Fire
Belly Newts are amphibians native to China.
They spend most of their life in an aquatic environment. Occasionally, they can be found on land in
the moist soil under rocks, logs, and other hiding places. All amphibians have very delicate skin and
handling them is detrimental to their health as the salts, oils and heat from
our skin can harm them. They also secrete toxic fluids as a natural defense
against predators. These fluids could
cause irritation of mucus membranes and could be toxic if ingested. For these reasons, Fire Belly Newts should
never be handled; a fish net should be used to transport them.
Maximum size: 4”
Lighting: Full spectrum fluorescent UV
bulbs would be a good choice. Avoid
basking type lighting, which would dry out the terrarium and be detrimental to
these amphibians.
Temperature range:
55°-59°F.
Food: Bloodworms, brine shrimp, tubifex, small feeder fish, red worms,
and wax worms. All foods should be
coated in calcium and vitamin powder.
Housing/Habitat: Fire Belly Newts can be
kept in an aquarium with floating islands and plants for them to suspend on
when breathing at the surface. An
alternative setup for all stages of this amphibian’s life would be a viquarium. The land portion should have a thick, soft,
sterile soil substrate landscaped with plenty of moss, bark, rocks, and live or
artificial plants. The soil should be
kept damp but not wet at all times. The
filtered aquatic area should have a 20% water change every other week with
clean dechlorinated water. The viquarium must be well ventilated. Ventilation can be controlled through the
use of a screen aquarium top and a glass canopy partially covering the screen.