# Please Help My Newt



## Boycott95 (Apr 30, 2007)

Hi. This is a nice website and I thoght that I could find some help here.

I recently got a fire belly newt _cynops orientalis_, 2 days ago. It doesn't move very much and when I put it in its home, it hid behind a plant. Today, 2 days later, I moved it to a drift wood bridging the land and water parts of its home. It went to the land portion and is now hiding behind a rock. Why won't it come out? It is staying in the same spot for days and doesn't eat anything and doesnt go in the water. There waterfall river thing and moss covers the ground. The water is clean and there is not clorine in it. I dont know whats wrong. please help me.


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## ESPMike (Mar 23, 2005)

Well 2 days isnt much time. He may just be acclimating to the environment. Firebelly newts are primarily aquatic though and generally spend most the time in the water, but with the moss on the ground he may be finding enough moisture simply from the ground. Give him a little time to settle in. I used to have a few of these and they were fun amphibians to keep. I had the same few of them for years. What are you feeding them?


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## Boycott95 (Apr 30, 2007)

I am feeding them "HBH Newt & Salamander Bites" and maybe crickets sometimes.


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## ESPMike (Mar 23, 2005)

I always had alot of success with bloodworms which Id highly reccomend for the newts. You can get either live or frozen cubes, and usually a small plastic worm cup that goes in the water to keep it from getting too messy. You might get them to eat a bit more trying them.


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## DiscusMel (Jul 21, 2004)

How big is the newt?

It may be that its still very young and still going through
the land phase.

Bloodworm are newts fav and i've never known them to refuse.You
can even put some close by to the newt and see if its tempted.

Oh and newts like other newts of the same species to keep them
company, you'll find they move about more if theres a few of them.


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## Boycott95 (Apr 30, 2007)

I dont know how big it is. I guess it is around 2-2.5" from head to tail.

My pet store does not sell bloodworms that are alive. I have freezedried bloodworms for my fish. Do you think that will work?

Will the newt still move if it doesnt have any other newts in its tank?


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

do they sell the frozen cubes?


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## Boycott95 (Apr 30, 2007)

I dont know, I will check next time I go.

I cant find anything about newts and land phases on google. Is there anywhere I can get more information?


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## Wide_Eyed_Wanderer (Aug 22, 2006)

will just one newt produce a lot of waste in a 10 gallon would it be nescessary to get a filter?


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## DiscusMel (Jul 21, 2004)

http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Cynops/C_orientalis.shtml

_Whether this species is terrestrial for long periods of time in the wild is uncertain, but some individuals and particularly newly purchased individuals will commonly refuse to enter water for long periods of time.

Newly purchased individuals may refuse to eat for several days. While this can be a sign of illness, it is also a common behavior of healthy newts when faced with the stress of a new captive environment. If your newt does not appear ill, then the best course of action is to remain patient. Eventually, the instinct to eat will prevail._


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## Boycott95 (Apr 30, 2007)

Do you know how long a long time is? How long do i have to wait?


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

not sure the answer to your question but i agree with the be patient it might seem really long for you especailly if its your first herp (not sure how long its actually been) but patients is key i have seen ppl loss herps cause they lost patients and over stressed to animal


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## LRM (Mar 15, 2007)

FirebellyNewt said:


> Do you know how long a long time is? How long do i have to wait?


5 days... no there is no specified time limit for behavior. You just purchased the animal and it is likely to be in a state of heightened stress. As was said before you really just have to give it time to do its own thing. Just make sure that you are giving it the specific requirements for its species and don't worry too much about food, Being an amphibian it doesn't need to eat daily and can go extended periods of time without any food. I myself would get at least a corner filter for the tank. You won't be spending more than $15 and it'll help add to the biological filtration in the tank.


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