Raising (& Breeding) Ommatotriton

[Molch]

this may be an odd thought, but I am wondering whether having some plants or moss could be key to success with this species? I find that a nice moss cushion makes for a great moisture gradient from the soil upward as the upper parts dry out a bit. My vulgaris are always hanging out at various levels in the moss.

With moss/plants, the newts would not be forced to sit on the substrate at all times.

[Rodrigo]

Molch, i know of at least one person who has had excellent results without plants. Well...a single, withering, scrawny little plantlet. The rest was dirt (no matter how much the owner wants to argue that it´s soil) and some hides. No moss, no leaf-litter, no plants, nothing....depressing :P but it has worked really well!
I think night and day differences might have something to do with the complications indoors, and not getting something about the humidity just right probably does too.

[Mark]

A number of sources suggest they are more sensitive to pollution than other species and do not adapt to man made environments as other species can. Jean Raffaëlli also notes they are susceptible to skin infections in captivity. Perhaps this intolerance of anything but pristine habitat is at the root of their difficulty. I'm not dismissing the moisture argument but mine get lashings of English rain so I would question the need to keep them dry. Perhaps different populations are specifically adapted to cope with their local climate. Most of the animals in the pet trade seem to be from the Caucasus which is mountainous and has a pretty cool climate, cooler than would be offered indoors.

[mr cyclone]

Mark excellent work. I originally had 3 juveniles from Billy James this march.I'm down to 2 now i think 1 accidentally got squashed back in june.The 3 were being kept in a ventilated tub with compost substrate with moss and bark littered full with springtails,whiteworm,and woodlice.The newts seemed content for about 2 months.They then appeared to become sluggish,lethargic and very thin. I tried to hand feed them with whiteworm and bloodworms with no success,In august i moved them into a larger Tub with coconut husk {i think this is the name} a dry brown substrate i positioned a water bowl at one side and placed a few lumps of bark on the substrate and a piece of slate in the water dish brakeing the surface of the water.I placed the newts in this container. I've been feeding the beasts with crickets dusted with vitamin powder,the newts love them they are back to verocious feeding,and acting quite agile and fast almost like lizards.It's a great relief to see them really fattening up i will post pictures soon,i have no internet at home only work at the moment.1 of my newts is starting to change colour slightly almost like your 1 mark to adult colouration and ive spotted him eating crickets that have drown in the water bowl and he's not shy going for a swim either. I think iv'e got raising these sussed.I'm going to buy a few more juvies soon i cannot wait to see the male in breeding dress.
I hope this helps anyone trying to raise ommatotriton
regards Aaron

[Jesper]

Very nice animals and photos Mark! Have your collection occupied the entire house yet? I remember you were inching your way into the kitchen last time I saw you and that was a while back If I ever get back to Sweden and get me a house with garden I'd like to try vulgaris, I think native species are illegal back home though... What's the british view on this btw?

[mr cyclone]

I'm now trying my second attempt at raising ommatotriton.I still have 1 left from last march who is in good health.I have subsequently learned ommatotriton in the vivarium can be susseptable to rickets,vitamin D,and calcium deficiency.
This might explain large deaths with CB specimens kept indoors.I initially fed my newts springtails,whiteworms and woodlice,moving on to crickets.A varied diet is always recommended when careing for newts.
Mark has had phenomenal success raising his 4,and iv'e had 1 of 3 survive.I think Mark's outdoor raising has worked in his favour for the newt's recieving a varied healthy diet And plenty of vitamin D from them being raised outdoors. I'm approaching this years newts with a different attitude to my previous attempt,and take the lessons I learned last year and put them into practise.I have 6 arriving this week so I am keeping optimistic,and i'm going to apply plenty of vitamin powder to prey items.

[mr cyclone]

Here's my lone survivor from last year takeing a dip,incase you thought i was telling fibs!

[Mark]

Sorry to hear you had problems with yours. My group has been chilling in the garage during the UK's recent sub-zero spell. I offered them water for the first time today and they dived straight in despite the water temperature being around 5C. I can't wait to see the males in full dress and of course I'll be taking lots of shots of them . They were fanning the lucky lady within minutes of taking the plunge.

The tank - end on, it's 100 litres.


Aquatic at last... she's looking nice and plump despite the winter dormancy.

[Jesse]

Wow. That's very similar to notphthalmus. I guess that's what they meant in school by similar species supporting the continental drift theory!

[Rodrigo]

Originally Posted by Mark

of course I'll be taking lots of shots of them

Music-to-my-ears.
These guys really seem to start growing a crest really fast after touching water. They don´t waste any time!
I can´t wait to see picture of them in full dress, i trully can´t. Such wonderfully beautiful animals with your camera skills...argh....aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh......

They are already looking fantastic, by the way, but we all know it only gets better.
I have one question, if you´ll endulge my curiosity, have you noticed a greenish tint on your animals now that they are aquatic? I´m guessing it depends enormously on lighting, but i still apreciate an answer.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by Jesper

Have your collection occupied the entire house yet? I remember you were inching your way into the kitchen last time I saw you and that was a while back

Hah, yes, there are still some newts in the kitchen, much to my wife's dismay.

Originally Posted by Azhael

I have one question, if you´ll endulge my curiosity, have you noticed a greenish tint on your animals now that they are aquatic? I´m guessing it depends enormously on lighting, but i still apreciate an answer.

The males do appear to have a green tint to their black dorsal markings. You can see it a little in the last shot above. I don't know if it will last, they've only been aquatic a few hours. The females are quite flat in colour.

[Molch]

awesome. Just spectacular.
When our landscape thaws out sometime in May, I'll set up an outdoor enclosure for my vulgaris and maybe some of my marms; I bet they'd benefit from that kind of life as well..

[BILLY JAMES]

Looking good Mark well done with them.
The crest will get deeper/higher every year for the next couple of years and the blue in there tails should develope more as well.

[Martin]

They look amazing.
Could you tell me what the dark green plant is that the male is swimming towards in the first photo?

[Mark]

Originally Posted by Davo

Could you tell me what the dark green plant is that the male is swimming towards in the first photo?

That's hornwort. It's the only floating plant I seem to be able to grow well

[mr cyclone]

This is why I'm persevering with this species the males are so ridiculously handsome!!,rivals any species.
The top picture is quite funny looks like the female is fleeing from incoming attack from air and land lol

[Kroak]

Very agreeable, might you put mas photos of the aquarium and the ommatotriton?: D

[Mark]

A poor photo through very scratched glass but you can see how much the crest has grown in the space of a week. The female is much fatter too and is being fanned frequently. Temperatures are 6-7C. Fingers crossed

[Rodrigo]

*Drool*

Good luck, Mark, and keep the pictures coming, i beg you.

[Mark]

Another quick update. The crests just keep growing and growing....here's a male stalking a female.



A lot of fanning going on.