Do newts get lonely?

[metsa]

Hi there!

Until recently I had two firebellied newts, I've had them for over a year. And then last week when I was cleaning them out, there was only one newt there. We've searched everywhere but there is no sign of the missing newt. It was the larger of the two we had, I think it was the female. Given that there is no sign of the missing one, and the remaining newt is far smaller, I imagine it's escaped the tank rather than dying and being eaten in the tank. I know there are plenty of warning about their ability to climb glass, but mine had never shown any signs of that, they very rarely came out the water at all, the missing one spent the majority of it's time in the hide. Sigh.

Anyway, that leaves me with one little newt that's being established in the tank for over a year. Would it be best now to get some more newts, or to leave him by himself? The pet shop where I originally got them from has some more, but I'm worried about diseases and fighting. The newt I have now (Vulcan) is roughly twice the size of those in the shop, and my tank is 18x10x10 inches.

Thanks!

[keeno]

newts i dont think get lonely as such. but i wouldnt want to be alone would you? as they live in relatively close proximity to each other in the wild i would say get some more. As for disease and such you can buy a small container (something like a large cricket holder) and fit it out nicely and keep it there for 30 days to quarantine it. i THINK that this is the process as it was what i was told from a source whose reliability i am not too sure of so research it first!

also make sure you buy a lid. what are you keeping these guys in? a fish tank? if you are then i know that theyre lids can be expensive... but in most aquatics shops (inc. pets at home) you can get these clear plastic tops. they are meant to be for gravel or some shit but work well as a lid if you ventilate them....

hope this helps a bit. if you need any more help then message me. i have 4 fire bellies.

oh and the fact that your newt spends most of the time in the hide makes me assume that he is young and therefore not fully/majorly aquatic. its only when they are mainly aquatic that they are less likely to climb. when they are terrestrial they will climb lots.

[TheToad888]

Yeah, actually i do think they do... They are quite sociable unlike tiger salamanders.

[metsa]

Hi, thanks very much for the advice, I'll look into getting some more newts this weekend. It is a fish tank, its a ClearSeal tank, and came with a black plastic lid. We had to cut holes in the corner to let the cables for the pump, temp monitor etc pass through. However, I'll seal these somehow and add more ventilation holes - I've found that heating a fork with a lighter allows it to burn small holes through the lid without wrecking it.
They are mainly aquatic, the hide is under water. Occasionally, when I open the tank, I'll see a newt sitting on one of the ornaments with their back out of the water, but only once have I seen a newt fully out the water. Or rather, had. I do wonder where the missing newt has vanished to, we searched the whole house and didn't find a body.

[spend_day]

Originally Posted by keeno

newts i dont think get lonely as such. but i wouldnt want to be alone would you? as they live in relatively close proximity to each other in the wild i would say get some more. As for disease and such you can buy a small container (something like a large cricket holder) and fit it out nicely and keep it there for 30 days to quarantine it. i THINK that this is the process as it was what i was told from a source whose reliability i am not too sure of so research it first!

also make sure you buy a lid. what are you keeping these guys in? a fish tank? if you are then i know that theyre lids can be expensive... but in most aquatics shops (inc. pets at home) you can get these clear plastic tops. they are meant to be for gravel or some shit but work well as a lid if you ventilate them....

hope this helps a bit. if you need any more help then message me. i have 4 fire bellies.

oh and the fact that your newt spends most of the time in the hide makes me assume that he is young and therefore not fully/majorly aquatic. its only when they are mainly aquatic that they are less likely to climb. when they are terrestrial they will climb lots.

Originally Posted by TheToad888

Yeah, actually i do think they do... They are quite sociable unlike tiger salamanders.

i have to disagree

fire belly newts dont get lonely, in the wild they are found in both close proximity groups and completely alone you shouldnt make the mistake of assigning human characteristics to newts

a small cricket keeper will not house a newt its far too small, a plastic storage box with a secure lid will be cheaper, larger and much better. the fact it sends alot of time in the water and is at the very least a year old would make me assume its either an adult or very much on its way to adult hood.
finally 30 days probably wont be enough, the recommend minimum amount of time is 3 months quarantine. also i wouldnt house a CB animal with a wild caught so if your animal is CB make sure you get some more CB asCB wont have built up the imunities to disease etc a WC would have.

otherwise there shouldnt be no harm (after the correct quaranitine and health cheacks) of adding another FBN into the tank.

[jesuslovestheladies]

depends on the newt in question but generally id say they are communial in that they are always found in colonies/shoals/phib herds...