British newts

[Andy]

I have been doing some research and was wondering if anyone knew anything about newts.
I am interested it setting up my pond with some newts, helping out wildlife sort of thing.
I saw some newts in my pet shop, think they were Triturus cristatus (great crested) and they are native to britain and only £10 each so was thinking of buying some. But I am not entirely sure if they would survive or thrive.

Any info please

 

[thedreadedone]

that species is native to the UK, it is also endangered, and it is illegal to sell them, move them or do anything to then in the UK.

 

[Andy]

Imust be getting muddled up, I am going to the shp tomorrow so I will see what species they are.

 

[luther]

If you saw newts in a pet shop they would almost certainly be Fire Bellied Newts. Either the Chinese or Japanese species are commonly sold in the pet trade. You do NOT want to release these hardy predators into the wild in the UK

On the plus side they make great tank pets. They are dedicated escape artists, so secure the tank. No gaps.

AFAIK there are no newts in the UK that you are allowed to touch. However, if you have a pond and there are newts nearby then they will find it.

 

[reptillian]

You should build your pond and let the newts come to you. It may take a couple of years but atleast you know the pond is ok for them.

 

[Mat]

Hi

In the UK we have 3 native species of Newt, Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus ), Smooth Newt (Triturus vulgaris ) and Palmate Newt (Triturus helveticus ).

Great Crested Newts are a fully protected species here, which means you are not allowed to buy, sell, advertise for sale, posess, swap, exchange, trap, net or disturb their habitat in any way without a licence from English Nature. Sometimes they are offered for sale but the breeder must be able to prove they are at least 2 complete generations away from the wild - licenceing is very strict.

Palmate & Smooth Newts are partly protected, it is only illegal to sell or offer these species for sale without a licence. I know people that do keep these species as pets from newts they have found in their gardens

As Luther says, the newt most often offered for sale seems to be the Japanese Fire Bellied newts. These are about the size of Smooth Newts. If you do get some of these you need to be aware that it is also an offence to release any non-native species like these into the wild - ie if you get bored with them take them back to the shop, don't let them go.

As for the pond, Great Crested Newts normally don't do so well in garden ponds. They prefer bigger, deeper ponds than you usually find in gardens. They also do not get on with fish, GCN tadpoles tend to spend a lot of time in open water and are vunerable to fish predation. Smooth Newts are probably the most common species, if you make a garden pond (fish free is best for these too) then is is pretty likely that you will find this species arrives all by itself without any help.

Regards

Matt
(GCN Licence Holder)