P. waltl new home and friends! Also, help sexing?

[ChristineB]

Well, my adorable newts are now in their new 50-gallon. I *LOVE* this acrylic tank, I agree with my daughter that "it's just like the Monterey Bay Aquarium!" :grin: I'm sure I'm not the first one to have this bright idea, but I used a foam background as a "bare" substrate, and I love how it looks. I used a "Penn Plax Real-Scapes" and it was far cheaper than the competition at about $20 shipped, trimmed it down and glued it in with silicone. Future plan is to add a couple underwater planters for more background foliage. (All plants are real.)

The wild type (Brownie) was previously in her(?) own tank and I have been really pleased at the lack of friction since introducing them. In fact they seem downright friendly, hanging out and touching noses sometimes. I wonder if part of that is that I think I have 2 females and a male? I know I probably can't tell for sure until next year when they're sexually mature, but can experienced folks take a guess when they're 6" juveniles?

The first solo pic is Finknottle, suspected female. Note thinner tail and pinchier face (reminds me of Kermit). Second is suspected male, Gussy, above Finknottle. He is a little larger (I know typically female are slightly larger), but has a notably wider mouth (reminds me of Cookie Monster), and especially a much wider tail. It's actually gotten a little ruffly lately, is that a sign of being male, being fully aquatic longer, or (hopefully not) stress? I check water quality every 2 days (still cycling) and he's always first to eat, so no known stressors. Third pic is Brownie, also suspected female, thin tail and "Kermit" mouth and I noticed she's gotten yellow fingertips (claws?) if that's relevant. Last pic is Gussy and Brownie (sorry it's sideways!), who just met yesterday. Thanks for any opinions!

 

[michael]

It's tough to say from those pictures. They might all be females. Look at the inner arms of the leucistic you suspect is a male. If it has dark marks it is a male. The front legs hook more on males too. Looking at them I would guess they are sexually mature. You should be able to sex by looking at their cloacas. From their girth they all look like females.

 

[ChristineB]

Thank you! I had read that cloaca wasn't a good determinant for P. waltl, but then googled and found a few references to people saying males will have markedly swollen cloacas when in breeding condition. But I could not find any photo references for sexing ribbed newts! So I took some pictures of my guys if you don't mind taking a look. I noticed that Gussy obviously has something new going on down there, and I put it together that doubling their water depth is actually a spawning trigger for P. waltl . . .

First pic is Brownie, showing off what looks to me like an undeveloped juvenile cloaca.
Second is Finknottle; two angles because it's subtle. Either female or maybe still developing?
Last is Gussy. Male?

 

[ChristineB]

They laid eggs!

I'm upgrading the urgency here due to EGGS in the tank today.

What do you think, are they likely fertile, Gussy and Finknottle's? Two are light and then there are maybe a dozen dark eggs. Why the two colors? Could a leucistic lay both? I saw a hint of something on Gussy's cloaca that seemed like maybe spermatofore . . . Did not catch any amplexus or active egg-laying.

 

[Izzdelatorre98]

I just love the way leucistic waltls look. So interesting and cool. Lucky you! I guess you'll find out if they're fertile or not soon enough. The wild type definitely looks like a female btw. Can't say for the others. I can upload a picture of my male waltl's cloaca if you think that'll help? Cheers.

 

[ChristineB]

Hey, thank you for the offer! I think my Gussy is male because now his cloaca is way less pronounced, and he was showing off his arched back earlier today. I actually made the choice to siphon out and destroy the eggs during today's water change. I'm still cycling the tank and I felt better getting rid of them sooner rather than later, even if I can't confirm if they're fertile. The parent(s) are very young and likely siblings, and I'm not ready to care for larvae with my kids, other pets, and being in the final stages of moving. Next year if the wild type lays fertile eggs, they won't be siblings and I'll be up for raising a small batch.