Spanish Ribbed Newt help

Hello!

I am a new member, although I have used this site many times when looking for advice :happy:

I will give you a bit of backstory, as my journey to becoming a newt owner has been a little unusual... Around 3 years ago a friend of my flatmate's who was staying with us brought home 2 unusual looking newts from the school she was working at. She assured us that this was just for the summer, and that she would take them back to the school when the holidays were over. When she moved to Australia she told us that someone from the school would come to pick them up. Needless to say that never happened...

Since then, the other flatmates have moved out and been replaced with new ones, and so I have found myself to be the primary carer for these 2 cute newts!

We have identified them to be Spanish Ribbed newts (with a little help from this website and others) and they enjoy a diet of frozen bloodworms and fresh brine shrimp. I removed the gravel from the tank that they came in as I found it to be too small and was worried they might swallow it, and more recently have bought them a larger tank with a small filter and a few more places to hide. They seem happy and have certainly grown since we got them. However I have recently been faced with a complication...

One (or both?) of them has started laying eggs!

Now I really hope that this wasn't the wrong thing to do, but the first time it happened I put the eggs into the freezer. I read that this is an effective way of culling them, especially as they had only been in the tank for a day at the most. Unfortunately I don't have time or space to raise any little ones and I don't think it would be fair. I wouldn't even know where to start with giving them away?

Anyway sorry for rambling, but I was wondering if anyone could help me with the following questions:

TLDR:

MY NEWTS HAVE LAID EGGS

- Is freezing the eggs an effective method to ensure they don't develop?

- Is there a chance that both of the newts are female, and that the eggs are unfertilised? Is there any way of determining the sex of each newt? One is a little larger but they look so similar!

- How long will they continue to produce eggs for? Since the first large 'batch' there have been a few here and there but I came home to discover another 'batch' of around 60 tonight.

- Would it be advisable to move one of the newts into another tank? At least that way I would know that the eggs can't be fertilised.

- Why would they have suddenly started laying after 3 years?

I'm so sorry for the essay... Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

x

P.S The newts are called Action and Bronson. (We though they were both male).

Females will produce a few hundred eggs and lay over a number of days or weeks. Development is usually quite rapid and you’ll know if they’re developing within a day or two as little commas appear where they were once spherical. Un-fertile eggs should be removed as they add unnecessary waste to the aquarium. Eggs that don’t develop usually turn cloudy and fuzzy. Freezing solid will probably kill them but remember that newts often breed at a time of year when icy conditions are common so you’ll need to be really sure they are frozen solid to the point of no return.

In the past I’ve just left eggs to develop in the adult tank. The adults will eat the hatchlings but you’d be surprised how often one or two make it past those hungry mouths, especially if there are lots of hiding places.

Thanks so much for your advice Mark!

The eggs don't seem to have developed at all and started to go cloudy, so they must be un-fertile. Both newts still happy and healthy