Newts?

[trando]

Saw this while digging over the garden today. Is it a newt? If so what’s the best thing to do? There’s no water anywhere near where we found it but it is quite soggy… It’s about 2 inches in length…

[Fast and Spurious]

That is a lovely common newt. I would put a shallow saucer of water near it then leave it alone, hopefully it will find somewhere cool and damp to hide.

[Silvanus]

You don't really need to do anything, adult newts only enter water to breed, the rest of the time they will spend their time hunting, generally at night, then retreat undercover. It doesn't necessarily even need to be wet, just not too dry.

If by digging you have disturbed it, or destroyed the habitat it was living in, try and create an area with some cover for it. Rocks, wood, sticks, that kind of thing. I'd imagine there will be a breeding pool of some kind not to far away.

[Smint]

Gussie FInk-Nottle would know.

Used to be a pond i poked about in as a boy that was teeming with them, haven't seen a newt for probably 40 years, well spotted.

[trando]

Thanks for the tips. Haven’t seen it since but will make sure there is plenty of cover in the area.

Gussie!!!! Should have remembered that….