Alpine newt development stages

A

a.

Guest
Most of my male Alpine newts would court the females and have a low crest on the back, but their skin is still rough/warty and the flanks are dark grey/blue/olive , reticulated with black patches as in juveniles, females or land dwelling newts... I was told they are all at least three years old.
water temperature 5-10 C. another male has smooth skin with bright colours. are the others still not fully matured? Was the aging incorrect? is the water too cold?
Thanks.
 
At least most of them seem to be going in and out of the water about once or twice a day... Is that normal, if not, what could be the cause of that?
 
If they have a crest, they are fully mature. I highly doubt that the water is too cold.

Can you explain the history of these newts? How long have you had them? Were they terrestrial until recently (and until when)? What kind of setup are they in?
 
Certainly. I got them in the post about a week ago. They were said to have been aquatic. My tank is of a good size, 'out' in the conservatory (Hampshire U.K), semi aquatic setting with logs providing sufficient land area. Plenty of plants both in the water and on land.
The strange thing is that they all seem to exhibit all the aquatic behaviours (eat, mate, molt..) chiefly during the day, then at night many of them roam the land areas...
 
I suspect they may just be showing normal behavior. If they only recently became aquatic (after a terrestrial period) their skin may still be granular.
 
one female had started laying eggs, so she is way too busy to take a break on land! the other female is smaller and thinner, but aquatic. both females retain their granular skin in the water, and that's normal, i gather.
But why would some males have dark reticulated colouration on their flanks between the spotty band and the crest? another male is very different, with pale creamy colour on the flank, more pronounced cloaca, looking much more like they 'should', as appear on pictures...
 
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