Paramesotriton chinensis eggs

[Logan]

Just curious if there is an update on these guys. What a great thread. I love Paramesotriton
Logan

[Otterwoman]

Here's an update. The second year I got a bunch of eggs and morphs. Since I was unable to raise them successfully, I gave most of them to someone who has better skills. I did keep some. I used the opportunity of your post to take some pictures. I started with 12 and there are only three left, and here they are:
I just don't seem to be able to create conditions that they like.

[ED MOYER]

I will say Dawn, That I have had Paramesotriton in the past that I thought were duds an they hatched anyway!! They are some ugly looking eggs, in my point of view!!

[Kroak]

I really like these small newts, at what age these newts will decide to get into the water?

Paramesotriton morphs is to give them a largish terrarium (keep them at low density - at high density they don't seem to feed well and are more prone to skin infections

Chris, my youth paramesotritones, are stacked with each other under their hiding places in the long term can you take mushrooms?

[Otterwoman]

I'm not really sure how long before they become aquatic. I can't even keep them alive for a year.
@Ed: I agree! This year I put the eggs in a separate tank for hatching and I did not give up even when they looked fuzzy and dead! And I ended up with many morphs!

[Chris Michaels]

They seem to take somewhere around 3-4 years to go back into the water and a further year or two (or three in females) to reach maturity (at least in P. aff. fuzhongensis and P. deloustali).

The key is, in my opinion, to use a terrarium that is much (like 2-4 times) larger than one would use for a given number of morphs of other species and to use lots of leaf litter, cork hides in stacks, pieces of brick or weathered concrete to aid shedding (most deaths occur around sheeding, when infection set in if the morphs can't shed cleanly) and clumps of moss covering everything. A humidity gradient is imporant, with bone dry areas and damper ones around a small water dish. The dry area should never really be sprayed, but there must also be a good gradient (i.e. plenty of semi-dry/wet places as well as very damp and very dry). The morphs can either be fed in-situ and left to hunt or can be pulled out occassionally and fed separately, although this takes time to get working and then only in animals that have fully adapted to life on land. Avoid waxworms as I have had bad experiences with impactions. Once they pass about 6 months they become much more robust and after about 18 months to a year will start using a water dish and will gradually become more aquatic.

I wish you were in Europe, as I would love to give this species a go!

C

[Kroak]

The youth paramesotritones I've fed the worms cut into small pieces and have spread across the substrate (paper towels), thus, the newts are surrounded by plenty of food and always have a dam nearby, the only drawback I see to use a more natural and developed settings (pieces of cork, moss, stone slabs),is that all the little worms in pieces would be lost by the substrate and would have to remove the substrate to verify that the juvenile newts grow healthily.I usually get up a ceramic stone and almost all small newts is below the ceramic slab, but from what I read in the post, I have fear of being caught newts fungi by the fact that they are assembled ...

[Logan]

I am currently working with one of Otterwoman's chinensis babies and all is going well. It is being kept in a semi aquatic critter keeper with about 1.5 inches of water or around 3.8 to 4 cm. It is almost completely full of java moss except one open water area where I like to feed him/her. There are also rocks slightly emerged covered in java moss. This is working great and it is eating whiteworms/chopped earthworm/frozen bloodworms and I believe it has eaten one redworm.
Logan

[Jennewt]

I also have some of Otterwoman's chinensis. I have them fully terrestrial in a fairly large tub. There are resident springtails and woodlice living in with them, and I add pinheads and fruit flies.