Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I saw you have a bunch of the fire bellies. are they the same as my rough-skinned?

If so, how are you keeping yours?

tworoughs

Libby & Jimmy (named by my son)
living in a 15-gal, mostly aquatic tank

I honestly don't know how roughskinned newts are kept. Mine are pretty much fully aquatic, although they have places to get out, but only rarely do they do so.
They have been breeding lately & I have 15 babies, too. The babies are fully aquatic until they lose their gills (several months), then go fully terrestrial for about a year before returning to the water. I have one new morph right now. They are unfortunately very hard to keep alive after they morph. I've had 3 die, one just 2 days after morphing, but the others nearly a month later. I'm trying my best with them & hope my current setup is more successful...
Here's a pic of my adult setup & of one of my babies.

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www.geocities.com/squippyscritters
2.1 Corn snakes Snake Plissken, Jack Skellington & Abby
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
0.1 Albino Sonoran Gopher Snake Jasmine
1.3 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1 Pacman frog Buffy the Cricket Slayer
0.0.1 Sulawesi Red Toad Mr. Toad
1.1.3 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Olivia Newton John & Thandie Newton
1.1 cats Gus & Mena

thanks for the information. i thought we were dealing with the same newts. love the names!

my setup is similar, but has a "beach" on one side made of rocks. one seems to be completely aquatic and the other mostly aquatic, but enjoys some time up top.

i'd like to find a way to make a "beach" with live grasses/weeds, but don't want the dirt crudding up the water. still working on getting a filter in place and possible aeration. 'til then, i've been doing 25% water changes every few days.

they're very happy since i raised the water level and made the beach into rocks instead of mushy stinky stuff. ugh.

i know one is a female since she laid eggs while shedding her skin. all freaked out after being caught, i'm sure. i must have fished out 7 empty newt skins that first couple weeks!

your little ones ... what do you feed them? think we ought to risk skeeto larvae in our tanks? i was going to do it, but hated the fact that they could become (scratch scratch) adults.

thanks again for replying to my message!

this is just the greatest board!!!

tworoughs

Libby & Jimmy (Neutron)

May I recommend www.caudata.org as an excellent source for newt/salamander info. It has species-specific forums, help on raising hatchinglings & new morphs & a very knowledgeable community. You'll find great info there!
I feed my babies chopped live blackworms, which can generally be found at aquarium stores. But check w/ Caudata.org for species-specific info.
For plants, you can use aquatic plants. Many varieties can be planted in shallow water.
For filtering I've used the Shark filter for years & years & years. These guys are workhorses & only stop working when I've neglected to clean them forever. Then, after cleaning, they work again! (go figure ) They are good for shallow water, as they are low-profile & they have adjustable flow. I have 2 in my 20 Long tank & have one rigged to create a water fall. They're really great! I know Petsmart sells them & the filter cartridges. I think the filter's around $25, but again, it's sooo worth it.
I just did a quick internet search, so you'd know which one I mean. On this page http://www.pennplax.com/Pages/Aqua.pages..../Aqua22F.html
it's the 4th filter down. It looks tall & skinny, but you can lay it on the bottom so it's only about 1.5 inches off the bottom.
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www.geocities.com/squippyscritters
2.1 Corn snakes Snake Plissken, Jack Skellington & Abby
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
0.1 Albino Sonoran Gopher Snake Jasmine
1.3 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1 Pacman frog Buffy the Cricket Slayer
0.0.1 Sulawesi Red Toad Mr. Toad
1.1.3 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Olivia Newton John & Thandie Newton
1.1 cats Gus & Mena

This is my first year breeding cynops orientalis, and they bred without me trying. Conditions have been no less than perfect, and morphs have still ended up dying. The same morph, though, has survived both times that new morphs have died, and he/she is my little survivor. I have named him/her Metallica, and am definitley keeping the little guy. Even in the hot weather, maybe due to the air conditoning, his parents are laying eggs again.

I know! I was so comforted to read that this first, terrestrial year is such a struggle for keepers. I feel so bad each time one dies. Now I know I'm trying my best & doing all I can & that it's just a very difficult venture. I was saying to my husband yesterday "No wonder no one captive breeds these guys. I have 20 years experience with firebellies & I still can't keep the babies alive after morphing!"
But, we'll keep trying. They're doing great prior to morphing- I never lose one with gills. So I'm trying to make sure they're good & fat before they morph, so they have a better shot once they're on land.
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www.geocities.com/squippyscritters
2.1 Corn snakes Snake Plissken, Jack Skellington & Abby
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
0.1 Albino Sonoran Gopher Snake Jasmine
1.3 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1 Pacman frog Buffy the Cricket Slayer
0.0.1 Sulawesi Red Toad Mr. Toad
1.1.3 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Olivia Newton John & Thandie Newton
1.1 cats Gus & Mena

I've had a rough skinned newt for over a year now. I found him up in northern California under a log. I've been keeping him in a completely terrestrial set-up. I've got some of that live frog moss that they sell for vivariums growing on a layer of the moss planting mix. I keep the substrate fairly moist and the newt likes to hide under the moss. He shares the tank with a 6-legged pacific treefrog. Eventually I'd like to design a tank that would incorporate an aquatic area.

-Alice

Alice, Taricha species are usually partially or fully aquatic, at least in the summer. I think you'll find your newt will be much more comfortable in a setup that 1.) has a lot of water, and 2.) doesn't have the heat necessary to keep the pacific tree frog happy. You should separate them into two setups so you can keep both at optimal temperatures.

Vivarium design can be so much fun! There is a whole forum on Kingsnake for viv design, you will likely find a very friendly, helpful crowd there & some great ideas for your tank. Here's one I designed for my frog & toad. It has 2 seperate sides, so each can have their needs met.

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www.geocities.com/squippyscritters
2.1 Corn snakes Snake Plissken, Jack Skellington & Abby
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
0.1 Albino Sonoran Gopher Snake Jasmine
1.3 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1 Pacman frog Buffy the Cricket Slayer
0.0.1 Sulawesi Red Toad Mr. Toad
1.1.3 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Olivia Newton John & Thandie Newton
1.1 cats Gus & Mena

amazing frog, that one!

i agree with the others. i've done a lot of research on rough-skins and they're the most aquatic of all newt/salamander species around here. i'll post a photo as soon as i can get a decent one. "buffysmom" has some great photos of her set up. see in the background where she has some taller rocks? they love to hang there with their heads out of the water.

i have aquatic plants in mine, since these are what they hang out on in our lakes/ponds. may keep down the ammonia/nitrates/nitrites too between water changes.

thanks for your reply. i enjoy the info/conversation we have on this board!

tworoughs

Libby and Jimmy (Neutron)

I also have some cork bark in the water, so it's like a little island they can hang out on. Just soak the cork bark first to get rid of the tannins, or they'll turn your water yellow. Not harmful, just makes your water look like tea. My tank really took off as an environment when I started using live plants. It's cleaner, I have to change the filters less often, the newts love it & they started breeding.
You may also have good luck just leaving your babies in w/ your adults. I don't know if roughskins eat their babies, but JFBs rarely do. (I seperated them anyway, but they're easier to keep alive in a well-established tank.
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www.geocities.com/squippyscritters
2.1 Corn snakes Snake Plissken, Jack Skellington & Abby
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
0.1 Albino Sonoran Gopher Snake Jasmine
1.3 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1 Pacman frog Buffy the Cricket Slayer
0.0.1 Sulawesi Red Toad Mr. Toad
1.1.3 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Olivia Newton John & Thandie Newton
1.1 cats Gus & Mena