Baby Newts
How to Care for Baby Newts
Many people think that baby newts are reptiles, but they are not. Salamanders and newts are amphibians. And, when you get right down to it, newts are salamanders. Newts do not have ribs or costal grooves. They are also either totally aquatic or semi-aquatic. Most other salamanders are terrestrial.
Terrestrial salamanders will require a habitat which is land-based. Most newts require a setup which has both land and water. Newts have teeth but not ears. They do, however, have an internal ear which can pick up ground vibrations. This is how they know if a predator is close and how they sense there is a possible mate in the area.
Newts have a good sense of smell and eyesight as well. Another interesting feature is that they have poison glands which protect them from predators. Scientists believe that the glands are in their skin and release poison when the newt is touched. If you have newts as pets, always wash your hands thoroughly after touching them.
If you decide you want to purchase baby newts or raise them, first you will need to set up an aquarium. While tanks for reptiles are usually around a foot and a half high, those for newts can shorter at around a foot. Newts spend a lot of time on the bottom of the tank and don’t need a high volume of water in which to swim.
There a few baby newts which can be terrestrial so make sure to find out everything you can about your newt before purchasing it. Some species, such as the Emperor, Crocodile, or Carpathian newt do require a totally land-based home. A mainly aquatic home (aquarium) is needed by the Chinese Dwarf, Japanese Fire Belly, and Eastern newt.
The best thing you can do is start out with a setup that is half water and half land. After you decide which your newt likes the best you can redo or rearrange the habitat. It is very important that the habitat be kept moist for newts as they do not drink water. They absorb it into their skin from the atmosphere.
Find a place for your habitat where it can sit permanently. Make sure it has strong support underneath as the aquarium can become quite heavy after you add water, land, and various plants and structures. Don’t let newts sit in direct sunlight or in a space that is very hot or very cold. Many people think it looks more natural and place live plants in their tanks.
One thing you must do with all newts, including baby newts is keep the entire habitat closed. A cover that stays on the tank is a necessity. It doesn’t matter if it is screen, glass, or another material, but newts can escape at will without a cover. Lighting is nice to have too. Newts don’t need a lot of light to live like reptiles, but they do benefit from a cycle of day and night. However, the light should not be on more than six to eight hours each day.
When it comes to feeding your pet newt, different newts have different preferences. The best you can do is to try numerous foods and see which of them your newt likes best. Ask the store or person from whom you get your newt what he is used to eating. Newts choose their food by scent so if they don’t eat it right away, it just might be because the food is new to them. Never give your newt more than one new food each week
Newts are carnivores, which means they only eat meat, mainly worms and insects. Do not give them fruit or vegetables of any kind or they will become ill. They need to have live foods for the most part although some will take frozen food if fresh is unavailable. Give your newt plenty of variety. If, at first, your newt doesn’t eat, he may be adjusting to his new environment. Encourage him by dangling food from your fingers or from tweezers.
Baby newts are very cute and make good pets. Before you purchase one, however, do some research about their needs and have their habitat set up in advance.