C. orientalis egg-laying rates

[benjamin]

My female C.o. has already laid 50 eggs in less than a week, I used to have another female who had only laid 10 eggs by this point. What have other people seen in terms of laying rates, and what's normal?

 

[ralf]

Hi Ben,

some info in this ancient thread.
http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/13/29.html?1022194557

 

[benjamin]

So 56 (She laid six today) eggs in one week is quite allot.

 

[john]

Wow, old thread, Ralf. Things have really changed (in a good way I hope) since then, I think . Just goes to show that Ralf is addicted (and long may he remain so!). Nimbus2 was Nate, by the way .

Memories... like the corners of my mind... misty water-coloured memories... of the way we were.

*sniff* *blows nose in hankie*

 

[ralf]

Well, my main addiction are still the animals themselves, but meeting other newt- and salamander-nuts

from around the globe sure is a fine thing.
Gosh, I am so old I can still remember an angry young Nimbus 2 as he was "throwing down the gauntlet" at keepers of Ambystoma species, keeping their animals in incorrect setups, ignoring their fossorial character.

 

[paul]

<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>Ralf Reinartz wrote on Tuesday, 14 December, 2004 - 17:51 :</font>

"some info in this ancient thread.
http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/13/29.html?1022194557"<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>
@Ralf, fine that you remember this "old" article.

"BACHHAUSEN, P., 1988: Der Chinesische Zwergmolch-ein dankbarer Pflegling für vollaquatische Urodelenhaltung"

But I wrote it in 1998 not 1988.

You find it on my homepage.
It was 1995 when I did this "examination" keeping one female separate from other females.
I found some more than 120 eggs, but I got 120 larvae.
But the number of eggs is different each year!
- Breeding each year, but sometimes only some eggs, sometimes hundred.

Paul

 

[ralf]

Hey Paul,
thank you for giving more details and correcting my mistake. I must still be living in the 80's as it seems.

.

 

[benjamin]

I'm now on egg 63, but I have also found some "eggoids". These are large blobs about twice as big as the average egg, but with no ovum. They are laid just as carefully as eggs with leaves folded around them. I've only found two and have 63 normal ones most of which are developing, I can even see the embryos moving in some, but I was wondering what the heck the "eggoids" were, and why my female is laying them.

 

[john]

Hi Ben,

Technical point: they're not ova (singular ovum). Ova are eggs that are yet to be fertilised.

 

[benjamin]

Thanks, sorry, I don't know what the center of the eggs are called. I'm still wondering what the clear "eggoids" are. I've noticed, now that she's been laying eggs on plastic strips so they're easier to see, that most of the eggs already have four cells by the time she lays them.

 

[benjamin]

Well one out of my now 93 eggs has hatched. This is the first time I've had C.o. larvae, there are about seven other eggs really close to hatching

.

 

[benjamin]

Here's a picture of an egg about to hatch, so far my female is up to 103 eggs including the two that have hatched. Many of the eggs, like the one in this picture, are just as old as the hatched ones but they're taking their time, the embryos frequently reposition them selves so I know they're still alive. I guess every newt develops at its own pace.

I don't have any larvae photos because I haven't quite got the hang of photographing them, any advice is welcome.

 

[benjamin]

My female has laid now 121 eggs, three of which have hatched.