Breeding behaviour? (P. hongkongensis)

[danny]

Tonight while I was going through my usual feeding routine, I noticed that my two male P. Hongkong's are rejecting food. I have a 2.2 group, each pair in their own tank. Its been going on for a week and Im starting to wonder why. They have dropped a little bit of weight but are still far from skinny. The females are still eating like usual but I have noticed the 'volcano' size vents they have developed. Neither of my males have developed any type of outer markings such as a blue sheen, white line etc to suggest breeding time. The males are a bit more active than normal though, and for the first time ever one of the females seems to have taken refuge from the male by hiding on top of a piece of cork bark while the male seems to be searching for her or something at the bottom of the tank. Im not an expert on these newts as I've only had them for about 10 months. I recently moved into my first home with a basement and the temp is 19C which is a far cry from the 24C they used to be in while I was living in my apartment. Wonder if anyone could help me figure out whats going on with these guys!!! Thanx

 

[juraj]

I think it`s too early for breeding season however decreasing of temperature and light intensity when moving them to the basement could effect this. Refusing food could indicate something but it`s hard to tell. If they starts breeding season the males will develop outer sexual markings soon.