How to Take Care of an Oregon Newt

Also known as rough-skinned newts and California newts, Oregon newts are not actually from Oregon, but instead are collected from the wilds of California for sale in the pet industry, where they were given their misnomer. Rough-skinned newts have smaller eyes than California newts, but they both have chocolate brown backs and orange bellies that indicate they are poisonous. And they both require similar levels of care in captivity.

Things You'll Need

  • 15-gallon or larger aquarium
  • Fish net
  • Sterile soil
  • Rocks, plants, moss and bark
  • Decholorinated water
  • Small submersible filter
  • Aquarium screen with a partial glass canopy
  • Calcium and vitamin powder
  • A variety of food
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place up to two Oregon newts in a 15-gallon or larger aquarium that measures 24 inches long by 12 inches wide and 12 inches high. Transfer the newts using a fishing net since they have delicate skin and they secrete poisons that can irritate humans.

      The aquarium needs both a land area with a soft, sterile soil substrate featuring rocks, plants, moss and bark for hiding, as well as a water area that ideally should be 6 inches deep but no less than 3 inches deep. Circulate the water using a small submersible filter and replace 20 percent of the water every other week with clean dechlorinated water. Secure a screen with a partial glass canopy on top of the tank so the newts won't escape. If the cover includes a light, stick with full-spectrum UV bulbs and avoid basking lights, which will dry out the aquarium.

    • 2

      Maintain a temperature of 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit during summer days and as low as 50 degrees Fahrenheit at night by keeping the aquarium in the basement or an air-conditioned room. In the winter, keep the temperature around 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit around the clock.

    • 3

      Feed Oregon newts a variety of foods coated in calcium and vitamin powder twice a week. Food choices include black worms, mealworms, waxworms, nightcrawlers, blood worms, chopped earth worms, small crickets, slugs, tubifex, small feeder fish, ghost shrimp, freeze-dried krill and brine shrimp. But avoid commercially produced newt pellets, which newts tend not to eat.