Kaiseri Breeding Plan 2012

[JacksonR]

I want to put out my plan to see if anyone thinks it will work or not.

I currently have three newts. I have at least one male and female. This winter I was going to move them up to my attic for the cooling period. I read the average attic temp in winter is around 50F. So that would be perfect.

After this period I am going to move them back inside and have an aquarium chiller set between 62-65 degrees for egg laying. Once eggs stop being produced I will remove the adults and raise the eggs and larvea in this (stripped down) tank.

I just wanted to make sure all of this sounds good to the experts like Johnny Farnen, Jennewt, etc. Feedback is most needed!:happy:

 

[Jennewt]

The temperatures sound fine. What kind of chiller do you have? You might be able to achieve 65F using a fan.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

As my father often says, "Sounds like a plan to me."

I look forward to reading of your results, good or bad.


Just keep in mind that the trick to breeding kaiseri is that they are touch and go. Sometimes they breed, sometimes they don't. Patience is key. Give them plenty of time, and keep them well fed. Contrary to most data, they will eat eggs and larvae if they are hungry.( I hated to do it, but I had to know, mine got to snack on a batch of eggs/ hatchlings last season.)

I am slowly finding that a temperature drop is all that is needed if they are ready to breed. The trickiest part for me is figuring out when they are ready to breed, as they generally do not show morphological indicators until after the temperature drop.

I still swear that a barometric pressure drop is key, but need a few more years worth of data to prove it with authority.

 

[Davo]

The last 2 times mine bred i just put them in the aquarium once the cloaca had enlarged, after they had finished laying, about a month, they were placed back in their terrestrial set up,the aquarium was then used to rear the larvae. :happy:

 

[Linus]

I'll be trying this year too :] best of luck to us all!

 

[JacksonR]

Thanks for all the responses! Glad everyone likes my plan. I don't yet have an aquarium chiller, but I don't think I would be able to keep the temps down with a fan. I've done some experiments with that but it doesnt seem to work for me.

Indeed, best of luck to everyone!