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Pleurodeles waltl is a member of the newt family, it is more commonly known as the Ribbed newt, Iberian ribbed newt or even the Spanish ribbed newt. The common names are derived from two things, its natural locality which is the Iberian peninsula where it is commonly found to the south of this land mass but it is also found in Morocco. The second reason for its common name is due to a specialised defence mechanism that this newt has evolved over the generations to prevent predation. Along its flanks there are tubercles which allow the ribs to protrude when the newt feels threaten, this is in turn makes it awkward for any predator to devour the newt as well as the sharp edges on the ribs inflicting potential damage to anything willing to tackle this creature.

Size

The ribbed newt is one of the larger specimens that belong to this family, in the wild mature specimens can reach up to 12 inches (30.48 cm) in length, like most live stock, if they are kept in an aquarium they tend to level out at a slightly smaller size.

Life Span

8-12 years

Caging

Salamanders and newts are excellent escape artists they can squeeze through the smallest of gaps but unfortunately if this situation occurs it usually results in their premature death. Always bear this in mind when selecting a tank set up for your newt, make sure that a tight fitting lid is used to prevent any escapees.

These newts do not have a lot of special requirements but they do have a few that must be covered to keep the newt successfully and give it a full lifespan. The substrate used in the tank can be gravel but make sure that the grain size is not too small, they do have a habit of swallowing gravel with their food if this is the case. They will need an area of dry land even though the ribbed newt spends most of its life in the water. For the natural look you can build a beach area from a pile of rocks or nowadays there are artificial floating décor available that also serve the same purpose. The water level should not be too high, above 6 inches (15.24 cm) of water is fine but do not go any higher than 8 - 9 inches (~ 20 - 23 cm) maximum.

To filter the water I find it best to use an internal filter laid on its side due to the low water level, these can easily be disguised by using décor but cover the intake over with sponge incase the newts trap any of their limbs.

Water changes can be performed at a rate of 10% weekly to keep the quality high, the added benefit of using a tight fitting lid is that it will also keep the atmosphere above the water line humid, this is ideal for the newts.

Heating & Lighting

Temperature wise, they prefer a tank temperature just above 20°C (approx. 72-74°F), higher temperatures can affect the newts health. If you live in mid climates then there should be no need to add an heater to the tank, this may not be the case during the winter months so through this part of the year, monitor the temperature with a reliable thermometer and add a small heater if required.

Lighting is not critical, it is more for the keeper as the newts are quite happy to kept in natural daylight all of the time. If you are using lighting then it is best to use fluorescent tubes as these produce little heat and only use the lights for a few hours each day to mimic daylight and night-time hours.

Diet

In the wild the newts diet consists of insects, crustaceans and small worms, in the tank you have the chance to offer them a wide range of foods either commercial or not so you can give them a varied diet to keep them healthy. Feeding the same food with every meal cam bring on the onset of boredom with the food and can mean that the newt will start to refuse meals every now and again, offering different foods will prevent this and keep them interested. The list of foods in this section are only recommendations, some specimens may prefer some of the foods more than others, each specimen is different but if they don’t like a type of food when you first offer it, persevere and they may learn to like the choice that you are offering them. They do need meaty foods such as chopped earthworms, chopped prawns,commercial turtle pellets, commercial newt food or even small insects that you capture purposely for the meals.

Breeding

Sexing the ribbed newt is quite an easy affair as long as you have males and females to compare against each other. They also breed quite easily in the tank so make a good project for potential keepers who are interested in the breeding side of caring for these creatures. Males will develop slightly longer tails than the females and just prior to their breeding seasons will develop pads on his arms, these are known as “nuptial pads” and aid the male to grasp the female.

In the wild the ribbed newt tends to have two main breeding periods, in the spring and during the later summer months. To encourage breeding it is wise to leave off the lighting for a few weeks to imitate the dark winter months so that when the lighting returns it fools the newts into thinking that it is springtime. The water level should also be raised by a couple of inches and raising the water temperature slightly, all of these actions will induce spawning.

The mating process begins with the male grasping onto the female by grabbing her arms from underneath, after a few hours the male will release one arm and swing in front of the female. He will then make a succession of turns whilst depositing a sperm sac, this is known as a “spermatophore”. He will then turn the female over the sperm sac and she will pick this up and her eggs will be fertilised.

The batch size for the eggs can be anything from 100 right up to 1000 and these are scattered around the vegetation. The eggs are always safe with the parents but once they hatch they are seen as food so if you wish to raise as many young as you can, remove the eggs before they hatch.

Keep the temperature at a constant 20°C (72°F), any higher and the larva will all develop as males, any lower and the larva will become stressed. They can be fed on newly hatched brine shrimp or rotifers until they morph into juveniles who can accept the same diet as the parents but chopped smaller to suit the smaller mouths and stomachs.