Fire belly newts?

amandamari · #1 (**permalink**) 01-22-2004, 06:45 AM

Today I went to the fish store with my boyfriend and there were about four fire belly newts? in a small little critter keeper full of water with some twigs in it..there were also some little frogs that were dead floating in the water......I saw those same dead ones in the water a few weeks ago...so I'm thinking the owner doesn't keep the place too clean..but anyway..I was so tempted to just buy them and figure out how to take care of them because I'm sure I could do better even though I have little to no specific knowledge of them....but I stopped myself and decided that I would come home and find out more about them so that is what I'm doing. What I'm wondering is, how involved is the whole situation with pets like those..because chances are, my mom and my sister won't want to go with the idea of adding some new pets if they require a lot of space. I'm thinking, I might be able to pull off a ten to fifteen gallon tank..so would that be adequate space for about four newts..and if not, how many could I stick in there. Also, I'm wondering if like...they are the kind of pets that you just look at, or if you like...interact with them at all. Thanks!

Hummingbird2 · #2 (**permalink**) 01-24-2004, 05:14 AM

i have 1 chinese fire-bellied. there are several kinds. were these small (no more than 3 inches) and black with bright orange bellies? if so then i'll give you a sneak peak at one of my care sheets from my website i'm building . . .

oh, here's some pics of mine to help you ID:

they are great little pets, IMHO!

EDITED TO SAY: you'll also want to keep in mind that if these newts are in such a filthy habitat that they may not survive no matter how well you can care for them. also, the more 'pity purchases' you make the more animals the petstores get in to sell. it just continues the viscious circle . . . i know how you feel, though, and if you can't help but buy them i'll give you my care sheet and any help you need.

amandamari · #3 (**permalink**) 01-24-2004, 07:18 AM

Thanks for your reply. I'm still really torn about the whole issue though..haha..but I'm also thinking that if they have survived so long in that environment then they must be pretty strong? ehy ehy? haha.. And yea, they were also pretty tiny..they seem to be about the same size as the ones in your pictures so maybe they are the same kind? I don't know. I'm not sure about the whole cycle theory because its a pretty small store and it seems like one of those situations where its just something that she has had and has not been able to sell..so its just sitting around collecting dust. I can't decide!!

amandamari · #4 (**permalink**) 01-24-2004, 07:49 AM

Oh, and also, what is the regular price for these guys? I'm just curious.

John_White · #5 (**permalink**) 01-24-2004, 01:50 PM

Here's a very good Fire Belly Newt Care sheets:

Chinese Fire Belly Newt (Cynops orientalis) - http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Cy...ientalis.shtml

Care Sheets for other fire belly species can be found at: http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Salamandridae.shtml

John

Hummingbird2 · #6 (**permalink**) 01-24-2004, 03:49 PM

here's my fire-bellied care sheet:

http://www.herpinfosource.cjb.net/firebelly.htm

amandamari · #7 (**permalink**) 01-24-2004, 10:05 PM

Ok thanks. Do you know a way to tell between a japanese and a chinese one because they are small...but I'm not sure if they are full grown or not..and the lady at the store just keeps telling me that they are newts and not being too specific.

Hummingbird2 · #8 (**permalink**) 01-24-2004, 11:19 PM

the japanese fire-bellieds are bigger. i think as adults they reach something like 3-5 inches. the chinese ones stay about 2-3 inches. other than that i think they're pretty much identical. their care is almost identical as well. i think 4 chinese ones could happily live in a 10 or 15 gal, but 4 japanese ones should probably have at least a 15 gal.

amandamari · #9 (**permalink**) 01-25-2004, 07:42 AM

Well, I picked them up earlier today at the store. They are so adorable! haha..my friend named them a whole bunch of french names that I don't remember..but yea..They seem to be doing fine and I'm hoping for them to chinese ones so they don't get too big..I have them in a ten gallon and I think they are happy...Tomorrow I'm going to attempt to feed them because they are pretty skinny even though she told me that she fed them yesterday. from the pictures that I have seen it looks as if they should be a little fatter..What type of food do you think would they be the most responsive to?

Hummingbird2 · #10 (**permalink**) 01-25-2004, 02:23 PM

well mine eats small crickets. i'd get the smallest size you can find. pinheads would be great right now or maybe a wee bit bigger. no larger than 1 cm in total body length, though. you can also try to put bloodworms or chopped earthworms or flightless fruitflies in there. do you have a land area and a water area?

gemisnake · #11 (**permalink**) 01-25-2004, 03:38 PM

Good luck with those newts, the one in the pictures looks very pretty, cool species. I too have done petshop rescues. I just wanted to wish you good luck on those little rescues, and good for you on wanting to save them. I know we all cant save every badly treated petshop rescue but it is nice when someone has the extra money to give it a try.

amandamari · #12 (**permalink**) 01-25-2004, 06:01 PM

Yea, I have a land and water area. I also put some fake plants in the water and a little hide on the land...one of them really likes to just stay in the hide...I woke up this morning and checked on them and the one in the hide is wet so at least I know its making trips outside of the hide.

amandamari · #13 (**permalink**) 01-25-2004, 06:01 PM

Would frozen bloodworms work or should I just get live ones.

Hummingbird2 · #14 (**permalink**) 01-25-2004, 06:51 PM

that sounds like a great little habitat! frozen bloodworms are fine. you could also try some of those little shrimp turtle flakes.

amandamari · #15 (**permalink**) 01-25-2004, 08:10 PM

Ok, so, I went to the store and got some frozen bloodworms, some pinhead crickets, and some dry pellets for them to try out. I also got some of that cricket gutloading stuff so right now they are eating up and then I'm gonna try to feed them and see what happens! Hopefully they will eat well. I have a box turtle now that isn't eating too well

...so I got him some earth worms as well to see if maybe he will eat some of those. With the frozen bloodworms am I just supposed to put the frozen block into the water...? or how do i deal with that.

Hummingbird2 · #16 (**permalink**) 01-25-2004, 11:30 PM

i'm so glad you got the cricket gut-load! if you don't feed that stuff to your crickets before feeding them to your pets, it's like giving them a big air-filled peice of chitin!

with these guys i would say it's okay to put the frozen bloodworm chunk right in there. as it melts the worms will come off and hopefully the newts will eat them. you can also melt them in the some water first. it doesn't really matter.

as for the box turtle, i wouldn't worry too much. is it winter where you are? what's the outside temp (even though the turt is inside)? even animals that are kept inside seem to know when it's winter and he very well may be feeling the winter and just not feel like eating. that's quite common in herps. i would just not feed him for a few days and then give him some of his favorites. he should love live nightcrawlers (big earthworms), banana, strawberry or dandelion greens. does he have a fluorescent uv bulb and a basking bulb above his tank? those would definately perk him up and, IMHO, all land turtles, tortoises, and basking aquatics should have a strip uv bulb anyway for proper bodily vitamin usage.

Wrasse · #17 (**permalink**) 01-25-2004, 11:36 PM

I sure hope you didn't go to the store where you got the newts from ...

amandamari · #18 (**permalink**) 01-26-2004, 01:37 AM

Wrasse, I didn't. Do newts shed?!?

Hummingbird2 · #19 (**permalink**) 01-26-2004, 01:41 AM

hmm. many newts do shed, but i'm not sure if the fire-bellieds do or not. i've never noticed any shed skin in my fire-bellied's tank, but they eat the shed skin quickly so i can't be sure whether he's shed or not. do your newts' skins appear to be flaking off or something?

amandamari · #20 (**permalink**) 01-26-2004, 04:37 AM

haha I looked it up, they do shed. I was so freaked out! it looked like a bubble on its head under the skin and I was like...WHAT IS THAT! and I noticed that it went down and his head looked wrinkley..and then it just started to come off like a snakes does...and it just like..pulled it off and ate it at the same time..it was pretty cool...it was done within a matter of minutes with no shed left so maybe that is why you have never noticed. And also, all of the newts ate without a problem! I put both frozen bloodworms in and some pinhead crickets..so some of them stayed on land and hunted down the crickets which was so cute! and the others went in the water and ate a lot of worms. I feel better to know that they all ate and they have little bellies on them now

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