My Newt ( Triturus marmoratus )

[evut]

Re: T. marmoratus question.

Hi Julia. Where are you getting earthworms these days? I can't find any most of the time.

 

[Bellabelloo]

Re: T. marmoratus question.

I order a mixed size from Worms Direct. I then keep them in a plastic lidded ( tight fitting as they do escape!) crate with soil, cardboard and vegetation.

 

[Bellabelloo]

Re: T. marmoratus question.

My trio have now been 'morphed' a year. They still seem to be growing, especially their tails. Little has changed, one male spends most of his time in the water, the other shows signs of occasionally having a dip. The female tends to be shy and rarely comes out. I am still serving chopped worms and all happily eat on land.
This evening I attempted a photo shoot . My Salamandra S. sprinted for cover, but these guys co-operated for a while.

 

[Bellabelloo]

Re: T. marmoratus question.

Can not resist updating. :lol:

 

[evut]

Re: T. marmoratus question.

Lovely photos, Julia! Especially the first one :happy:
My little guy got a bigger tank and is back in water, only resting on the island at night.

 

[Bellabelloo]

Re: T. marmoratus question.

I went to feed the guys this evening and all where merrily submerged. One male spends a fair bit of time lurking, the other male occasionally dips and the female tends to stay on the surface, barely getting wet. Tonight they where all submerged, and one of the males has a noticeably larger tail and crest, he was flickering his tail at the female. I had been meaning to place them in a glass tank, but now I feel I should wait, I don't want to upset them. I think I shall be keeping a closer eye on what happens now :happy:

 

[Bellabelloo]

Re: T. marmoratus question.

Took some pictures this morning. My little boy has grown up fast.

 

[Opacum]

Re: T. marmoratus question.

They look like little underwater Dimetrodons... just fantastic! Keep up the obviously great work!

 

[Bellabelloo]

Re: T. marmoratus question.

I keep going in to see what he is doing. He looks like he is trying to make himself look big and spiky to the female. He splays his toes and goes onto the tips of his toes more. Having looked at other pictures of the males going into their breeding dress, he still has a way to go.
I am still a little surprised by it all as they are only18months or so old, and it is autumn here. I have little idea what to expect now.

 

[Azhael]

Re: T. marmoratus question.

He looks great!
Hell...i miss this species....
They grow fast, so the first breeding when they are 18 months is normal, specially for males.
Some wild populations breed in autumn and i know in captivity they can breed both in autumn AND in spring, so that´s normal too. Chances are the females won´t be ready, though, but you may get lucky!

He is a looker, Julia, congrats Keep us posted on how he looks when he fully develops.

 

[Bellabelloo]

Re: T. marmoratus question.

I have spent a ridiculous amount of time watching these three. This afternoon the female seemed to be trying to lay eggs, the second male, who has a much smaller crest is pretty much following her every where. But I suspect he may be picking off any eggs. This evening I saw the male doing his crazy little dance..his movements remind me of a skunk spraying. It was something between awesome and comical. I noticed also he seems to have a strange , triangular shaped mound under his throat as well.
I am so glad I have these to watch, far better than the football that my human males are watching.

 

[Azhael]

Re: T. marmoratus question.

Ah! You are going to have eggs, just you wait. Once the females start practicing the egg-laying, then it´s a matter of time until they start laying eggs, although possibly the first ones will be duds.
That thing in the throat is perfectly normal. All Triturus species males engrose their throats while courting to show off the coloration of the throat.

As a personal favor i would like to ask you to please take a video of your guys courting xD I miss it a lot, the males become really spectacular.

Oh and you are absolutely right...much better than football, hehe.

 

[Bellabelloo]

Re: T. marmoratus question.

I failed dismally to catch my male trying to woo the female. He still struts about the tank, but the female seems to be avoiding him. She seems more rounded , so I suppose its a case of waiting and seeing.
Anyway, here are some poor videos of them.
YouTube - WEB_0119.MP4
YouTube - WEB_0117.MP4


This last one has a voice over from my just turned 2 year old son, I hadn't realised he had any idea what they where....
YouTube - WEB_0116.MP4

 

[evut]

Re: T. marmoratus question.

They're looking great, Julia. The commentary is very interesting.. I assume the "weirdness" of caudate courting hasn't lead to any uncomfortable questions? :happy:

 

[Bellabelloo]

Re: T. marmoratus question.

I am pretty sure his crest has become even bigger since I took this a week ago. I was told the males look stunning, I have to agree.

 

[tmarmoratus]

Re: T. marmoratus question.

Your picture of the male looks great, Julia. I just put my male and his bevy of female companions into the water this weekend, and it appears they were ready to dive right in!

 

[Bellabelloo]

Re: T. marmoratus question.

I was watching the male, still courting the female and noticed that my plants are now adorned with eggs. They morphed Aug 09
I have decided to leave them in the tank as the parents are siblings. I am hoping to get some more in the future .

 

[Bellabelloo]

Re: T. marmoratus question.

Gosh, its been nearly a year since I have anything to say about these. Last year I re-homed one of the males.... I suspect I ended up with the male that didn't show any inclination to go into breeding mode. I also got another female plus a little juvenile that was sent as a travelling companion.
As you may see from the picture his crest is rather lacking :sad: It has taken him a couple of months to get this far. The females are looking a little more promising with nice rounded tummies, so I am not giving up quite yet.

 

[Linus]

Re: T. marmoratus question.

Great thread, I'm very interested in marms. I love the vids and pics, please keep updating!

 

[Bellabelloo]

Re: T. marmoratus question.

This morning, while cleaning the tank a little, I noticed some suspiciously folded up leaves on the submerged tradescantia. I am proud to announce that I have discovered two whole eggs . One I can see is developing, the other is so tightly folded I can't see.