Rough skinned newt larvae

frogman

frogman

Member
Joined
May 18, 2011
Messages
912
Reaction score
26
Points
18
Country
United States
Display Name
Evan
Was at a nearby pond catching minnows and ended up pulling in 7 rough skinned newt larvae. They all have their arms and legs and full gills. I was wondering how I could keep them until they morph. And how big they are when the morph. Should I do bare bottom?
 
Bare bottom tank is the best way to keep them,that way you can see the live food they eat such as black worms.I'm sure you know they also eat live daphnia and live baby brine shrimp.I'ts also easier to clean.I would also add live plants such as java moss,anacharis.They should stay aquatic when morphed and probably about 3 inches or so when morphed.I raised some from eggs a few years back.Good luck raising them.
 
I've raised quite a few cb ones and in fact have a tub of them right now. I don't do water changes, have plants in there, and feed them black worms. Bare bottom. Everything like warrior said but I don't like to use brine shrimp when I raise larvae, I don't like that they're salty and die and foul the tank; I just use blackworms. I cut them up until the larvae are big enough to eat them whole and then gradually move to a mix with minced night crawlers until they are completely on chopped nightcrawlers.
 
Do frozen blood worms and frozen brine shrimp work?

The Biggest one is about 2 inches long how long do you think until they morph?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Depending on living conditions larvae may end up morphing out at unexpected times. Density, water quality, temperature, and many other things play a part. I had T. torosa morph out at 7-8 months.
 
here are pics of the "rough skinned newt larvae" and i also caught this yesterday. it is kinda green, it doesn't look like a rough skinned newt. It is 5 1/4 inches and obviously neotonic. I could use some help identifying them. The first 4 pictures are of the 2" larvae and the next 4 are of the mystery caudata. Just in case I live in Portland Oregon.

Thanks

Evan
 

Attachments

  • 2012-08-11T13-16-46.jpg
    2012-08-11T13-16-46.jpg
    78.1 KB · Views: 485
  • 2012-08-11T13-17-06.jpg
    2012-08-11T13-17-06.jpg
    69.2 KB · Views: 491
  • 2012-08-11T13-17-19.jpg
    2012-08-11T13-17-19.jpg
    91.5 KB · Views: 361
  • 2012-08-11T13-17-26.jpg
    2012-08-11T13-17-26.jpg
    90.4 KB · Views: 311
  • 2012-08-11T13-17-31.jpg
    2012-08-11T13-17-31.jpg
    52.5 KB · Views: 459
  • 2012-08-11T13-17-39.jpg
    2012-08-11T13-17-39.jpg
    89.1 KB · Views: 1,035
  • 2012-08-11T13-17-44.jpg
    2012-08-11T13-17-44.jpg
    73.5 KB · Views: 2,792
  • 2012-08-11T13-17-55.jpg
    2012-08-11T13-17-55.jpg
    68.7 KB · Views: 1,528
Those are Ambystoma gracile/Northwestern Salamander. The big one is most likely a gilled adult. Neotenic populations scatter about in Oregon. Here are some pics of my A. gracile that I hatched from eggs, they look just like the ones you have.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0750.jpg
    IMG_0750.jpg
    91.3 KB · Views: 682
  • IMG_0749.jpg
    IMG_0749.jpg
    83 KB · Views: 646
  • IMG_0748.jpg
    IMG_0748.jpg
    84.5 KB · Views: 1,321
Ok. Thought they looked different. I have raised ambystoma gracile. I own two. They don't have the yellow markings though.
 
Also no coastal grooves.
 
frogman said:
Ok. Thought they looked different. I have raised ambystoma gracile. I own two. They don't have the yellow markings though.
Click to expand...

There are populations that have yellow or even white spotting. I'm not 100 percent sure its a A. gracile but I'm betting on it. The stitch pattern on the face resembles other neotenic A. gracile pictures I've seen.

Read the comments on this web page about the yellow spotting on Northwestern Salamanders.

AmphibiaWeb - Ambystoma gracile
 
What should I feed the neotenic a. Gracile besides worms. He/ she seems to like it all. And how big do the neotenic ones get. I am considering keeping her and letting the larvae go. Also some 10 gallon ideas for her.

Thanks

Evan
 
frogman said:
What should I feed the neotenic a. Gracile besides worms. He/ she seems to like it all. And how big do the neotenic ones get. I am considering keeping her and letting the larvae go. Also some 10 gallon ideas for her.

Thanks

Evan
Click to expand...

I'm assuming it can be kept like other neotenic Ambystoma. It also could be a large overwintering larvae or paedomorphic. Neotenic/paedomorphic adults can range from 7-10 inches. A lot of neotenic/paedomorphic Ambystoma morph eventually when extracted from their elements.

Why would you bring some home and then release them back? People frown on that.
 
I have only had the them for a couple days. I usually do catch and release. Why frown?
 
frogman said:
I have only had the them for a couple days. I usually do catch and release. Why frown?
Click to expand...

Its a great way to introduce disease/sickness into a ecosystem. There are tons of articles on potential disease transmission when releasing a WC animal after being in captivity. You should google some of the literature. Even if its only a couple days its still risky.

When you decide to take an animal home, you just took on a long term commitment.
 
Ok. But why no coastal grooves? And do frozen bloodworms work?
 
Out of many I cought, kept two. The others I released the same day. The two (zaboomafoo, and mambo) are a little bit longer than two inches. When should they morph. My others morphed at 4 inches.

Thanks

Evan
 
I thought the 4 inches was a little big, or Is that normal for this species?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • Shane douglas:
    with axolotls would I basically have to keep buying and buying new axolotls to prevent inbred breeding which costs a lot of money??
     +1
    Unlike
  • Thorninmyside:
    Not necessarily but if you’re wanting to continue to grow your breeding capacity then yes. Breeding axolotls isn’t a cheap hobby nor is it a get rich quick scheme. It costs a lot of money and time and deditcation
     +1
    Unlike
  • stanleyc:
    @Thorninmyside, I Lauren chen
     +1
    Unlike
  • Clareclare:
    Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus Japanese . I'm raising them and have abandoned the terrarium at about 5 months old and switched to the aquatic setups you describe. I'm wondering if I could do this as soon as they morph?
     +1
    Unlike
    Clareclare: Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus... +1
    Back
    Top