Help Re Newts

Re: Help Re Newts

sarah shipley — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 14:10:57 GMT

Thanks Rhi,

That would be great, I'm just hoping the newts don't start out numbering the clients coming through the door

Speak to you soon

Sas

Re: Help Re Newts

Rhiannon Hutton — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 13:50:12 GMT

Hi Sas.

I helped out with a Great Crested Newt research project a few years back in Tattenhoe. I think I still have the details of the woman who ran it. She worked for the Council and might be able to help. I'll have a search for her number when I get home from work.

See ya soon.

Rhi

Re: Help Re Newts

sarah shipley — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 13:40:26 GMT

[quote user="Emma Kerry"]

As a note, as they are only a couple of centimetres long they are pretty likely to be common newts - the protected Great Crested Newts are pretty big! I had the joys of trawling a pond in the dark for Countryside Council for Wales for some years back!

Love newts

[/quote]

Thanks, the information I found on the internet said the common newts reach 10 cms but as they take 3 years to mature I'm guess these are this years babies

Just hoping they'll make to adulthood, but considering we're situated in a district centre with a large school opposite (just behind the stream) & a really busy road in between I'm not to hopeful.

Which is why I'm trying to find a good locate to re locate them, rather than just returning them.

Re: Help Re Newts

sarah shipley — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 13:26:00 GMT

Thank you for the reply, I did think they were looking for some where to hibernate. I'll e-mail the contacts you have given me & see what they say. Unfortunately I can't find a contact for local herp expert, though the local rural police office who deals with wildlife is going to pop in tomorrow so he might have a contact.

My biggest problem is that there is no where in the building that would be safe from either animals or people accidently injurying them or the spiders which are big enough to eat them! even if they did find a quite corner. Also as you said it would be to warm for them to hibernate.

The immediate area except near the stream & pond is a built up district centre so not really any compost heaps or rockeries. As I said I released the first couple back to this area but as they are still arriving I guess that's not where they want to be!

Re: Help Re Newts

Emma Purnell — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 13:00:32 GMT

Love newts

Re: Help Re Newts

Diane Westwood — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 11:09:28 GMT

Don't go with the vivarium idea. You need to contact your local herp expert, or ask Froglife for advice. The newts are looking for somewhere to hibernate.

01733 558844 ~ info@froglife.org

Amphibians lie dormant during the coldest months, taking advantage of milder patches of weather to come out and forage. For this reason if you do disturb an animal in winter, it should be unharmed if covered up and left undisturbed.

If you are unable to put the animal back where you found it, place it somewhere that offers protection from frost and predators like cats and birds, for example log piles, under a shed or within your compost heap; it should not be somewhere 'warm', just a place that keeps free of frost.

Amphibians naturally seek out a place to lie dormant over the winter such as compost heaps, rockeries or log piles.

Newts normally overwinter in places like compost heaps, amongst dead wood or under decking / your shed / other objects. They can take care of themselves as long as they have somewhere to shelter.