Little lonely newt

[dottie delilah]

Hi folks,

I just came across this forum and I am hoping someone can help me. On going out this morning to clean my ducks pond I have found a little tiny newt in it all on his own. It is the first time in my life I have ever seen one. I am over here in Ireland so apparently the only ones we have over here are smooth newts.
It is only about 2 inches long, with a bright orange stripe down it's belly and absolutely gorgeous. i just don't know what to do with him. Like I said it is only a very small pond and I have checked, he is the only one. He would be unable to get out of it on his own as the sides are quite steep. My ducks would have him for breakfast so I have had to put them back in their run.
Can anyone advise me please.

Thanks for any help

[Deb London]

If it was me I would give it a helping hand out of the pond (they are fine on dry land by the way). I know people say this is meddling, but you could also argue that your duck pond is an artificial construction.

Now if you were me, you would also spend next weekend constructing a duck-proof wildlife pond with loads of fascinating levels and crevices for planting lots of oxygenating plants, some open water for courtship, in the sort of sunny position that newts like.

[dampflippers]

Hi, at the very least you need to add a ramp or a beach of some sort. You can use washed stones, pebbles, bricks and sand, or some logs or branches completely sumberged at one end so there is a ramp.
Add lots of plants.

By ideally as the person above says, a duck free wildlife pond elsewhere would be preferable.

I can almost guarantee that there are more. Where is the nearest neighbouring pond? If you can, dig a new pond between that and your duckpond.
Good luck and happy digging!

[dottie delilah]

Thank you folks for your help. I have been looking around the area to see where he might have came from. We live out in the countryside with no neighbours. A lot of the land around us is quite boggy with a lot of reeds. There are also numerous little brooks and streams but some seem quite fast flowing so I wasn't sure about putting him along there. I would love to have found somewhere where there were some more little newts but I have never found any more. I would just like him to have some company. Do you think he could have came from a stream. I have found one which looks nice with a lot of shallow areas and pebbles along the edge surrounded by fields. Could that be there natural habitat. Thanks a lot for your help.

[Deb London]

I'm assuming this is a Smooth Newt or a Palmate Newt (not a young Great Crested Newt which are illegal to even handle without good reason) that was looking for somewhere to breed. I don't think they like fast moving water at all. But a small pond could well be OK.

What did you do with the newt?

[Red Robin]

Originally Posted by Deb London

I'm assuming this is a Smooth Newt or a Palmate Newt (not a young Great Crested Newt which are illegal to even handle without good reason) that was looking for somewhere to breed. I don't think they like fast moving water at all. But a small pond could well be OK.

....My understanding is that only the Smooth Newt inhabits Ireland and neither Palmate nor Great Crested.

Apparently small ponds are fine for Smooth newts - They'll decide what's suitable for breeding.

[Deb London]

Yes, I think you are right Red Robin!