Topic: Newts

[gardenqueen]

Once again I have a large number of baby newts in my wildlife pond.

Would it be cruel to give some of these to someone who wants to encourage them into their pond? Are they territorial?

[Bodolph]

Technically as a protected species you should not catch or transport them. However from my childhood I remember catching newts and releasing them into our home pond. Many upped and vanished immediately suggesting that they could be terratorial but others took up residence and we were digging them out of the veg patch for years (bizarrely newts can sometimes just bury themselves).

[Margaret]

Common newts are not protected and would be fine to be moved to give them a better chance of survival.So long as they are being put into an established wildlife pond with sloping edges so that they can climb out the pond they should do well.

[gardenqueen]

Thank you both for your advice. I have decided to leave them well alone in my wildlife pond. The pond. some of them would have gone to, has no means of escape, ie branches, stones etc.