Those who have an aquarium at home may not only keep fish in it. Many in childhood caught newts in rivers and lakes, as they were very attractive because of their unusualness, bright color and bizarre crest.
Triton is the general name for the order of tailed amphibians. The concept itself does not mean any specific animal and is found in the names of different families. Most often, newts are called amphibians, while their land relatives are called salamanders.
Who can I take home
If you start them as pets, then it is worth considering that not all newts will be able to live in an enclosed space. Most likely, after some time they will escape even through the smallest gap. The most "domestic" newt can be considered the Spanish newt.
These amphibians are about 20 cm long, half of which is the tail. He has bumps on his body. In case of danger, needles come out of them, which do not allow predators to eat it without causing themselves any harm. That is why it got its second name - the spiny newt.
The reason for their calm attitude towards life in captivity is that they rarely get out on land and live mainly in the water. You do not even need to close the aquarium with a lid, since he will not have the desire to leave the place where he feels safe.
Care rules
Spanish newts can be kept along with fish and algae. They are not interested in the latter, and they will not be able to catch the former, since the fish are too nimble for amphibians. They are unpretentious to water. Can be used to contain tap water. The comfort temperature ranges from 18 to 21 ° C.
They should be fed with bloodworms, earthworms, small pieces of fish and chicken. Newts will be able to find their own food, but for their own health, each should be fed individually. Meals should take place every 3-4 days.
During the mating season, amphibians of different sexes must be divided into different containers for a couple of weeks. Spawning itself occurs in the cold season from September to April, so the water temperature should be appropriate - 16-18 ° C. In order to understand which of the newts is who, it is worth remembering that the female is usually larger in size, and her body is thicker. The male is slimmer. In addition, it will have mating "calluses" on its forelegs.
From some parents, from 100 to 500 eggs can appear. The cubs will begin to hatch in 6-8 days. It will be better if you transplant them into a separate aquarium with a filter and a sprayer without soil. After 10 days, they should have front legs, and after another 7 - hind legs. It is not worth keeping the larvae together with the fish, since the former can become an appetizing food for the latter. After 50 days, cubs can be considered young newts, and they reach sexual maturity in 1-1.5 years.
