Keeping Marbled Newts aquatically?

I have read that this can be done and that they can happily adapt to water the same as Alpine newts... BUT... just out of interest has anyone ever actually done it?

Please note I'm not asking if you SHOULD, so please don't hijack the thread saying "you must keep them terrestrial most of the time!" I'm just asking if anyone HAS and what the results were.

They can be kept fully aquatically, but you should keep them according to their preference. Some individuals struggle to stay aquatic and their bodies actually change or revert back to better suit a life on land. I've notice the height on their tails decrease becoming more slim which makes it harder for them to swim. Another thing I noticed is their color will change back to a bright green instead of staying a darker green. In most photos of aquatic Marbled Newts they seem to be a lot darker than terrestrial phase Marbled Newts.

Annually some of my T. marms will prefer the water and other will start to drift atop. I take out the ones ready for land and leave the aquanauts to their business. Most of my Marbled Newts are only aquatic for 3-4 months out the year.

LeFarge said:

I'm just asking if anyone HAS and what the results were.

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I have, and they do fine. In fact, the juveniles I've raised in an aquarium grew faster and seemed more robust than the others that were raised terrestrial. Just be sure to keep some plants just below the surface for them to rest in, should they choose to do so. Some people might argue that keeping them aquatic is hard on their kidneys, but I have yet to see any proof of it.

do you hibernate them?

Jake is right the aquatic individuals eat better and are easier fed. That is a benefit to keeping them aquatic, feeding is easier. I do prefer for mine to stay aquatic but once I notice them floating I pull them out. And when they drift at the top of the water line they do that endlessly. Even the ones that take to surface on plants and protruding rocks seems to never want to wander back into the water. This just may be a condition within my groups.

I give both groups cooling peroids of 2-3 months at 60-40 degrees. Aquatic or terrestrial they will still eat during this time. I'm sure Jake cools his as well.

LeFarge said:

do you hibernate them?

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It's technically not "hibernation", it's just a period of cooler temps like Jaymes said.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that some wild populations are more aquatic than others (like Notphthalmus and also I. alpestris subspecies), so it may be that depending on origin this works or doesn't.

C

froggy said:

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that some wild populations are more aquatic than others (like Notphthalmus and also I. alpestris subspecies), so it may be that depending on origin this works or doesn't.

C

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I've been told the similar things. I once heard someone say that some wild populations are totally aquatic and others are more terrestrial. I'm guessing it can vary, I wonder what the general preference is. As in what percentage of Marbled Newts stay aquatic long term and which ones migrate into water just to breed.

T.marmoratus is tipycally amphibious, but it does happen in some populations that some individuals remain aquatic indefinitely. It´s not that common, though, and i never heard of any population that majoritarily behaves that way. What does happen rather frequently is that they have a terrestrial phase, but the aquatic stage gets very long as some individuals/populations start breeding in the fall and therefore can spend most of the year aquatic if conditions are good.

Its an impossible question to be answered if you tell me.
Marms occur in a whide range of the european continent being offered many different conditions depending in latitude, altitude and proximity to the sea.
Thus, we have to take in count that the vast majority of the newts on the hobby are old inbreed descendants from very suspicious origins, mixed populations and even I've heared of hybridization with pygmaeus. Its a chaos of a newt in the hobby sadly. I've looked at marms that were starting not to look like marms but like queers.
Spanish and French marms have their own ways of living. Here in Portugal I've studied some of them very closely and as far as I can say from the places I know them from, they are:

1º A very very terrestrial newt.
2º They dont have no hibernation
3º They dont have no aestivation.

The newts live from May to September in cool water body masses that they search for breeding purposes. They usually come out to land at night. They seek for land every time they can. Then, they are strictly terrestrial living under huge stones to around 1meter under the soil from September till May next year.
Resume: 5 semi-aquatic months used for breeding and sometimes with terrestrial behavior during night & 7 fully terrestrial months.
If someone had to ask me what I think, I think these animals are strongly terrestrial beings using the water only to lay eggs or courtship a female. The rest of the time is land time.
As for the juvies they wont even dare touching water till they are 3 years old and they usually live far from it in a strictly fashion terrestrial behavior.
Cheers,