C.e.popei beauty

[TJ]

Was lucky enough today to stumble across this beauty in an out-of-the way pet shop. It's one of the most gorgeous popei I've ever seen!

While it's a bit on the skinny side, it otherwise seems healthy and has a hardy appetite.

Posted several pics here to show it in different light & from different angles.

 

[TJ]

"hearty" not "hardy" appetite

Here is another exceptionally colorful one I picked up at the same time:

 

[aaron]

Tim does it again........do you have an extra bedroom? I'll be moving out soon and need a place to stay

Maybe then I can come closer to completing my cynops collection while adding some exceptionally beautiful animals such as those you keep taking pics of.

~Aaron

 

[TJ]

hahaha...if you ever find yourself in Japan you're welcome to crash in the newt room Aaron (I'm sure you'd have no complaints!)
Yes, living in Cynops Country has its advantages but consider yourself lucky to live in Tarichaland!

While happy with my new acquisition, I was incredibly disappointed to hear there was one sold there just yesterday that was EVEN MORE beautiful, almost completely yellow on its back, with the yellow even extending onto the legs (though it lacked red stripes...hehehe).

I'd be interested in seeing pics of any popei that are as or even more colorful than these, or with unique patterns...like, for example, this speckled one I have that's one of my favorites:

 

[ralf]

She really is a beauty. Nice pictures, Tim. I also have a couple of candidates for a beauty contest and will post pics later.
Nice to see that your consolidation efforts really bear fruits (ha, ha, ha).
Is there anything like "newt-addiction". If there is I'd probably need a therapy myself.
By the way, do you have a second free bedroom beside Aaron's.

Ralf from Triturusia

 

[TJ]

Sure, but can they dance the jitterbug and carry a tune?

Anyway, I certainly look forward to seeing those pics Ralf!

I also have a popei juvie to show off someday whose colors have really come out. It's almost...but not quite

...as pretty as those mega-super-model juvies of yours that you're justifiably proud of.

By the way, you may notice that she's thin in the first pic and then chubby in the others. This is because she and other one gorged themselves on bloodworm.

The newts at this pet shop were in truly horrible shape -- emaciated and diseased to boot, many with the head area rotting or peeling away like this one I snapped a pic of:

Luckily, my 2 were kept separate from the rest (being priced considerably higher due to their bright colors...which in this case will probably have saved their lives!)

But I'm still worried about them because a hellbender at the shop also had its head rotting away (despite the $1,000 price tag!). The staff are evidently transferring germs from tank to tank. I gave them a talking to on several counts (including keeping the hellbender in stagnant, still water and keeping several Paramesotriton on barely moist soil as if they were Tylototriton or something!). Doubt anything sunk in though and I regret having given this shop my patronage...but these 2 newts were simply too stunning to pass up!

Me, consolidate?! I respectfully decline to confirm or deny having ever said any such thing!

 

[TJ]

Here's another pic of the second of the 2 new "acquisitions":

 

[paris]

here is my only juvenile i have left-its a female and though the pic is poor-it shows why i kept her for myself.(my only other really colourful ones are both males and they arent as nice as her)

 

[TJ]

Nice one Paris.

Take a look at this amazing C.e juvie:

Photos taken from the Japanese shop's Web site at:
http://www.remix-net.co.jp/Peponi/peponi_AMPHIBIANS_zaiko2.htm

It was sold by the time I learned it had even been for sale...

 

[aaron]

all are truely beautiful. I will hopefully be able to take several pics in a few months when mine are morphing. my adults don't have any extraordinary coloration, so I may just not even photograph them. they all have different bellies though. one male has an almost completely orange belly, the other male has two rows of spots on the belly, and the female has a few random spots.

tim, make sure you find some good sites to see cynops in the wild because i may have to find myself in japan in the future.
Watashi wa rafoogu san desu.

~Aaron

 

[aaron]

also, baytril is supposed to be very effective in treating newts for rot. you can get it from a vet and it is rather inexpensive. i'm using it for the first time now.

~Aaron

 

[jennifer]

Tim, you have us all envious as usual! Gorgeous popei!

 

[TJ]

Aaron, thanks for the bayril tip. I've experienced this rot thing in the past (that is to say my newts have...)

About catch sites, well, I've heard of a few prime places and hope to make it to Okinawa within a few months, mainly to take pics.

Seems at certain times of the year, thousands of popei get squashed on the roads or fall into drainage ditches with no way of escaping. I'd prefer to do any collecting in such places instead of ponds and natural environments -- though you can bet your life I'd instantly chuck my scruples & morals were I to find one covered 80-90% in gold like I've heard do exist

Jen, thanks a lot. Better pics than nothing, right? Unless, of course, you're willing to bring your own sleeping bag or share the couch (it does recline!) with Aaron, Ralf and any other visiting newtophiles suffering from incurable "gold fever"

Ahhh...I still would have loved to have at least seen the even more gorgeous adult popei sold the previous day I bought mine. In fact, I'm tempted to try and track down it's owner via the pet shop for a pic...

 

[ralf]

Well, these are some of my 1 respectively 2 year old offspring C.e.p.-animals, which were selected by the extent of speckling for this picture. Most of the other juveniles have a much lesser coloration.

Tim, I have to admit that they will neither yodel nor tap dance.

 

[TJ]

Wow! Nice! I see you've mastered the technique of gold panning, Ralf! What Okinawan creek might that be -- or won't you share that info with us?

I esp. like the little one on the far left. My prettiest juvie is not quite that colorful but I expect some of my pre-morphs to really turn out nice.

By the way, have those 1-year-old juvies taken to water yet or must one really wait 2 long years? I take it your 2-year-olds are aquatic by now...?

 

[ralf]

I received the parents of the above depicted juveniles as offspring from wild-caught animals in 1991 (they're still reproducing today). This makes the animals above F2. Unfortunately, I don't have any idea about the collection site of the originally imported newts.
All the juveniles in the above picture are raised in the same aquatic setup (approx. 10 cm water depth) with floating plants and islands (cork bark).

Keeping individuals of different sizes in one setup always bears the risk of insufficient feeding for the smaller ones (besides the risk of cannibalism, which I haven't experienced with this species). The bigger individuals are able to pick up food from the bottom, whereas the smaller ones tend to stay on the surface and are additionally handfed to be on the safe side.
For the initial "training" of juveniles I recommend water depths not deeper than 1 cm with lots of plants (e.g. java moss) and an escape-proof cover since terrestrial juveniles may drown easily when stressed and will climb the sides of the tank to avoid the water. Animals which do not settle down after several days will still have to be raised in a terrestrial setup.

By the way, the animals should not participate in any beauty contests until they have reached the legal age of 21 (to avoid psychological traumata)

.

Ralf

 

[chris]

Tim, nice newts. The one with the rotting head in the photo - what is it?
Chris

 

[TJ]

Hi Chris. That's the same kind of newt, Cynops ensicauda. Some are just black/chocolate brown like that without yellow or red colors. At the shop, there were about 10 in the same tank suffering the same symptoms. They were still for sale though...

 

[TJ]

Ralf, thanks for the tips and pics!

Here's a pic of the most promising of my juvies. Just starting her out on singing and dancing lessons.

 

[TJ]