the online meeting place for all who love our amphibians and reptiles
Home Page Live Forums Archived Forums Site Search Identify Record Donate Projects Links
Forum Home Forum Home > General > UK Reptiles and Amphibians
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Newts - can you 'obtain' them?
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Newts - can you 'obtain' them?

 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
Message
chubsta View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 26 Apr 2013
Location: Folkestone,Kent
Status: Offline
Points: 430
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote chubsta Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Newts - can you 'obtain' them?
    Posted: 24 Feb 2014 at 8:54am
I know this may be a controversial question but please forgive me if it annoys people, i am making it with what i see are 'best intentions' - is there any way of getting a few newts for my pond?

When i first moved into the house about 20 years ago the pond was small but popular with frogs (as it still is) and there were a few newts.
I made the pond larger and it thrived for a while.
Unfortunately the previous owner had planted a lleylandii-style tree very close to the pond that also thrived and as it got much bigger the needles that it dropped seem to have an effect on the pond and weed died off and so did the newts - frogs kept coming to live and breed but tadpole survival rates seems very low, i would hardly ever see any small frogs in the garden.

A few years back i cut the three down, introduced plenty of varied weed and now the pond, although not large, is very healthy - i have it teeming with frogs (I can usually count over 100 sitting at the surface at any one time when they are breeding), dragonfly and damselfly larvae are abundant, and it is full of freshwater shrimps, snails and leeches etc. Cutting the grass in late autumn is a nightmare as froglets are absolutely everywhere in the grass. But no newts...

I live in a triangular section of land about 200yards on each side, and judging by the frog population i am the only one with a pond for them to breed in, although other gardens give plenty of cover for living. I guess when my pond pretty much died off it meant the end of the local newt population in this patch and because of busy roads etc they are unable to naturally repopulate.

So, back to my original question - is there a way of getting newts - eggs would of course be great but there is no guarantee they would survive, or can adults be legally obtained in the UK? I feel that as a population existed once in the pond then they would be fine now, particularly as i am letting large parts of the garden go 'wild' from this point on.

any and all opinions and advice appreciated.,..
Back to Top
GemmaJF View Drop Down
Admin Group
Admin Group
Avatar

Joined: 25 Jan 2003
Location: Essex
Status: Offline
Points: 4359
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GemmaJF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Feb 2014 at 12:08pm
Plenty of pro's and con's involved!

Legally there is nothing to stop you collecting newts in the wild (other than GCN) provided you have the land owners permission to do so and that you are not breaking a local bylaw (such as collecting them from a local nature reserve which might have bylaws in place). Buying them in commercially (if available) is always dodgy, you have no idea where they came from (could be outside the UK) and also there is concern over cross-infection from a commercial supplier. 

To me though the best option would be to attract local animals. Now if you had them before it is very very likely they are still surviving locally. So look into ways of making your garden as attractive for them as possible. Some overgrown areas as you are already planning and a big pile of rotting wood/leaves in a shady area would provide useful terrestrial habitat. If you can attract terrestrial newts back to the garden, it would only be a matter of time before they used the pond again for breeding.

There's nothing rigid about it all, others will have different ideas but that is the way I would go about it, work on improving terrestrial habitat first, then see where you are in a year or two.



Edited by GemmaJF - 24 Feb 2014 at 2:34pm
Back to Top
chubsta View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 26 Apr 2013
Location: Folkestone,Kent
Status: Offline
Points: 430
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote chubsta Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Feb 2014 at 12:55pm
I have an area of garden which is basically a small path running for 10 or so meters along the hedge between my neighbours and my property which links my house and garage - i never ever use it so it is basically wasted space. It is now starting to get overgrown so will source some logs and get them piled up - a smaller version of something i saw in the 'photo a day' thread. I also intend to put some black flat surfaces down for the frogs to shelter under - this part of the garden gets strong sunlight from about 1pm until sunset in the summer.

Unfortunately i can't see any newts having survived over the last few years as it is quite a while since i last saw some in the pond but i guess there is no hurry to all this so will see what happens. I have once found a slow-worm in the garden and there are masses of adders on the cliff-top which is about 300 meters away so i never know what my turn up...
Back to Top
GemmaJF View Drop Down
Admin Group
Admin Group
Avatar

Joined: 25 Jan 2003
Location: Essex
Status: Offline
Points: 4359
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GemmaJF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Feb 2014 at 1:21pm
Newts can live over 10 years and also breed in some quite unexpected water bodies, so survival is more likely than we expect! My population of smooth newts existed locally (neigbours knew of them years before I moved here but hand't seen any for a long time),the nearest proper pond had not held water for at least a decade! Fortunately for newts if not the local farmer, with the rain over the past two years that original pond is now a small lake. I would guess they were breeding occasionally in ditches or even puddles some years at best. But they were still there.

The log pile shown in the 'Herp a day' thread I built more specifically for reptiles, though the base and back of the pile are nice and damp so probably also used by newts. My specific newt area is more low-key, placed in full shade and made up of old fence panels, branches from the garden, rose cuttings etc and the left to become overgrown.




Going the habitat creation route you'll give a chance to local animals, which will be best adapted to your location (going on my hunch they may still be around). If in a couple of years still no newts, you'll have the best environment to try a re-introduction. Can't lose really Wink



Edited by GemmaJF - 24 Feb 2014 at 1:31pm
Back to Top
GemmaJF View Drop Down
Admin Group
Admin Group
Avatar

Joined: 25 Jan 2003
Location: Essex
Status: Offline
Points: 4359
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GemmaJF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Feb 2014 at 1:29pm
PS I should add we've been here 10 years now. In that time I've only seen 1 frog. I'm seriously considering a frog/toad re-introduction when I renovate the pond this year and that is much more controversial in a lot of peoples eyes! So I'm onside but the natural route will always be best when possible.
Back to Top
Suzy View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1447
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Suzy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Feb 2014 at 4:23pm
I think it is possible to have newts in your garden without being aware of them. I have dozens of them at times in my pond but I rarely see them in the garden.
I would say if you made the conditions suitable you could attract them, that is if they aren't already there.
I feel that if creatures arrive in your pond, or compost heap, under their own steam then it is a seal of approval that you've created suitable conditions for them. However I know how frustrating it is when you don't have the success you want. I rarely have frogs breed in my pond but I have all sizes of them in the garden.
Suz
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 11.06
Copyright ©2001-2016 Web Wiz Ltd.

This page was generated in 0.156 seconds.