hibernating american newts

[salamanderguy]

i have 3 american newts and was wondering if anybody knows the right way to hibernate them to encourage them to breed

 

[Jennewt]

What are "american newts"? I have never heard this common name used. Can you give a Latin name or a link to a photo?

 

[salamanderguy]

their scintefic name is Notophthalmus viridescens

 

[JWERNER]

This may help you out some.http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Notophthalmus/N_viridescens.shtml

 

[caudataman]

A dedicated hibernation (like pulling them out of the tank and sticking them in the 'fridge) isn't necessary to get them to breed. If you can though, a winter cool down and change of photo period could help them along for spring breeding. I don't currently keep Noto's, but that was all that was necessary for my Triturus carnifex and karelini. I had "fridge'd" them in the past, but after hearing of others' success with just a winter cooldown/darkdown, it worked pretty well. My basement temps get down to about 50 in winter, high 60's to 70 in the summer. for other info there's excellent care info on the link below...

http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Notophthalmus/N_viridescens.shtml

Good luck!

Brian

 

[Abrahm]

i ... was wondering if anybody knows the right way to hibernate them to encourage them to breed

I think it is important to note that caudates do not hibernate like some mammals do. In the winter their metabolism slows down greatly but they never truly enter hibernation. Like Brian says changing the amount of daily light and lowering the temperature is all that is really needed for most newts, including your Notophthalamus viridescens.

 

[onetwentysix]

One thing I might add is that if you want to breed Notos, you might want to be aware that certain subspecies are very difficult to breed. If I remember correctly, N. v. louisianensis is easier to breed than some of the others, which N. v. viridescens is really difficult.

Other than that, like others have said, while a cooling period is probably going to be key to breeding them, hibernation isn't necessary. They've even been reported to be active under the ice in some areas.

 

[Jennewt]

If you have a garage that doesn't freeze hard inside, I'd suggest moving the whole tank setup into the garage for a couple of months. Or else find a way to make one room of your house really cold. If they are Canadian Notophthalmus, they may need to get fairly cold in order to be conditioned to breed.

Also note that, in order to breed, newts need to be well fed and robust and healthy. Diets with a lot of worms help to fatten them up for breeding. I think that this aspect may be as important as temperature.

Good luck, and keep us posted!