A Newbie on Cynops Orientalis

[kai]

Hi Amidala,

It's unlikely that you'll get whiteworms in Singapore - they need cooler temperatures and won't be cultured in SE Asia (AFAIK). However, you should have no problems to get live bloodworms (chironomid larvae) which are certainly much better than frozen food. There's also a giant bloodworm species which is especially good for feeding terrestrial newts.

Apparently your small male currently prefers a terrestrial life style - you could put it in a plastic box with a moist (not wet!) paper towel (unbleached/brownish brand) and some hiding places. Try feeding with those giant bloodworms by just placing them on the paper towel and placing the box somewhere where there is only a little light. The next day you can check how much was eaten (& change the paper towel if necessary) but try to keep disturbance at a minimum. Once it started eating well, you can place the bloodworms (both varieties) in a very small dish (e.g. lid from some glass can) with a little water - this avoids spoiling the paper towel very fast. After it got back to normal weight you can try again to introduce it back to the aquatic setup (works better with cool temperatures).

 

[chris]

Would I do better with pyrrhogaster or orientalis?
My tank is indoors.
Chris

 

[amidala]

Hi kai,
Thanks for your ideas. Hermit (we named him as such due to his fondness for hiding in cracks in the driftwood) is still as immobile as ever, but we've found a way to let him eat more than the usual - since he always takes the first mouthful of bloodworms we place at his nose, we tried dangling a huge wad of worms so that he gets a LARGE mouthful - which he slowly gulps down eventually.

We figured that as long as he keeps eating each time we feed them, he should do okay. I just wish he would be a little more "sociable" and go splash in the water with the rest!

Just wondering, folks - sorry if it's a silly question - but do newts have teeth? I ask this because I've seen them "bite" at each other, sometimes the larger ones will snap at a smaller newt's head! But apparently not much harm done. It seems that they're doing it in jest or just a warning for the offending newt to back off!

 

[rob]

Hey Amidala,

I believe (correct me if I'm wrong guys) that they have very tiny cartalidge teeth that probably won't cause much damage to each other.

Hey Chris,

Pyrrhogaster is alot hardier then orientalis...I'd go with those...more room for error.