Elderly Newts

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Eileen MP

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Hello!
I have 2 firebellies, 2 firebellies for a LONG time now. I got the first one when I was a freshman in college. Now I'm a practicing pharmacist and she's still alive! One is 7 years old, the other is over 14 years. Funny part is that she's (the 14 yoa) just as active, if not more when she was younger. Has been laying eggs regularly over the past 6 months or so.
How long do these guys live for?

Any thoughts???
 
A long time. Do you know if your newts are Japanese or Chinese FB? If you aren't sure, this article should help you figure it out:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/firebelly.shtml

It seems that the Japanese are generally longer-lived, but both could easily reach 14 yrs. Keep up the good work!!

Here are some other threads with reports of long-lived newts. I will add yours to my list for the next person who asks!

Slaven's Longevity Database (longest records for each sp.):

A. mexicanum 17 years
A. tigrinum 20 years
Plethodon glutinosus 20 years
Pseudotriton ruber 20
Cynops pyrrhogaster 22 years
Pleurodeles waltl 19
Salamandra salamandra 24
Taricha torosa 21
Triturus cristatus 25
Triturus alpestris 15
Triturus vulgaris 18

Forum threads:

chevychase: 16 years
spoons: 22 years C. orientalis
http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=58540

Jennewt: 21 years N. viridescens
http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=50704

ml98133: 22 years C. pyrrhogaster (?)
http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=50534

MN99: 27 years C. ensicauda
http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=49775

E. Ellwood: 23 years, C. pyrrhogaster
http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/7/54913.html

Amy Barroll: 18 years, C. pyrrhogaster
http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=37478

Michelle: 21 years, Paramesotriton
http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=35765
 
I have a trio of Cynops pyrroghaster ssp. 1 male and 2 females, my parents bought for me in April 1981 they are still lively and lay eggs occasionally. They were sexually mature wild caught adults when when I got them so they must of been at least 2 years old then, that makes them 30+ years old.
 
Just an update and saying Happy New Years to everyone! My C. ensicauda will be at least 33 (I've had him this long...not sure how old he was when he was bought) this year! Sending a pic! He seems to be going strong....never eaten anything but bloodworms and his water is SUPER alkaline...he goes into "shock" when water changes are too great...he once, about 7? yrs ago, stopped eating for a few months...I think it was after a major water change...but someone advised me to give him a bath in pedialyte and this worked...he started eating again and since then I have not done any major water changes!
 

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Wow. Awesome. And I thought my Japanese firebelly was old. Got him 14 years ago but who knows how old he was when I got him. I do want to a female to breed with him but I have never seen any for sale in the last 14 years.
 
I do not breed newts but was given mine as a teenager (yup, I'm old!). I believed for the longest time that he was a Californian firebelly newt...not sure now that these even exist! He was actually picked out of a tank of Japanese firebelly newts (C. pyrrhogaster)...the tank was labelled as "Californian Firebelly newts"! Someone on this forum told me that he was in fact a "gold dust" or C. ensicauda and I believe that he was probably wild caught w/a bunch of C. pyrrhogaster newts or somehow got mixed. I now know that they are endangered and hopefully that classification has slowed down the wild harvest. Seems though that there are still plenty of them in captivity so good luck in your search!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
MN99 said:
I do not breed newts but was given mine as a teenager (yup, I'm old!). I believed for the longest time that he was a Californian firebelly newt...not sure now that these even exist! He was actually picked out of a tank of Japanese firebelly newts (C. pyrrhogaster)...the tank was labelled as "Californian Firebelly newts"! Someone on this forum told me that he was in fact a "gold dust" or C. ensicauda and I believe that he was probably wild caught w/a bunch of C. pyrrhogaster newts or somehow got mixed. I now know that they are endangered and hopefully that classification has slowed down the wild harvest. Seems though that there are still plenty of them in captivity so good luck in your search!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the update, MN99. I corrected the species name in your post, I hope you don't mind; Japanese firebellies are C. pyrrhogaster. Many years ago, C. ensicauda (swordtail and gold dust newts) were often mixed into exports of firebellies from Japan. Nowdays, Japan has stopped (or drastically reduced) mass exports of wild-caught newts. It is still legal for individuals to arrange the export/import of these species, but it rarely happens. So the Japanese newts that are available now are usually captive bred juveniles.
 
Thanks Jen but, I just realized where I went wrong....the newts were Chinese firebellies not Japanese..so I think the scientific name was correct and the common name was wrong....which I suppose would mean that the 2 species were mixed after entering this country as I was given a Chinese firebelly and the gold dust and they had both been picked from the same holding tank:rolleyes:!

I was wondering if there had been any updates on the native Japanese newt populations since the tsunami?

Thanks!
 
XZombieGrlX said:
Which kind is she?
Click to expand...

She's a mixture of a. alpestris and a. apuanus. In those days, there weren't so many pure-bred newts around... I was just pleased to get alpines at all.
 
Hi everyone,

Just posting an annual update to my album....my newt is still going strong at 37/38+ yrs old...any other "seniors" still around?
 
MN99 said:
Hi everyone,

Just posting an annual update to my album....my newt is still going strong at 37/38+ yrs old...any other "seniors" still around?
Click to expand...

Wow! That's amazing. How long have you had it? All of those years? Could it be even older if you got it as an adult?
 
Hi and yes to all your questions! I was given the newt roughly (give or take a month) 38 yrs ago. I believe he was an adult but I have no idea how old, hence the + added to his age. Other than a slight change in his eyes over the yrs....not sure how well he sees...and a few minor bumps along the road he remains pretty much unchanged from the day I got him. No credit to me...it's all in his genes :)
 
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    with axolotls would I basically have to keep buying and buying new axolotls to prevent inbred breeding which costs a lot of money??
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    Not necessarily but if you’re wanting to continue to grow your breeding capacity then yes. Breeding axolotls isn’t a cheap hobby nor is it a get rich quick scheme. It costs a lot of money and time and deditcation
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    @Thorninmyside, I Lauren chen
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  • Clareclare:
    Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus Japanese . I'm raising them and have abandoned the terrarium at about 5 months old and switched to the aquatic setups you describe. I'm wondering if I could do this as soon as they morph?
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