Eurycea guttolineata questions

Azhael

Azhael

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Rodrigo
Hi, i´ve been diving more and more into the world of american caudates, and this species has really caught my eye. I was just wondering if any of you could give me some hints on the care of this species. Are they tolerant with high temps? Are they available in europe, or are they one of those rare species that only two priviledged europeans keep :p?
I particularly like plethodontids and this species because the thought of a small group in a well arranged forest-like tank sounds just amazing...but is it advisable?? Being such small creatures it may be hard to make sure they are fine in a complicated set-up...
I´m not even thinking about trying to acquire any, anytime soon, but since i´m really interested on them i was just hoping for some information to satisfy my curiosity :) Thank you.
 
They are one of my favourite species and make particularly good captives. Within a few weeks mine had worked out I was the provider of food and became accomplished beggars. They have these large eyes which are put to good use (a bit like the cat in shrek) and stare longingly out of their hides. This begging makes it easy to monitor what’s eaten in a complex enclosure.

I keep them in a semi-aquatic setup – bricks to form an island, bark hides and moss on top. Mine are not particularly aquatic but they are sometimes seen taking a dip at night. Water depth is 3-4 inches with an air bubbler under the rocks to create movement.

This is their set-up:
CanonEOS350D741.jpg
 
Mark
Great set-up, I have seen another thread about your tubs and plumbing. How do you clean it? Do you raise the water level and then drain? How often do you do a complete break down? Where do you get the bark you use?
 
I don’t think I’ve ever completely broken down that set-up. There’s only a pair in there so waste is minimal and there’s a healthy population of springtails and other clean-up critters. As the water body is so small, maybe 5 litres, I siphon it out completely once a week. I’m lucky enough to have a good friend who is a tree surgeon. Every time I visit I spend a while tearing off choice pieces of bark from the logs in what has to be one of the most impressive wood piles in England. He thinks I’m nuts :crazy:.

Rodrigo – I forgot to mention temperatures. Cool is best but they are not too fragile. Mine have experienced prolonged periods in the low 20C during the summer to no ill effect. In very warm weather I place ice blocks in the enclosure.
 
Thank you Mark! You don´t happen to have any available offspring, do you :p? xDDDD Just kidding.
Glad to hear they are not too delicate. Your set-up looks very good btw, simple but still complicated enough for them to hide really well, i like it. Would you keep them in a quite complicated set-up? I mean the kind of set-up that looks like a piece of forest, full of hiding places and possibilities for small creatures to disappear. Beautiful but only suitable for hardy active species in my opinion....so would they do fine there? Since you say they are accomplished beggars i guess feeding is not a problem at all, even in the magical world of hides.
 
One other comment about E. guttolineata that I've noticed is that they are AMAZING climbers. This isn't from keeping any, but rather from field observations. They may not be as prone to this in artificial enclosures, but I've found them climbing up the sides of my 5 gallon buckets, and one actually peering into my knee high boots. Just make sure you have a good lid. Good luck!
 
Hey Rodrigo,
I keep seven Eurycea bislineata's in a small but complex tank. It measures 35 by 30 by 30 cm, it's half full with water and it consists of piles of rocks glued together with many hiding spaces between the rocks. I've built the rocks this high that they form a large platform above the water. On this platform I have placed moss and created more hiding places with blocks. I have running water in the tank created with a small air pump that pumps the water thru a raining divice to keep part of the moss wet all the time. Sp yes, you can keep them in a complex set up with plenty of hiding places, I feed them in a small bowl on top of the moss and I often see some of the animals walking thru the tank and eating
 
Mark, I didn't notice this before. That's a really cool set-up. It looks pretty and also it looks so functional for the newts.
Does the moss require much light?

Maybe there should be an occasional contest for great set-ups. John?
 
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