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Scaling New Heights: Can Newts Climb?

Scaling New Heights: Can Newts Climb?

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The purpose of this blog is to share general information and is written to the author's best knowledge. It is not intended to be used in place of veterinary advice. For health concerns, please seek proper veterinary care. In addition, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Have you ever owned a pet newt? Better yet, have you had a friend who owned a pet newt?

If your answer to one of these questions is yes, then you know how adventurous these little fellas can be.

Sometimes, the owners can find them trying to escape their little enclosures or already roaming around in the rooms!

This brings one question to mind: Can newts climb? After all, how can they manage these little impossible missions without being able to climb?

Today, we’ll answer this question and much more. Let’s start!

Can Your Newts Climb?

Generally, yes! Newts can climb any and most types of surfaces around them. This is why you can find your pet newt outside of his tank.

If you don’t own one, on the other hand, you can still find a newt or two that managed to crawl into your house because of this ability.

However, you should know that they’re not the best climbers out there. Some surfaces can pose an issue, and the angle itself can pose a problem.

So this leads us to wonder, which surfaces can they climb?

Can Newts Climb Glass?

The answer here can be a bit complicated. You see, it’s both a yes and a no!

While newts are known to climb around trees and rocks, climbing glass can be much more challenging. This is mainly because trees and rocks are textured.

They’re full of cracks or tiny grooves that newts can quickly grab. In contrast, glass is a smooth surface, which makes it trickier to climb.

Of course, this isn’t to say they won’t try! Newts can climb glass comfortably under two main conditions, those are:

  • If the glass isn’t clean or textured
  • If the glass is at an angle

So, if you leave your newt’s enclosure without cleaning for a while, the glass can get covered in dirt or other foreign objects.

Besides the lack of hygiene, this situation can easily give your newts a foothold to climb the glass effortlessly.

Now, if the glass surface is angled, there’s almost nothing you can do that’ll stop the little guy from climbing!

The angle gives him the necessary balance to walk across the glass and get as far as he wants.

Can Newts Climb Walls?

Unlike climbing glass, climbing walls is a tad easier for newts because of the surface. Most walls contain rough or textured surfaces that can help keep the newt from slipping.

This might not be obvious to us, but compared to a newt, it’s enough to help. Hence, they can climb walls even if it’s not angled, i.e., vertically!

Moreover, newts can make climbing walls easier on themselves by picking a crevice or a corner where they can get a better foothold.

How to Prevent Your Newt From Climbing His Enclosure

While it is natural to climb around and discover their environment, there’s no reason for the little fellas to escape the enclosure!

So, to prevent this from happening, secure the tank’s lid and can follow one of the tips below:

1 – Provide a Better Enclosure

Sometimes, the problem with your newt’s excessive climbing needs is that his tank is too small or doesn’t have the right features.

To solve this, head to your nearest pet store or search online for bigger tanks. As for the features, you can install something similar to a log or a rock wall to help him get his energy out.

Pro tip: newts are semi-aquatic creatures. So, if you want to provide a more natural habitat, add a little pool so he can swim his heart out!

2 – Check His Environment

Even though you might have everything your newt needs, some minor details can make him unhappy.

For instance, did you know that most newts prefer to live in temperatures between 60–68° F? Anything too high or too low can disturb them or even compromise their immune system.

Another thing that could disturb your newt is too many artificial lights.

Regardless if your newt is diurnal or nocturnal, if you keep him under artificial lights 24/7, he’ll get anxious and try escaping.

Also, your newt needs as much natural sunlight as possible. So, open the curtains and let the sunshine in!

3 – Maintain Proper Hygiene Levels

As previously mentioned, one of the main reasons why your newt is climbing around and escaping his tank is a lack of hygiene.

He could be disturbed by the uncleanliness or simply found an easy way to entertain himself by climbing the dirty glass!

Hence, you’ll need to keep a tight schedule when it comes to maintaining his habitat. But, of course, if it got a bit dirty before schedule, there’s no harm in cleaning it.

Final Thoughts

So again, can newts climb? The answer here is yes but under certain conditions.

To start, they can easily climb walls as long as there are no barriers in the way. However, when it comes to other surfaces, like glass, it gets more challenging for them to climb.

The glass has to be textured or angled for them to climb comfortably. This won’t stop them from trying to climb, though—and maybe even succeeding sometimes!

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