Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got a newt a about a week ago apparently a japanese but looks more like a chinese but has characteristics of both smooth but slightly bumpy skin and a rounded pointy tail! although its 3" long tip of tail to nose i think its only young as the pictures ive seen all have a thinner fin on top of their tails and are much bulkier than mine the poor little guy was kept in a dry hot tank with anoles(!) and the only water was a very high sided water bowl i brought him home and put him in a tank with mostly colder than room temperature water with minimal current created by the air powered filter setup i designed specially for him his land is mostly sphagnum moss with a slate slab in the corner and a big rock that stays mostly dry...

Now heres the problem(s)

i dont think he's eating although being offered defrosted bloodworm, in and out of the water, as well as small crickets which are now tank mates i havent seen him eat or noticed anything gone

also he doesnt go in the water in total ive seen him in it 3 times once i put him in it to make sure he knew he had some and to stop him escaping the other two where brief

also he climbs the tank sides and sits in the corner at the top which was a surprise as i didnt know they could i need advice on on these points (mainly the first two) asap please as i dont want him to die (ps i dont know what sex it is either its just nasty calling him it)

Go to caudataculture.org, and there is a great article on how to identify fire-bellied newts.

I would go to a different moss,such as feather,or sheet moss would be good as sphagnum moss is often acidic. I would also add willow or java moss to the water area.
It would be a good idea to add some more hiding spots,such as pieces of bark,rocks,or small pieces of wood. Dead leaves from a safe-source on the land area is another good option.

Great food items would be live blackworms,redworms,waxworms,bloodworms,chopped-up earthworms,slugs,pillbugs,fruit flies,and springtails.
These can be offered in a food-dish or held in front of the newt with tweezers.

You can add a calcium/vitamin supplements. Tetra,Zoo-Med,or Fluker`s are good choices.

I hope you the best of luck!

do you have a large land area for it? when newts climb the sides it usually means they need a rest but don't have anywhere to go.

yes about a third of its tank is land varing between moss state and rock

I highly doubt you have a Cynops pyrrogaster as they are no longer supposed to be shipped out of Japan. At that size it is most likely a Cynops orientalis (which is also the most common species in the pet trade and at three inches is an adult).

If the fire belly newt is adapted to terrestrial life (as indicated by the rougher skin) then it can be difficult to reacclimate the C. orientalis to the aquatic life style.

See http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Cynops/C_orientalis.shtml for more information as well as suggestion on how to reacclimate them... Keep in mind that this species does poorly at temperatures above 74 F and really should be kept at 68 F or cooler.

Ed