P. yonahlossee info

[freves]

Has anyone had any experience keeping this species? I ran a search and not much came up.
Chip

 

[taherman]

Hi Chip,

I have kept a group of them for about 4 years now. They are not the easiest plethodontid to get acclimated to captivity, and they don't all thrive in a simple shoebox setup for very long (learned the hard way). Now have them in a larger setup (92g corner) with lots of LARGE slabs of metamorphic rock and some trickling chilled water to give them lots of moisture and temp gradients. I have 6 together in this setup and honestly I think they should have more space. They still have some aggression issues and I'd like to spread them out into pairs in the future. They are huge plethodontids and don't tolerate temp swings/higher temps very well.

I've seen courtship but so far no eggs. I'm overdue to change things up and try something different to get them to reproduce.

Let me know if you'd like any additional details.

Tim

 

[freves]

Thanks for the information Tim. I have a group in a 50 gal breeder. Cork slabs are provided for cover however I have been thinking about burying artificial burrows underneath the slabs. When I observed them in the wild they were almost always resting at the entrance to burrows. Have yours ever settled down enough to accept worms and so forth from forceps?
Chip

 

[Neotenic_Jaymes]

Hi Chip,

I have kept a group of them for about 4 years now. They are not the easiest plethodontid to get acclimated to captivity, and they don't all thrive in a simple shoebox setup for very long (learned the hard way). Now have them in a larger setup (92g corner) with lots of LARGE slabs of metamorphic rock and some trickling chilled water to give them lots of moisture and temp gradients. I have 6 together in this setup and honestly I think they should have more space. They still have some aggression issues and I'd like to spread them out into pairs in the future. They are huge plethodontids and don't tolerate temp swings/higher temps very well.

I've seen courtship but so far no eggs. I'm overdue to change things up and try something different to get them to reproduce.

Let me know if you'd like any additional details.

Tim

Are you talking at home or at the zoo? Sorry I remember you mentioning you worked with that species at work and wasn't sure if you kept them at home. What are they feeding on?

 

[taherman]

They are at home. They eat mainly crickets, but will also take maggots, waxworms, bean beetles, etc. Never seen one eat a worm, though I suppose they might if you found one the proper size.

I don't usually try to feed my animals with forceps unless there is a need for it. They have stayed pretty wary even after 4 years, but they get active at night and will climb the tank walls and hunt crickets while you watch if you keep the lights low. They spend most of their time at the entrance of rock crevices/burrows like you say.

 

[Neotenic_Jaymes]

I'm no fan of forceps either. I really don't like to train my newts/salamanders in that way. I like to throw in crickets/worms/ect and watch them hunt/wrangle the food their selves. I have a couple Plethodons myself and most seem to be very shy even after a couple years.

 

[freves]

I have always been a fan of forcep feeding. I enjoy the small amount of interaction with the animal and I can assess overall appearance, health status, etc. The down side is that it takes forever to feed everything and of course there are some individuals and groups that really never take to it, such as Echinotriton andersoni and T. wenxianensis. Anyway, I tweaked the design of the yonahlossees' tank today, adding artificial burrows and extra cork slabs. Thank you again for your input.
Chip