Apathetic behavior !?

[Lusiwarrior]

Hello folks,
I opened this thread because I liked to know, through your personal experience and opinions, to what extent a group of young new arrivals goes without food while adapting to their new home.
This week I received seven Cynops cyanurus juveniles. Some are hidden in the rocks, others are quiet in a corner and still others climb the walls of the setup, however the food or want to know.
I accept this behavior as normal because a year ago I received a small group of alpestris that behaved exactly the same way. They spent 2 to 3 weeks until the first food enger.
Around the same time also got a small group of tylos who spent all his time hiding without food and inert until mid-April.
However, the question that you do is this:
Does that change the setup and the low temperature (13C º / 14C º) that are now exposed in the winter affect this type of behavior?
I ask this because the ghost of losing some because of hunger haunts me even now having seen similar behavior.

Already a thank you.

Sorry for my bad english.
:ufo:
cheers

 

[RobM]

I'm not an expert on Cynops cyanurus but I do know they can handle some pretty cold temperatures, I think in their natural habitat they have a fairly low average temperature, so I would think they would be ok with what you have stated. Often with amphibians it is a case of lower the temperature the lower their activity and metabolism, therefore the less they will eat.

I find the best way to encourage eating is to try different types of food at different times of the day. You might come across a feeding formula that they seem to like and then you can progress from there. Live food is the best option of course because instinct can often trigger them to start to eat, this can sometimes be hard to monitor for things such as brine shrimp because you wont know if it is getting eaten, but least they have food on offer if they want it.

Good luck!

 

[Lusiwarrior]

Hi RobM,
I had read a post in another thread where you said your the terrestrial phase in Cynops tend to eat little and get very quiet, I think this answers everything. However your answer is very good. Have you tried to give two types of live food and not only in both water and land. I have to keep trying!

 

[Joost]

They are indeed tolerant with cooler temps, but I would keep them around 15-18°C, they will grow faster. Also raising them aquatic will have a faster growth. C. cyanurus juveniles are good to keep aquatic. With warmer temperatures they will be more active, so observing them is easier.

 

[Lusiwarrior]

Joost, thanks for the tip! What do you think if I put in a small tank, then with 5cm of water and some pieces of cork?

thanks

 

[erfus]

Hi Lusi, you got your newts in the water?, my advice is to put the cyanurus in the water, all his brothers are entirely aquatic and if the first few days do not eat, do not worry, they will eat when they are acclimated newts.

Greetings!

 

[Joost]

Joost, thanks for the tip! What do you think if I put in a small tank, then with 5cm of water and some pieces of cork?

thanks

Should do fine. I use (in stead of cork) a lavastone with javamoss what sticks out of the water surface.

 

[RobM]

Hi RobM,
I had read a post in another thread where you said your the terrestrial phase in Cynops tend to eat little and get very quiet, I think this answers everything. However your answer is very good. Have you tried to give two types of live food and not only in both water and land. I have to keep trying!

I have tried numerous foods with all my newts both live and frozen. I have found that frozen blood worms have tended to be the best for my C.orientalis when they were terrestrial, anything that wiggled too much on tweezers seem to put them off. I didn't have the option to try food in the water for them as they simply stayed on land all the time. Now they are aquatic they like live daphnia, brine shrimp and blood worms and reluctantly take very small earthworms, they like to hunt!
Have you tried putting frozen blood worms on their noses? this is often something that worked for me at the beginning when my C,orientalis were reluctant to eat (after a week or so they would just take the food, now they beg for it).

C.cyanurus I believe is semi aquatic after metamorphosis so you should be able to feed on land and in water.

 

[Lusiwarrior]

Once seen already adapted to the aquatic environment is what I do, because the experience also tells me that it's easier to keep them there. Had prepared a semi aquatcico setup, so I'll change them.
Rob already try it instead, but nothing! But no problem, once in water and adapted began to eat, so it will not be stopped, but more active.
Thank you all.

 

[Lusiwarrior]

Hi,
already moved to a setup similar to that suggested Joost. Not only are most active and have also shown interest in food, having already eaten one of them. :bowl: