Alpine inexpectatus

[shnabo]

I have 3 alpine inexpectatus I received from a friend here. I was wondering if their bellies turn orange later on. I have seen pics online of inexpectatus with yellow and some
with orange bellies so I'm not too sure/ pretty sure regardless what alpine subspecies you search all the same pics come up lol. I feed them foods high in carotene at least once or twice a week. These ones are still young.

 

[Otterwoman]

Diet may have something to do with it.

 

[MnGuy]

All I can add is that I bought my three alpine news last year when they were under a year old, and all had orange bellies and remain orange several months later with no special feedings. I feed them pelleted new food and frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, krill, etc. I feed them live daphnia, bloodworms and mosquito larvae in the spring, summer and fall.

Good luck.

 

[otolith]

Diet plays a big role in belly color. If the larvae are fed carotene rich foods such as daphnia, copepods, gammarus etc. they will have much redder bellies than those fed worms, tubifex, red worms etc when they morph. The belly color at morphing usually stays with the animals through adulthood too so if high red animals are important its easier to accomplish this before the animal morphs. Belly color and colors generally will intensify with a carotene rich diet after morphing but it seems to take a lot more time to become noticeable.

I have Alpine (apuanas) morphs that have both orange and yellow bellies and it all correlates to what foods I had available when they were larvae.

 

[Chinadog]

All I can add is that I bought my three alpine news last year when they were under a year old, and all had orange bellies and remain orange several months later with no special feedings. I feed them pelleted new food and frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, krill, etc. I feed them live daphnia, bloodworms and mosquito larvae in the spring, summer and fall.

Good luck.

Apart from the bloodworm all the foods you mention are high in carotene. The pellets alone are normally enough to turn their bellies orange.
Mind you, I find that even when feeding a diet relatively low in carotene (earthworms) I find that that by the time they are a few years old my Cynops species bellies are well on their way to being red.

 

[shnabo]

Thanks for the input! I feed them brine shrimp primarily, but received them after 2 had morphed. I will stick to the brine shrimp in hopes of seeing that beautiful shade of orange some day.