself around him.. then start spinning.. VERY crocodile death roll-esque. Need less to say I have seperated them by now.

Another question, the odd time I notice they will make a dart from wherever they are hiding, to the surface of the water, take in a gulp of air then sink back down and exhale. Why are they doing this? :)
 
That was a very unnecessary risk...you should have separated them before.
The gulping for air is simply breathing, they do have lungs and need to take in air regularly.
 
Ok, can you tell me if they are a species which like to have a dry land space? Iv had dry land in their tank before but they never used it, I thought maybe the breaking for the surface of the water was an attempt to escape.
 
In captivity, and when healthy, they are completely aquatic, or at most haul themselves onto land for short periods to rest. You should treat them as 100% aquatic and give them something like a piece of cork bark as a land area, just in case.

There is a lot of information on this genus around the forums (sadly there is no caresheet) so make sure to read as much as you can.
 
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