# Newt larvae, feeding and general questions!



## Red_hen (Oct 20, 2010)

So we collected some frogspawn to hatch out and grow froglets in a tank of ours...or at least we thought it was frogspawn! :blush:

They hatched out several days later and at first we thought they were messed up tadpoles, then did some research and it seems we have newt tadpoles...or larvae?! They have the spikey gills, are smaller and look (and act) differently.

So, how do I care or these little guys? I'm pretty sure they're Common / Smooth Newts as a relative used to have a garden near where we collected the spawn with a pond, and there were Common newts in there...

I've read to do partial water changes everyday, which we are doing, and as for diet I've read a majority of things...we can't get any livefood at the moment, so we fed them a tiny bit of fish food and some shrimp, which we read on a few sites.

We're getting some daphnia (sp?) the soonest we can (it is delivered on Thursday)...until then will fish food and shrimp do? We're collecting water from the shallow stream where the spawn was (which is drying up thanks to all the hot weather), as I guess that will have their natural food in too...?? 

Am I doing this all wrong?!

Red


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## marcuswinner1 (Sep 24, 2009)

If you collected a clump of spawn then they ARE frog tadpoles (they have feathery gills to start with)

If the eggs were individually wrapped in leaves (I'm asuming they wern't) then they are Newts.

Hope this helps.

Marcus.


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## Red_hen (Oct 20, 2010)

No, it just looked like frogspawn...it had green plant kinda over / amongst it, but not wrapped around individual eggs.

They don't look like any taddies we've had before...do these pics help? Shall I get taddie-friendly foods back in there then?! :lol2:



















So...they look like the newt tadpoles on these sites, which is why I thought they were newts:

Radio Night, Frog Spawn Days | moon soup (no bowl, no moon)

Caudata Culture Articles - Raising Newts and Salamanders from Eggs

S'long as frog tadpoles can have gills too, we will treat them as normal - thank you!! 

Red


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## marcuswinner1 (Sep 24, 2009)

Yep...Frogpoles.

They will loose the gills soon and look like the normal tads you were expecting whereas Newt larvae keep the gills all the way through to morphing.

Good luck.


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## colinm (Sep 20, 2008)

As Marcus says they are definately frog tadpoles.At this stage they will need feeding on vegetation and as they grow larger fish food.They wont eat livefood like Daphnia though,thats just for newt tadpoles.


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## Red_hen (Oct 20, 2010)

Thanks very much - will go back to feeding veggies then! :lol2:

Red


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