Rough Skinned Newt
About Rough Skinned Newts
Area of origin: North America
Adult size: 11 - 18cm
Captive lifespan: Up to 18 years
Housing, heating & lighting
Juvenile and adult rough-skinned newts have slightly differing requirements when it comes to their enclosure. Young newts won’t yet have developed the tail crest they need for swimming so they’ll spend the majority of their time on dry ground. It’s best to provide them with a large water dish with sloping edges, so they can easily make their way in and out - the rest of the enclosure can be filled with plants, rocks, driftwood, mosses and other interesting natural items for your newt to climb over, under and burrow behind. Rough-skinned newts are most active at dawn and dusk and will tend to hide away during the day, so make sure they have plenty of spots to snooze in. For one newt, an enclosure measuring 60 x 45 x 45cm will work well - extend the width of the enclosure by 15cm for each newt you plan to add.
When your newt reaches adult size, you’ll need to make sure they have a deeper pool for swimming. Check out “paludariums” to see what you’re aiming for. Essentially a decent sized swimming area as well as a good land mass. Depending on the season, your newt may not swim at all or they may spend most of their time in the water. You’ll often see your newt become smooth when breeding season approaches, this is when they spend most of their time in the water. Once you’ve added a deeper water area, make sure to use a small submersible filter to keep the water clean.
You won’t need to provide your newt with a heat source unless your home is particularly cold, in fact, they don’t tolerate temperatures over 26°C well at all. You’ll be aiming for temperatures of 16°C - 21°C with a night time drop to around 10 - 15°C. So, as you can see, average room temperature is spot on! During heatwaves or warmer weather, make sure your newt is kept in the coolest room in your house. We’ve rigged humidifiers with fans and ice packs in the past to create a bit of a cooling system. Ice cubes in a water bowl will also help to keep your newt cooler on those hotter days.
Rough Skinned Newts don’t need any specialised lighting, in fact, some studies even suggest UVB exposure can have negative effects on them. If you do opt to provide UV lighting to keep your plants healthy, make sure your newts have plenty of dark places to hide out during the day. As with all animals, newts need a day/night cycle to let them know when it’s time to hunt and explore, so aim to provide your newt with 12-14 hours of light each day. You can use LEDs or traditional incandescent bulbs.
Feeding & handling
Rough Skinned Newts are great little eaters and will chomp down on pretty much anything that moves. This is great because you can offer your newt a variety of insects to provide a balanced diet. Make sure the food is no bigger that the width between your newts eyes to avoid any chance of indigestion or impaction. Our newt, Randall, loves mealworms and waxworms - he also eats small locusts, calci-worms and the woodlice that make up his clean up crew.
Be sure to dust your live foods with a high quality supplements, alternating between calcium, D3 and a multivitamin.
As your newt gets older and takes to the water, you can start offering some aquatic foods in the form of bloodworms (live or in paste form). YUM!
When it comes to handling, the amphibian rule applies. Handle only when necessary, and wear powderless latex or plastic gloves if you do need to handle your newt for a prolonged period of time. Rough Skinned Newts, although they look hardy, have very delicate skin that’ll quickly absorb toxins on your hands. They also dish out a toxin of their own when stressed or threatened, so keep hands free as much as possible!