Question: Metamorphosis in C. pyrrhogaster

Hi all, newt noobie here. getting ahead of myself as I haven't even received my hatchlings from the breeder yet but I'm trying to learn as much as possible before I do!

My babies will be living in a plastic tub initially, but I've also bought a terrarium so that I can I have it well established for when they metamorphose. However I can't find see any info about the actual process of transferring them from one habitat to the other. When they come out of the water and start to change, do you leave them in their original environment until metamorphosis is complete, or should they be transferred as soon as they come out of the water? And is there anything that should be done to help introduce them to their new enclosure without too much stress?

Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge. This website is such a great resource! Newts are pretty new in NZ as pets and there is really no local info. about them!

When metamorphosis starts, you just need to provide some easilly accesible land areas. As soon as the new morphs go on land you can transfer them to a simple, quarantine type terrarium. Some individuals will be ready to go back to water shortly after a terrestrial period, but others may take their time and wait until they are sub-adults. Considering this you have to options:

1-raise them in a semi-aquatic enclosure where they can choose wether to go into water or to stay on land. Water depth must be about an inch, and having lots of plants in the water helps them feel secure, and helps avoiding the possibility of drowning.
2-raise them all terrestrial until they reach sub-adulthood, in which moment they should accept being transfered to an aquarium.

Good luck with them when you receive them, they are a fascinating species, one of my favourites!

Thanks, that helps! I was really quite concerned about the possibility of drowning, so I'm thinking I will have a terrestrial set-up with a very shallow little pond with some pebbles in it, and if i notice any of them starting to spend time in the pond then I'll transfer them to a shallow aquatic set-up and then eventually into a full tank. That way I'll have time to get tanks cycled and running properly.

Right now I'm on tenterhooks waiting for the breeder to contact me to arrange delivery. I don't think my email has ever been checked so many times per hour before! Oh well, my step-daughter in the next bedroom has some babies from the same breeder, so at least I can visit them in the meantime...

ps Bikkit! (Thief of Time is one of very favourites!)

Another Pratchett fan!
It´s also one of my very favourite ones, top three!!

I know what you mean about checking the mail-box more than ever. I get over-paranoid and every time i hear the slightest nose coming from the building´s main door i go check the mail xDDD When i´m not expecting new newts i don´t ever remember to check it and it ends up full of junk xD

There is a possible problem with your idea of a terrestrial tank with a shallow pond, and it´s the fact that small water masses foul VERY quickly. You would have to make daily water changes which is tiresome. The problem with this is that the newts are very sensitive to water quality, and if the water in the pond is not in excelent condition they may choose not to visit it. In order to ensure a good water quality so that they can feel free to explore the aquaitc life you need a larger volume of water. That´s why i proposed a semi-aquatic set-up. It will still require maintenance, but water quality will be more stable as long as uneaten foods are cleaned. You can find examples of such enclosures around the forum. I´m sure a quick search will give you some results (look for Jen´s posts, she is an excelent pyrrhogaster breeder with several informative posts).

When my pyrrhogaster reached a point in which i considered transferring them to an aquarium, i was pretty scared they might drown, but to my surprise they got to the water inmediately and with no problems at all, so don´t be scared, the possibility of drowning is very limited and easily avoidable with shallow water an lots of aquatic plants. You can expect them to be fully aquatic by the time they reach 7-8cm long (as a general rule;As i said, it varies between individuals).

Hmmm ok, I can see I'll have to think long and hard about how best to do this. The tank i bought is actually a vivarium type with the front opening doors so you can't put deep water in anyways. Its only a 12inchx12inch cube so perhaps the best thing to do will be to build up and make an island on one side. I had been thinking that I would put a ceramic bowl in there (with maybe plastic plants in it) that I could take out and change the water daily, and then I wouldn't need to worry about filters or anything... and then build up around the walls with plants and rocks to give them the maximum surface area for climbing on and hiding under. At the aquarium shop where I bought it they had a juvenile Chinese firebelly in this same tank...looking at the photo it seems that they have a lot of rocks and a small area with sand substrate and some water, so maybe something like that? I'm not sure how you look after the water in that sort of set-up though, it doesn't seem like there's enough of it to justify a filter but it might be hard to keep clean otherwise?

Just to update, I received my babies yesterday, so tiny! they do have their back legs at least. I've ended up with 6 so I'll be taking the vivarium back and getting a regular (much larger) tank instead. Then I'll have plenty of space to do a semi-aquatic set-up.

I wouldn´t advice to keep them in a large tank just yet. They will do much better if you keep them in a simple, semi-aquatic, small tank. That way they will be able to find food easily, and you will be able to monitor them closely.

Yes, you're right (again). So much to learn and figure out!