Well...(Icthyosaura alpestris apuanus )

[Bellabelloo]

After Mark posted about his Newts in a beer barrel , I thought I had best check up on my tiddlers that are living out in the shed.
I had looked at them the day prior and they where merrily swimming under a thin layer of ice. I removed a portion of it and fed them all. Removing the ice may have not been a good idea. The next day I found one had been partially frozen into the ice on the surface. I removed the section of ice and decided to remove them all. One was engulfed in an pocket of water surrounded by ice, but a limb was frozen in. All where put into a lidded container with their ice water and some willow moss and brought in doors. More or less immediately the newts became more lively. The two that had been most in contact with ice show no signs at all of any harm at all. I am very relieved I hadn't really seen how pretty they are until I had rescued them.
Here are a few, not too spectacular photo's of some of them. The first is when they where larvae, the last two are from today.

 

[FX1C]

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They're beautiful & just so cute as babies!

They must be tough little buggers to go through all that & still look so good

I wish we could keep newts in Australia.

 

[Sawyer]

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Glad they were alright! Very pretty colors as well.

 

[xxianxx]

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They are gorgeous, will bring forward my plans to get some as soon as the weather improves and they can go outside.

 

[Bellabelloo]

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They are very pretty little things. I hadn't appreciated how lovely they where until they came in doors. They are currently sitting on top of some marm juveniles . Now I can see them in their full glory . These where raised from some eggs that George sent, he is currently advertising some

 

[Bellabelloo]

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They are now back in the shed, found a couple on the cork bark this morning.

 

[froggy]

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Lovely, Julia. Mine are at a similar adolescent size; I'm not sure if the males will colour up this year or not. They were hatched in 2011 (from Mark's newts' eggs). A couple of females have laid one or two infertile eggs, but the boys haven't got into the mood yet! Their water temperature has just gone up from about 7-10 to about 15C, so fingers crossed! I want to see some electric blue!

C

 

[Bellabelloo]

Re: Well...

These where hatched 02/12 , so I'm not expecting anything this year. When they where indoors they seemed much more colourful than the recent photo's. They are also languishing in rather chilly water still at approx 5 C. I am also looking forward to them maturing

 

[froggy]

Re: Well...

Mine were reared for the first year under reasonably cold conditions (about 13-15C) throughout the year, so I think it slowed them down a bit. The larger ones are 7-8cm, so they are a way of full size yet.

C

 

[Bellabelloo]

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Small and beautiful ..

 

[Andrina]

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Are they I. alpestris alpestris or another subspecies? Because mine are more blue and darkly, in particular in nutial form!

 

[Bellabelloo]

Re: Well...(Icthyosaura alpestris)

They are I. a. apuanus juveniles.

 

[Squirt88]

Re: Well...(Icthyosaura alpestris)

Those are stunning!!

 

[Bellabelloo]

Re: Well...(Icthyosaura alpestris)

I found one of the juveniles tucked away in the cork bark, looks rather comfy

 

[marcuswinner1]

Re: Well...(Icthyosaura alpestris)

Looking good. I am waiting for the weather to pick up so I can build an outdoor enclosure for some of my surplus CB12 youngsters, The parents of which have been courting all winter and mum is looking ready to lay again

Marcus

 

[Bellabelloo]

Re: Well...(Icthyosaura alpestris)

I hadn't realised how much bigger these have grown...and I am still clueless as to what sexes I have.. I suppose I shall have to be patient and wait and see.

 

[Bellabelloo]

Well, the little beasts have continued to bemuse and befuddle me as what sexes they are and even what colour they may even be.
Yesterday I was feeding the animals in the shed and noticed one individual really stood out by his colour.. I have now decided that they are like little aquatic chameleons He returned to a more 'normal' blue colour when I put him in a clear plastic tank in sunlight.

 

[llamafish]

You got any full size pictures? I got a Triturus Italicus I want to improve it setup and find it a group to live with.

 

[Bellabelloo]

Spotted my first eggs today

 

[Chinadog]

I love the female's droopy jowls! I have a male pyrrho that has them, I think they can grow them when they are fully aquatic to help suck in food when they are hunting live pray?