Red Eft (Red spotted newt) care

[David339]

I have a new pet. A somewhere around 2 inch red eft. I have read care sheets and they don't focus so specifically on this stage of the newt. I have him set up with a 10 gal aquarium, I have somewhere between 1-2 inches of dirt with a layer of coconut husk reptile bedding on top of that. I have a few small ferns, a big piece of moss covered bark propped up on one side with a stone, sphagnum moss scattered and a few fallen leaves in a few spots to hide in also. Per the care sheet I have a 6 inch 2 inch deep water dish. I have sticks in it to make sure he can get out. I was worried he could drown. I witnessed him go in and come out with no trouble without those though. I read they need 60-70 degree temp. The room he is in is typically 75 degree, it's the room with all my other reptiles/amphibians(2 eastern painted turtles, eastern box turtle, gray tree frog, northern ring-necked snake). What effect will this have on him? Kids don't have access to this room is the big thing. He's going to get my gray tree frog's uvb only (no heat) light for days. I tried to feed him small worms but he didn't go for them. Would flightless fruit flies be viable? He's little. He does look plump in his stomach area so maybe he's ate something previously. How often must I feed this guy and how much? I have not looked into pellets yet. Should I block off sides off the tank? He doesn't have any tanks next to him. Also what is a good humidity range? Care sheets I read only said mist the tank once a day, that is kind of vague. That's all I can think of at the moment. I will definitely be reading more on my own but any answers/advice would be great.

https://i.imgur.com/GqRAOKa.jpg

[Herpin' Man]

It sounds like you are on the right track, with a few minor adjustments. They seem to do best in a heavily planted tank, with lots of hiding spots and leaf litter. The water dish is unnecessary, as long as there are moist places to hide. A UVB light is unnecessary for the newt, but the plants will need a light. As long as the newt has ample opportunities to escape the light, it should be OK.
75 degrees, for any length of time, is too warm. It's important to get the temp below 70. A cool basement would be ideal.
For food, they require small, live, moving prey. Forget pellets. Tiny earthworms, crickets, fruit flies, bean beetles, and isopods are all good choices. Simply dump the prey in the enclosure and let the newt hunt. Feed it as much as it will eat, unless you see that it is becoming obese.
An absolutely tight, escape proof lid is mandatory. Newts climb glass, and can squeeze through the tiniest openings. Humidity should be around 60%. Keep handling to an absolute minimum.

[Jim Smith]

I hesitate to jump in here, but I figured that it would not hurt to add the caution that the Red Eft is extremely poisonous. There have been cases of people dying because the didn't believe that they are that poisonous and accepted a challenge to lick one. Be careful even when you handle it. I caught and handled these all the time when I was a kid and we never knew that they were poisonous.

[David339]

Yeah I was aware of the poison. No handling will be done. I did get him to eat a small worm today. I have tiny crickets and will be getting fruit flies Friday. I did find one of these inside the work office today.... right after I got one. I added this new lil guy to the tank, hopefully he won't be eaten by the big guy. He is so small he can fit on a penny curled up. So there are 2 of them now. I will lose the big water dish and add more ferns. I have 3 small ferns currently and had added leaf litter since my last post. Care sheets are nice but it's so much better to talk to someone who has owned one. Should I move the lil one out so he doesn't get eaten? I read they may cannibalize. I have plenty of easier food. Would tiny sugar ants be ok for this one with fruit flies? I have added isopods(pill bugs) when I set up the tank. The worms I have in tank might be an inch long and are very thin like angel hair pasta or smaller. I have the ac vent closed in this room but it still leaks cold air, I will move him near there and uncover the vent to see if the cold air leaking out makes it cool enough for them. No basement :/

https://i.imgur.com/mxORp0r.jpg

[David339]

Temp seems to be sticking around 65 degrees at the closed ac vent. I will be adding a ton of ferns and leaf litter tomorrow.

[David339]

Some reason his skin looks darker today. Could this be because of the dark color of the substrate?

[David339]

With tons of leaf litter and more plants, They are being more active. They were sticking to one hiding spot and not really walking around. I was worried about the skin color because they were not moving around much.

[David339]

The 2 red efts seem to be getting along despite difference in size. I'm stocking their tank with bugs daily and I do see them active. I was surprised to see them hanging out on top of the ferns last night. Both newts climbed to the highest point of their own fern and were just hanging out on top the leaves. I have been providing the smallest pillbugs i can find, flightless fruit flies, small millipedes(these only seem to be 1 inch long at their largest), pinhead crickets, termites, small one inch earthworms, tiny sugar ants, tiny beetles(something like 1/16 an inch), and some kind of larval thing that looks like a mealworm with a soft black body that is also really small. I have witnessed the 2 inch eft eating and the lil 1 inch guy I've seen stalking fruit flies and such even if it means climbing the glass. They seem to be doing well. When these guys are adults would i be better off with a 20 gal that is half land, half water. I was thinking of using something like the tetrafauna viquarium setup for 20gal for when they are adults or would they be better with lots of water and something like a turtle dock to haul out?

[ClockwerkBonnet]

Wow! I'm surprised the bigger newt didn't try to eat the smaller one. It definitely goes to show how important it is to make friends at an early age.

[David339]

I have observed them at least 2 inches from each other. The smaller of the two doesn't seem to try to get much closer and tends to stay on the other side of the tank. They have been together for at least 3 days. I intend to have plenty of food available at all times to try and keep the bigger guy on other easier food.