Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi.I have a fire bellied newt, Dante, and he seems to hate the water, any time he has been in it he struggles to get out.
I have his tank at the recommended perameters I read in the care sheets but he insists on sitting on top of the pump unit (not switched on)which is not a huge area
I was planning to get him a moss bottomed tank and give him a little swim area and some plants etc.(rather like how you would keep a reptile)this seems better than the small area he confines himself to now. he eats very well and regularly, he is always moist looking and is healthy without any fungus problems. Any ideas?
Thanks

He's only scared of the water cause something is not right like depth, something in the water he does not like such as a fish,etc. What kind of water are you using? Should be spring but check the ph of it too. Should be about 6 or 7 which is neutral I believe.
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Jeremy Carroll
Center for Reptile and Amphibian Propagation and Conservation
http://www.onet.net/~eagle/Reptile/index.htm

I have one like that.
It was "rescued" from a PetSmart.

Mine is quite ill, his leg just gets worse and worse. All his toes have fallen off since I obtained him. He eats a little, but is very anti-water. He hides under an enclosure I made to he make him feel a little better.

Not sure what to do next.

The tank he came from was roughly the same depth as the one he is in now. thanks though I will try and reduce the water level and change the water for him.
Does anyone know how long they realistically live for? Dante must be over a year now.

Up to 10 years.

Several points. First, how old/big is your newt? Adolescent newts go through a land phase before becoming mostly aquatic again later in their lives. Most of my adults leave the water for a while every day, hauling out onto floating corkbark.
What I would be more worried about is temperature. How warm is your tank? Is the weather hot at the moment? If so, this behavoir could well be a sign of stress. Firebellied newts are NOT tropical and prefer cool temperatures. Can you cool the tank down?

Hi. I live in scotland so its not warm at all here! His water sits at 25 degrees C.
Dante is about 7/8 cm long nose to tip of tail. Im unsure of his age but he has definitely grown since I got him.
Thanks

Whoa, 25C is too warm! He would prefer temps below 20C. In a cool climate, this should not be difficult to provide. Also, if his skin looks wet, I'm guessing he goes in the water sometimes, maybe at night. Are there any other animals in the water?
caudate central