Allegheny dusky salamander(Desmognathus ochrophaeus)pregnant

[newtman]

Im new to these duskies and found that 1 or 2 of the females have eggs in the stomach,the stomachs are very visible as those that have kept or keep duskies know and you can clearly see eggs,,ive read in Petranka's book that the female broods the eggs and sometimes eats the eggs or hatchlings,if and when they lay eggs should i seperate the eggs or will they need to be brooded?

 

[edward]

Hi,
If the laying conditions are unsuitable for the female then she can retain the eggs for years (I know of a D. m. monticola that has not laid eggs ovulated more than 5 years ago).
Unless you have alot of time on your hands and are pontentially willing to lose 80% or more of the eggs than maternal incubation is far better than artificial incubation (unless you have the space and money to set up some fairly large equipment). I can post the citations for you tomorrow if your interested.
Ed

 

[erik]

If any females lay eggs, I would let the female do her job. It is hard to keep the eggs alive without the female. Females will sometimes eat any 'bad' eggs.

With that said....alot of times with Desmognathus sp.in captivity the females will develop ovarian eggs each year.It doesn't mean she will lay the eggs, especially if the animals weren't cycled in some manner.They usually are not layed,just re-absorbed.

But, I would love to hear that you got fertile eggs from this species. So please keep us posted.

 

[erik]

sorry Ed-our posts must have crossed paths!

 

[edward]

Hi Erik,
Actually its good to have some consensus on these topics.
Ed

 

[newtman]

Thanks for the info guys,ive been having a hard time replying here but im trying again,ive been reading up on these sals and i will let the eggs be if they are layed,one thing i heard and found to be true is duskies are very hardy,i will let the board know if any eggs come.thanks again.