Fire bellied newts-where to find

[roshansom]

HI everyone i am a student who has a keen interest in keeping one or two of these animals but i really do not know where to find these newts. I have tried looking through the fire bellied newt threads from december 2009 but i am not sure if the info is still relevent. Does any1 know where they are being sold now? Or has any1 seen any of these newts at a certain fish shop/pet store? If so please reply to this and tell me where =). Appreciate the help thanks!

[vinz]

They are not legal pets. So you're not going to get any public replies.

[tetrafreak]

They are very cheap and common here in china @ 8 yuan ($1.5) a pair.
Btw, why are they banned in SG? They are not an endangered species, as far as i know.

[benjaminong88]

They are very cheap and common here in china @ 8 yuan ($1.5) a pair.
Btw, why are they banned in SG? They are not an endangered species, as far as i know.

"Cynops orientalis" (chinese fire bellied) used to be the one most commonly found in pet shops. The japanese one is called "Cynops pyrrhogaster". The bright fiery coloured belly is meant to serve as a warning to predators as fire bellied newts produce some potent skin toxins and have fairly prominent poison glands on the sides of their head.

Maybe this could be the main reason why it is banned. I don't think any poisonous critters are allowed in Singapore (eg. poisonous dart frogs, certain scorpions etc). Later the owner "suay suay" get poisoned and die.

[EvolutionZ]

i think AVA is more concerned about this critters being released into out eco system by irresponsible owners who got bored of them. releasing such non-native critters could destroy our eco system.. somemore FBN is poisonous..

[vinz]

If you think AVA is strict, try Australia. They don't even allow Hamsters.

I would blame irresponsible pet owners. Now, some of our reservoirs are full of freshwater string rays. They are not part of the eco-system and who knows which native species they are wiping out.

When people tossed their Lou Han into the ponds and reservoirs, we saw the near demise of the snakehead population.

Cane toads are now a big worry for Australians who are concerned their children or pet dogs/cats might be killed by the deadly poison on the toads skin.

There is no way humans can completely foresee the impact of an introduced species on the native eco-system and general safety.

[Shaihulud]

Fire Belly Newts are temperate animals, they do not breed until temperature is low, White Tree frogs the only amphibians allowable to be traded as a pet is a tropical species and voracious. I know which one is more likely as an invasive species (although I think neither is likely) Hopefully AVA will one day be more discerning. I think the lack of licensing is due to few people interested in amphibians as a pet, we can certainly keep them for the reasons of consumption.

If you think AVA is strict, try Australia. They don't even allow Hamsters.

Hamsters would thrive in Australias dry habitat actually, they have been accidentally established in similar locales like Israel, escaped from a lab!

[Nuur]

As far as i know, its their diet that made them poisonous . no ?

[Merviso]

bro roshamson, frankly, for a new member, who join the AQ forum just to ask this kind of question, think not many bros here would dare to give you the answer...

[vinz]

As far as i know, its their diet that made them poisonous . no ?

I know that is true of the poison dart frogs. But I'm not sure if it is true of the newts, and I highly doubt it.

[Nuur]

Hey roshansom,

I'm a student too, what school are you in ? o.o