Newt

Newts are small, usually bright-coloured semiaquatic salamanders of North America, Europe and North Asia, distinguished from other salamanders by the lack of rib or costal grooves along the sides of the body.

Newts have the ability to regenerate limbs, eyes and spinal cords, so you can be rough with them but they still feel pain so don't tare off its toes, kids. The cells at the site of the injury have the ability to de-differentiate, reproduce rapidly, and differentiate again to create a new limb or organ. One theory is that the de-differentiated cells are related to tumour cells since chemicals which produce tumours in other animals will produce additional limbs in newts.

Many newts produce toxins in their skin secretions as a defense mechanism against predators. The Taricha newts of western North America are particularly toxic; the Rough-skinned Newt (Taricha granulosa) of the Pacific Northwest produces more than enough tetrodotoxin to kill an adult human foolish enough to swallow a newt. Note that in order to produce harm, the toxins have to enter the body by being ingested or entering a break in the skin.

Please do not handle with dry skin. It will dry out the newts skin. I had a friend who learned this the hard way, plus your hands have oils that can be poisonous to newts, just like they have toxins poisonous to us, (see above), so for the newt and yourself, wash you hands before and after handling them.

Feeding is easy, just throw a few crickets in the holding tank and watch them hunt. Fun for the kids!!!

If you are looking for a low-maintenance pet for your child or your university dorm room, the newt is probably a good choice. They can live in a small aquarium, require feeding twice a day and you only have to change the water once a week. What this means is they are a good pet for someone who wants a pet but doesn't want (or cannot cope with) the mess and responsibility of something like a dog or a cat. You can even pick up your newt and play with it - provided your hands are wet. If they're dry they destroy the newt's protective slime layer and leave it open to nasty infections.

On the downside, newts are not actually very active, so unlike fish, they aren't particularly interesting to watch. But, they're pretty hard-wearing and you'd have to try pretty hard to kill one, unlike a goldfish....