Apuanus not using the water

Hi all

I have a small number of juvenile I. a. apuanus (morphed last year - from Alan Cann's group). They are in a well-planted aquatic setup with a cork bark island which has a small cave on it. Although their skin is very much aquatic-phase and they do feed in the water, the newts spend most of their time under the hide on the corkbark.

Water depth is about 5 inches, the water here is soft and pH c. 6.5-7, but the tank has some calcareous rock in it to help buffer against low pH, and the water is at about 13-14C, colder at night. Water is changed every couple of days to remove uneaten food. Substrate is a thin layer of sand, but parts of the floor are bare after sand was removed by turkey baster while cleanng. There are also some pieces of broken brick to give some shallower areas. The plants are a mix of things that float near the urface (unweighted Cabomba), in the middle of the water column (Anacharis/Elodea) and at the bottom (Java moss).

Any idea why this is the case? They don't seem unhealthy, but this species seems to be highly aquatic as juveniles, usually.

C

I find them to be more aquatic as adults then juveniles. All individuals seem to spend periods throughout the year when they are more or less aquatic.

Hi Alan

Thanks for the reassurance. I wil just keep an eye on them.

C

If the water depth is not too great, 5 in. or so, you could try removing the island. Hesitant juveniles can drown but a lot of plants and shallow waters (plants that break the surface of the water can supply small haul-outs) can reduce this risk. Give them a day or so and keep a close eye on them.

On the other hand, it is natural for them to move to a terrestrial environment as juveniles. But it is convenient and more pleasurable to monitor them in an aquatic phase.

Good luck

I have removed the hide on the island, but left the island itself for now. They are more aquatic now, I think. In the wild, apuanus are sometimes found as aquatic juveniles, so at least with this subspecies it is less clear-cut as to what environment they grow up in.

C