Aggressive Paddle-Tails

[AngieD]

I have 2 Paddle-Tail Newts (p.labiatus), one is bigger than the other (The big one is called Imi and the small one is called Rissi). I haven't had them for very long, I got them from an aquatics shop when I was on holiday, so I'm not sure if Rissi is just young.
I'm not entirely sure of their genders, but Imi has a fllat cloaca, and Rissi's has a slight bulge.
When I first got the newts, they were in a bowl that was a bit too small for them (it was a temporary place to house them), and I noticed Imi nipping at Rissi a couple of times. I got a bigger tank for them, and they got along fine for a few days. However, I've noticed Rissi snapping at Imi a lot recently, and I keep having to separate them.

I have heard that these newts can be aggressive to each other, but I'm wondering if there's any preventative measures that can be taken to possibly diffuse the situation?

I have a hiding pot and a plastic plant in the tank

thanks in advance

Ang

 

[Azhael]

Adding hidding areas and increasing the number of visula barriers (with more plants or twigs, rocks, etc) may help, but even that may not be sufficient. Some "couples" are simply incompatible. The aggression can get really serious...deathly serious, so watch out for possible damage and separate them if it gets too much.
How big is the tank? Being a territorial species it´s best to opt for a larger space if you want any hope of keeping them together.
Check their caresheet in the links in my signature (it´s under the name Pachytriton labiatus, although that will need changing).

 

[Linus]

I kept paddletails, they are absurdly aggressive. Visual barriers may help, you may also want to consider a tank divider if you don't want to separate them entirely. Rissi may be smaller due to age, or it he could be out-competed by Imi consistently at feeding time.

 

[ahritchie]

AThe aggression can get really serious...deathly serious, so watch out for possible damage and separate them if it gets too much.
How big is the tank? Being a territorial species it´s best to opt for a larger space if you want any hope of keeping them together.
Check their caresheet in the links in my signature (it´s under the name Pachytriton labiatus, although that will need changing).

This is all too true...I had a pair, one was very aggressive toward the other, so I separated them for a while, I though maybe after a few months of separation I would see how it goes with both in the same tank...not good...two days later I found the picked on newt dead, he had a few bite marks, very sad So now it's just one solitary "killer" paddle-tail for me. I also had the same problem with my pair of axolotls unfortunately. I'm sticking with "friendlier" newts going forward so I can keep more than one per tank.

 

[ummi]

AW: Re: Aggressive Paddle-Tails

I kept 5 Pachytriton labiatus in a relatively small tank, the waterline was 25cm. Use many stone-slaps, so they could find their Territory. A friend uses claybrick for Territory. During the courtship behavior the cloaca from the male looks like a brush.
They also need plenty food.

 

[AngieD]

Thanks for the info. I am going to add another hiding place probably a cave) and possibly another plant. The tank is not massive, but big enough for them to stay out of each other's way if they want to (and they have often done so until now)
The aggression from Rissi does not appear to be constant, and there are no injuries to either of them. I am monitoring their behaviour very carefully and I did separate them for a little while when it looked like Rissi was getting carried away. When he/she was placed back in the tank, things calmed down for a little while.
If things start looking too dangerous, I will ask my boyfriend to take one of them on, he has quite a few newts of his own, so he knows what he's doing

 

[Red Eft14]

Theyy are aggrisive when feeding too.

 

[Black leaves]

i have 3 paddle tail in my tank for 1.5 years already, in my experience, as long as the individual paddletail has an defensive act toward each other means only attact only if they being attact, its okay... cause mine will attact each other during feeding time, and the one which being attact will flee and no harm done, give them much food so they can scatter far from each other to find food...

 

[AngieD]

Just a quick update on the situation:

I put a plant pot in the tank, on its side, and rearranged the tank a little bit. Both newts were interested and appeared to try out the new hiding places formed by the rearrangement. This morning, Imi kept sitting in the plastic plant, but this stopped when I added the pot.

Both newts have got a little more active since I added the pot, but they both appear more relaxed, and no more attacks have been attempted by Rissi.

So far, it looks like the new pot has helped the situation tremendously. Thanks everyone! xx