Juveniles are growing well!

My 50 + juveniles (C. orientalis) are getting big - bigger than I thought. The boys and I measured them last night and many are 5 cm. Do you think I should begin trying to transition them to aquatic life? I've been putting in larger and larger water dishes, even using a tilted tank in two of the tanks, to see how it would go. I put so little water in that it's hard to tell. Should I increase the water? What's best - a large water dish or the tilted tank? They're on plain paper towels now - some tanks have water dishes, others didn't which I why I used the tilted tank.

Dana

Hi will you be selling them in the future?!

Either a tilted tank or a tank with more water (with something so they can climb out of the water easily), I wouldn't have thought it would make that much difference (why don't you try both and see which is more successful?)

If you have kept them completely terrestrial, i would be cautious and perhaps wait until they are a little bit bigger. I´ve found that at least males seem to reach sexual maturity with a length of aproximately 5,5 cm. For my paranoid self, it would be wise to wait a bit more and have better chances.

Anyway, if you try, i would go for a shallow, bottomless tank (an inch is fine), with rocks or wood breaking the surface and plants in the water. It´s working fantastic for my juveniles of this season, and it´s the best way to entice any caudate to go aquatic.

Thanks everyone. Proceeding with caution!

Yes, they will be for sale to fellow enthusiasts, only. We are having "November Newts" including the Great Newt Races at the WOW! (Wild Over Wildlife, my sons' club) meeting and I will begin to think about parting with them then. My sons' consercation/preservation club resumes in August and we concentrate on a different animal / species each month again from endangered marine mammals to local homeless shelters for abandoned domestic animals. Profits (more interested in covering shipping costs than profits as this CB program was not intended!) will benefit our site and that of Amphibian Ark. We will use Nov. to educate the children on the perils of WC animals vs. responsible CB programs, the need to save habitats for amphibians, etc.

Thanks again,
Dana