Help! (Tylototriton verrucosus)

I'm having a 50% hydrophobic experience with two very healthy verrucosus I just received from Morg (see other posts). He kept them aquatic. They were posted to me overnight on damp moss. On arrival, I placed them in the water section of a tank at 22C. Result: One is aquatic and the other one doesn't want to know! Hmm...

OK, now they're both aquatic (their choice), and begging for food!

nwow the temperature at home is between 15/22°C...as there's no heating...but within a month or so there will be, so it will be around 22/24°C...I can't do anything with this...what should I do?

anyway...here are some pics of them and their new setup...








bye
Leo

Nice pics and set up Leonardo.
Some interesting points have been made by Philip, but I have had great success and, bred some gorgeous newts by keeping this species as in John Clares care sheets and see no need to do any different.
My verrucosus were offered a large land area when I first got them but within a few weeks stopped using it at all.
For the last few years they have been almost completely aquatic through choice, with winter temperatures being kept at 18c and summer temperatures going up to 25c this year.

Again:
You all prefer a much smaller range of temperatures than i do.
As already mentioned here,
the "dark" animals go into water from special temperatures on.
And if you don´t change them
this isn´t a wonder at all!;-)
So, i can´t accept this being an argument!

I´m very happy to have a lot of pullovers, these days,.....;-)
Greetings,
Philipp

HI all, first I would like to state that I respect both sides of the coin so to speak in regards to temperatures. Most of the current verrucosus coming in are coming from northern Thailand according to dealer sources in Japan. Many population are from higher than lower elevations and with this are exposed to extremes of temperature throughout the year. It has been proven with some amphibian husbandry that "northern temperate" species within captivity have increased longevity with cooling periods.I keep and breed verrucosus and my captives are cooled to 10-12 deg C in winter with temps to 25 deg C in summer.During the cooler months they are totally terrestrial while in late spring to early fall, aquatic.Verrucosus do occur in more tropical climes yes but elevation can be a key factor with temperatures. I worked in Costa Rica for sometime with Bolitoglossa populations and in the central mountain ranges ( B.subpalmata group) it was very cold at night, around 2-5 deg C, daytime high of 20 deg C,and yet tropical plants including bromiliads and orchids were everywhere. Lowland jungle had night time drops of 10-20 deg C along the atlantic coast ( B.striatula). So these temperature can be very beneficial to newly aquired captives by reducing stress and possibly over the longterm with captives as well.With most of us trying to create natural setting for our caudates its worth while trying to get rough locality info and then surfing the net to get annual temp and rain cycles for a given area. Northern Vietnam for instance get temperature drops to 5-10 deg C at higher elevation in winter where T.asperrimus were collected back in 98'. Something to think about, but I understand that if there breeding why change anything, although this will over time take a toll on your animals health as sexual hormones( result of more constant breedings) that they only experience for short periods in the wild can be detrimental over prolonged periods.

With references to your last sentence, I believe there are accounts of "verrucosus" breeding throughout the late spring to mid autumn in rice paddies in China or thereabouts, not just once or perhaps twice like many of this genus. My own belief is that at least one variant within this "species" is adapted to taking advantage of good conditions when they arise, i.e. making their hay while the sun shines. There are many species of newt/salamander that won't breed frequently, even if conditions are optimal. While I don't condone continually breeding these animals (I separated the sexes years ago because I was worried about it), it does seem to come naturally.

Thanks Craig
Actually i don´t believe the traders,
especially because of some friends of mine, having been in northern thai regions for several times and have found other variations.
than alredy shown in here.
But there can be, of course more "forms" in the rest of this area.
Greets,
Philipp

I'd also like to point out that Thailand has been known, like many countries around the world, to be a place where many animals for the pet trade are sent from all over Asia (essentially laundered) before being sent onward to other countries.

Yes, and Thailand would be a natural conduit for animals caught in Myanmar, where there seems to some serious collecting going on. I've heard from pet shops in Japan that their animals originated in Myanmar.

Ralf

What kind of moss is that -growing on the cork bark island?

I'm in the process of planning a T. verrucosus setup and that looks particularly nice

Claire

ho gave me these animals told me that they are from Myanmar...could this be true?

Claire, I don't know the latin name of that species of moss...it's a simple terrestrial moss, collected in a wood of Quercus...
bye
Leo

If you want moss that's good in and out of the water (granted it's better in the water) that requires no maintenance other than trimming (it also grows like a weed), get java moss Vesicularia dubyana. It's what I have in all my tanks (being the minimalist that I am), and it might be what's in that photo. Oh yes, I just realised, it's the moss that you received the verrucosus eggs on (and by the way, how are they doing?)

Hi Claire,
it is indeed Java moss.

Ralf

Hi John

Wasn't sure if it was the same as the moss you'd given me but now I know -thanks!

Two of the eggs have hatched in the night and the rest look close. They look quite sleek but still have a strip of yolk in their bellies. When do you recommend starting them on brine shrimp -have some hatched and some hatching, just to be ready

It'll be at least 48 hours after hatching before they will eat, even at warmish temperatures. You'll see the white disappear from their bellies - that's the time to start.

How many did I send you in the end? (I didn't count them).

There were about 28 eggs. 3 were quite cloudy and had no signs of development so went in the bin. I think all but one of the remaining eggs look viable.

Thanks very much for these John. I can't wait till they're bigger -although they do look pretty sweet right now

Thanks for the advice aswell -you're the administrator who just keeps giving and giving!!!