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Raising C. pyrrhogaster fully aquatic.

Chinadog

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I think at this age they would look quite similar, although wild C pyrrho juveniles would probably be much more red than orange due to their diet. I haven't actually seen any C. ensicauda in person but they seem to have smoother skin and smaller parotid glands as well.
 

Chinadog

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A few more pics, they've become real waterbabies over the last week, they are lightning quick now and dart about little fish, especially at feeding time! Their growth is indeed 'explosive', they're seeming to get bigger overnight now! :)
 

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Chinadog

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Yesterday I moved the biggest juvenile in with the adults. He didn't seem scared or bothered by his giant parents when they came to check him out, and once they'd nosed him about a bit they went back to their plants and that was that. It's been fun to watch him learning to swim in open, deep water but he got the hang of it pretty quickly!
I don't normally give my animals names, but being as he was the first to morph and the first to be fully aquatic I think I'll call him Alpha. Here's a few snaps of him exploring. :)
 

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Chinadog

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I finally decided which of the other juvie's to keep, I'm pretty sure I've chosen out a pair, I'm just not sure which is which yet! :) I've really enjoyed raising these babies and already have this years larvae off to a good start, two bloodlines this year as Eva (evut) kindly sent me some eggs from her group which hatched a few weeks ago, so it will be fun to see if there are any variations between the two strains.
Anyway, I guess that's the end of the thread, really. Thanks to all the other keepers who gave me much needed advice, I've learned an awful lot about about pyrrho's over the last year or so! :)
 

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evut

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I've enjoyed following this thread. You seem to have a had a bit more success with the aquatic part than me with my current 5 juveniles. They only went aquatic in the last two weeks and one is still resisting a little. It is great when they do finally decide to go in the water. My two biggest ones now wiggle their tails and nearly leap out of water whenever I come near their tank.
 

Chinadog

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I think it was pure luck, the whole group seemed to just submerge over 48 hrs or so. I just increased the water level slowly afterwards and that was that!
I'm glad you enjoyed the updates, I've really enjoyed posting. :)
 

seandelevan

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I received two C. ensicauda juveniles about 5 months ago. I successfully raised them aquaticly within weeks. After two months they were fully aquatic in my 40 gallon breeder tank. Water was about 6 inches, loaded with plants and about a 3rd of the tank was land. Well after awhile I took the rest of the land out to give them more swimming space and replaced it with some rocks sticking out of the water. I rarely if ever saw them out of the water by this point. Since I removed this land (The land was a hill a dirt capped with sand). Since I have done this the two newts, which I thought were fully aquatic, refuse to go into the water now. Nothing has changed except the land. They refuse to go back in the water. They clung on the rocks and plants they stuck out of the water. They remained their for two months. I tested the water and it was fine. They went from plump fast growing newts to skinny and shy newts. Wth? I finally put them back in the critter container I raised them in for the first few weeks. An inch of water filled with Java moss. They still refuse to touch the water. Clinging to the sides. What the heck happened?
 

Chinadog

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Maybe the disturbance of removing the land upset them? Don't forget that staying aquatic after they morph is going against their instinct to leave the water and disperse, If there's anything they're not 100% happy with they will abandon the water very quickly. Despite the thread title, in the beginning most of mine ended up semi aquatic at best, but I'm sure their environment helped them become fully aquatic at under a year old. I would put the land back in and see how yours react, if they really wont go back to the water early just feed them on land and let them have the choice.
Hope this helps. :)
 

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Hiya. Ive noticed you've done a great job for a first timer! I am raising done of my Chinese FBN eggs. So far they have just got frog legs through and stubs for the back. I have and am raising many axolotls but I'm uneasy about the morphing. What's your advice on getting this done in the best way? Thanks
 

Chinadog

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If you plan to keep the newtlets fully aquatic, just make sure the water is stuffed full of aquatic plants instead of land areas. Try and feed them only in the water and hopefully they will stay there. Although some of the babies in this group stayed aquatic right from the start, some of them were very hydrophobic to begin with and wouldn't even get wet for the first month or so.
 

Chinadog

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Over the last week or so the young males have started to mature. They're still quite a way off being fully grown, but there's no mistaking the purple stripes appearing on their tails. They dart about all over the place harassing the adult females so they're not easy to photograph, but here's a couple of final snaps.
Aahhh bless 'em, my first ever newt children are all grown up now! :)
 

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Azhael

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It feels good doesn't it? :)
Also kind of weird when you realise they may be courting their mother or their sisters o_O

Congrats on raising such healthy, beautiful newts, very well done!
 

Chinadog

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Thanks, I've really enjoyed watching them grow and develop. :)
Your right, It is kind of wierd, although at least at the moment their mother/sisters behave as if they can't see the young males!
 

seandelevan

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For those who have raised aquatically...how long did they stay on the sides of the glass? I have 5 juveniles now. They are all eating very well and growing. Problem is they have basically lived their entire morphed lives (2 months now) on the sides of the tank. Hence I need to hand feed them. Luckily they are receptive to food on tweezers and they've become quite adapt eating vertically. The tank has an inch of water crammed with Java moss. Pic below. Is it the setup? Since there are only five it's not that big of a problem hand feeding them every day...but come on now. Smh.
 

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Chinadog

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It's difficult to generalise with a species as varied as C. pyrrhogaster, there are keepers that find they will go back to the water very easily, whereas others have them terrestrial for years.
For my group of sasayama, the ones in this thread, I've given up trying to raise them completely aquatic as they do spend all their time climbing the sides for the first few months. I now keep them in very simple terrestrial set ups with damp paper towel substrate and a hand full of fresh leaf litter. They soon learn to eat chopped worms from a jar lid or similar and get to graze on the tiny insects in the leaves. They grow fairly quickly when raised like this and will normally become fully aquatic with minimal fuss at around 7-8 months old.
I wouldn't say don't raise them in weedy aquatic set ups, I learned an awful lot about how baby Cynops behave from doing it, and it gave me the confidence to try other methods and species.
I do miss hand feeding them mind you, so maybe i'll give it another go with this years morphs! =)
 

NewtsMcGee

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That was a great series of posts. What water temp do you have? Do you vary it in winter/summer to encourage breeding?
 

Chinadog

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Thanks! :)
Just the varying room temp throughout the year seems to be enough. Pyrrhos are very tolerant of high temperatures so I let them get quite warm in the summer.
 
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