Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,
I apologize if this is a dumb question, but I am new to newts and can't find a whole lot of info on this. Three days ago I got 2 Chinese fire bellied newts, and as of yet, they haven't gone in the water in their tank. It is a 25 gal tank, half water and half land, about 5-7 gallons of water in total. I also have a little "wading pool" on the land size, a large exo-terra water dish (looks like a rock) that holds about 2 inches of water. There are lots of hidey places. Yesterday, they were both sitting on their lily pad (anchored to the land side but hanging over the water) but I have yet to see them take a dip. They always look dry. I have 3 guppies in the water side as well, and the water temp is a constant 22 degrees Celsius. I thought maybe they were afraid of the guppies, but they haven't swam in their "water bowl" either. One did drop into the water once, but it basically looked like she panicked and and was bumping into the sides of the tank until she found the land. They look fairly young, as they are not as "filled out" as newts in pictures I have seen. Also, they haven't eaten anything either. What can I do to make my newts happy? I am willing to change the tank around if it would help. Thanks for any advice

Klyk

Hi Klyk,

This is a common problem. Young chinese firebelly newts go through a terrestrial phase, but some just need time to aclimate. How long have you had them? Newts can go a week or more without eating if they're healthy, so don't worry too much yet. What are you feeding them?

Typically you wouldn't need any land for CFBNs, but if these are young ones you may want to leave it this way. Depending on what you're feeding and how you're feeding it you may have to change the food options offered. Try pieces of worms dropped in front of them, small crickets or fruit flies. My CFBNs have taken all of these items while being terrestrial. If they enter the water then you can use the frozen fish foods, worms still, and several other options.

Go to http://www.caudata.org/caudatecentral/ and look at the care sheets there for Cynops orientalis, which is Chinese Firebelly Newts. That should help you alot, and the site has tons of information.

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Hope my opinions help,
Rob

Thanks so much for the info. I tried feeding them on land, and one of them took half a mealworm today (not the most nutritious food, but it's something). It's hard to beleive that these newts are most aquatic... right now one of them is hanging with his tail and one back leg in the wading pool. Looks like a kid that hasn't learned to swim

Klyk