My Notophthalmus and some question

[Jakala]

Hi,

I present you my N. viridescens with some pics! I think that they are a couple, is it?

This is the alleged female...









This is the alleged male




The couple


I'm not sure of subspecies... what do you think they are?
I'm willing to do them the hibernation, in cellar now there are about 13°C, I think to attend a few more weeks with temperature about 5°C. Have you suggestions? How much will it last?

Thank you,
Luca

 

[Otterwoman]

It does look like a couple!

 

[Niels D]

I've bred Notophthalmus twice, but I have some difficulties keeping the adults alive. I've been given the advice to keep the animals terrestrial after they've laid there eggs. I've experienced like other European keepers that keeping the animals aquatic all year round results in the death of a lot of animals, especially with the females. Keeping them terrestrial is the key to prevent this. I change to a aquatic setup late Januar and I got eggs within two months after this. The larvae are pretty easy to raise, but it's a personal obstervation that they do better with an air pump. I've fed them with all sorts of food items, also wild caught crustaceans.

I've got a love hate relationship with these guys. I love the fact I've managed to breed them, but I still have problems with the adults. This month I've lost two adults in a terrestrial setup which is totally filled with worms, isopods and white worms. I'm using the same setup for other species which are thriving and getting chubby due to the great amount of food, but for some reason Notophthalmus needs something extra which we need to discover. There are only a few people outside of the US which are keeping this specie succesfully. Though I've bred them twice, I don't consider myself to be one of them alas.

 

[Jakala]

This is the first that I listen to this, thanks for indication! I read in a lot of site and other source that noto are highly acquatic, isn't?
In Italy, noto are all WC and I had difficult to keep and maintain individuals healthy, with high mortality rate. I made them a terrestrial quarantine, the male that I've now seemed to suffer and I transfer him in an acquatic setup, with positive results.
The female was terrestrial more than one year, without any sign of stress or other.

Do you advise me to do their hibernation in a terrestrial or acquatic setup?
Niels, in a year, how much long do you take your noto in terrestrial setup?

Thanks,
Luca

 

[froggy]

With regards to the terrestrial phase, I found this paper:

Natural daily temperature acclimation of eastern red efts, Notophthalmus v. viridescens (rafinesque) (amphibia: caudata) (PM me if you want a copy, but the abstract pretty much says it all), which found that efts deliberately expose themselves to daytime microclimate temperatures of up to 26-28C, often being found in the warmest areas under shelter. This si similar to Laotriton juveniles, that have been found in similarly warm microclimates under shelter. Perhaps providing animals with warmer areas might improve success, particularly if it stimulates appetite etc. I know it sounds like caudate keeping heresy, but perhaps allowing animals to choose warmer than normal temperatures might be beneficial.

Lovely animals, by the way

C

 

[Niels D]

I've read about this, but I've never had any problems raising the efts. The adults prove to be the most challenging for me and almost all other keepers I know. I raise the larvae and efts with room temperatures.

We've bend our heads together already regarding to this problem, because this problems doesn't seem to occur in the US for some reason. I myself have done experiments with dry and warm setups, because Notophthalmus can cope with dry conditions. This however didn't change a lot alas.

 

[froggy]

Have any animals been screened for chytrid and ranavirius? What are the symptoms before death? It could be something they are picking up on importation, as a lot of them come from the same sources. If it was water quality etc, one would have thought that someone would happen to have the right water chemistry and do well with them. I did read about someone reducing mortality of fresh imports by hanging a stocking full of sphagnum moss in tank water to drop the pH, but I don't know what pH their water started at. Has anyone tried just using damp paper towels with these guys?

 

[Jakala]

Thanks for all,

Chris, I can't open your link, can you send me a copy? I will send you a PM for email.
I try with paper towels, but I had some difficulties to maintain correct umidity because paper dry soon. I think that next time I will use soil and not paper. Probably this is my personal difficulties, not for all.

Do you advise me to do their hibernation in a terrestrial or acquatic setup?
Niels, in a year, how much long do you take your noto in terrestrial setup?

About this questions have you advice?
Thanks

 

[Jakala]

This saturady I bought other Notophtalmus viridescens, and I placed them in a quarantine setup on paper towels. I'm not convinced on this set-up, have you advice? Is better paper towels or peat for quarantine? Have advice to prevent formation of bacterial infections?

 

[Jakala]

For my happiness:

https://imageshack.com/i/jmotudj

 

[grimmjowls]

I've successfully kept adult Notos for years in 100% aquatic set-ups... Low mortality rate - had one die recently but I figure it was due to old age rather than something with the set-up. Still have one alive, doing fine.

 

[Methos5K]

I used to have a land area for them, but they never used it. Just plenty of pennywort, cabomba, christmas moss and emerging water sprite growing in there now.

 

[Thomas F]

AW: Re: My Notophthalmus and some question

My begin to leave the water. The first two are completely terrestrial and don't go back in the water.