Newts are generally a safe pet, however there are a few species that are known to carry salmonella, and other species are in fact poisonous, but only if consumed. The brightly colored bellies of a newt are one way to tip a person off to their toxicity. However you are not really at risk unless you plan to do something dumb like lick or eat the newt. In which case, you would notice a horrible burning sensation and most likely experience vomiting.

We know this information thanks to a few drunken idiots who have eaten newts in the past. However this is really no laughing matter, do not be mistaken a newt’s poison is enough to kill you. Within 20 minutes to three hours of ingesting a newt one will typically begin experiencing symptoms of toxic effects. These may appear as hypertension, respiratory paralysis, and nerve unresponsiveness. Less extreme responses may include numbness and/or tingling. Though paralyzed, victims of this toxicity will still remain conscious and is caused by site specific binding of TTX to voltage gated sodium ion channels in the nervous tissues. Any binding extracellular pore opening of this channel inactivates it, blocking sodium ion flow.

Those with extreme doses of TTX can expect cardiac arrhythmia to occur and as a secondary effect of this toxicity, is the inability of brain cells to receive oxygen properly. This results in a lightheaded feeling and overall weakness. The only recommendation for treatment in this case is assisted respiration.

In general, it is safe to keep newts as pet as long as nobody is eating them. The newt will not be able to hurt you or its tank mates unless ingested. It is especially important to not keep newts as pets around children, other animals, or drunken idiots. If you know somebody who ingests a newt then the poison control center should be contacted immediately and/or they should be driven to an emergency room to seek treatment. This is a very serious matter.

Newts possess feathery gills during the larvae stage but lose them as they grow older. These creatures are amphibians and like most can breathe on dry land and underwater. When a baby newt hatches from an egg it is called a tadpole. Newt tadpoles are born with gills and during this time can only breathe using them underwater. As the tadpole develops into a juvenile newt it will start to develop limbs and internal lungs that will help it to breathe in air. When this juvenile is ready it will spend most of its time on dry land using its new lungs to breathe.

When newts reach adulthood, they will return to the water and spend the remainder of its life there. These creatures use a process known as diffusion to breathe underwater since they no longer possess gills. This process is done by absorbing oxygen from the water through their thin, permissible skin. The oxygen in the water is absorbed and diffused directly into the animal’s blood vessels directly through the skin. It is for this reason that newts and most other amphibians must keep their skin moistened at all times, because they are very susceptible to having their skin dry out if kept away from water for too long, in which case will result in death.

A salamander is a common name for the order of Caudata which consists of 9 families. Eight of these 9 families are found in North America. Newt is a common name applied to certain members of a family of relatively small salamanders. Also in the order of caudataare, are sirens which are aquatic salamanders that lack hind limbs. Thus, newts and sirens are actually salamanders. Salamanders make up a mere 350 species out of the 4,000+ known species of amphibians.

It is not ideal for a newt to reside with a turtle. Even small turtles can nip off a newt’s leg or tail. Turtles also secrete and tolerate much higher amounts of ammonia than newts. Turtle’s need warm water and a heat lamp in order to survive, whereas newts can poison a turtle since turtle’s are omnivorous creatures that may view Mr. newt as a tasty meal. Newts require a temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit whereas turtles require at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Another difference in properly caring for both creatures is that each requires different levels of land, water and space within their tanks. Newts and turtles cannot and should not live together.

Newts are amphibians. It is part of the salamandridea family and related to frogs, salamanders, and toads. There are quite a few differences between reptiles and amphibians. The word amphibian means to live a double life, which is exactly what amphibians such as the newt do. Starting off residing in the water as creatures who have gills and later develop lungs as they age, these creatures are cold blooded vertebrates that were the first animals to leave the sea and venture onto land. They breathe water through their gills until they develop their lungs later on in life whereas reptiles are born resembling miniature adult reptiles that have lungs from the get go. Amphibians are usually required to stay near water to prevent their smooth skin from drying out. Differing from reptiles such as the lizard, these creatures have a soft gel that surrounds the eggs they lay and can usually be found in water or around damp places. Lots of amphibian’s defense against predators includes a type of toxic skin that releases secretions, and many amphibians also bite. These creatures do not have claws or nails as reptiles such as the lizard do.

The word reptiles means to creep. These creatures are known to creep both on land and in water. However they do not require water to keep their skin from drying out as amphibians do. This group of animals is equipped with scales or modified scales, and are known to breathe air through their lungs and reproduce by laying eggs. Most reptiles spend most of their time on land and lay their amniotic eggs there or keep them inside of their body until they are ready to hatch. These amniotic eggs are protected with a hard, leathery covering.