slowfoot
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I thought I would make this thread after experimenting with different rearing methods for my Notophthalmus efts over the last five years or so. I've gotten pretty good at keeping them alive after they morph (~95% success or so) and maybe someone struggling with Notos or other difficult to raise species will find my experiences useful. I used to have a terrible success rate - like, everything that morphed died - but now I find them easy to keep alive. The key is getting them to start eating once they move to land.
Everyone always says you should get your larvae to grow as big as you can before they morph. I've found that no matter what I do, if my larvae are going to leave the water, they pretty much all morph into efts that are the same size: teeny tiny. I'm not counting the individuals who skip the eft stage and go straight to adult (I love those guys!) But you can delay morphing by avoiding certain things: don't disturb the larvae too much, don't change the water often, don't overcrowd them, don't let them get hungry, and don't let the water level drop too low.
In the past, I've tried using natural vivaria with ample food, raising them on clean paper towels, etc, etc, But the following method is the only thing I do now. So here it is in excruciating detail
When they first leave the water, I put all of them into shoebox-size tupperware. I use a natural dirt substrate with a few dead leaves for cover. I've tried other substrates (paper towels, cocoa fiber, etc), but I haven't had as good survival. Mist sparingly, about once every other night - they cannot get too wet! I keep mine at room temperature (actually, I keep them in my kitchen so I can stare at them all the time). The key here is to not give them too many hiding places - just a few large leaves and a cm or so of dirt.
I think the major mistake people make is to try to give efts too much 'space'. They're shy, so disturbing them a lot must be bad for them, right? I've found the opposite is true: they need to be disturbed frequently to make sure they begin eating. Once you get them started, they are super easy.
Once I've got them settled, I start offering food. The more often you do this, the sooner you will get them eating. I start by offering small earthworms chopped into little pieces - just make sure they still wiggle a little. (If you can get live termites, these work very well - just squish the heads first so they can't walk too well.) I lift each leaf and place a worm piece in front of each eft (use forceps or a toothpick), then replace the leaf. You want the worm to basically dance on the newt's face. Once I've gotten a worm in front of everyone, I start going back and checking to see who has eaten their worm. You can usually catch them with the worm still hanging out of their mouths. I move any eft who is eating to a different tupperware. Once you get them eating, it's easy to keep them going. The best time to feed is just after lights out and after you've misted. For the eaters, I alternate between live earthworms and frozen bloodworms (you might have to wiggle these a little at first) to get them used to non-moving foods. In a week or so, they will start begging for food when they see the forceps coming.
I often have a few individuals who refuse to eat for a long time - they can go weeks without eating. I'll move these guys into individual small tupperwares and feed them more intensely. The key is not letting them hide until they starve to death.
It's a bit time consuming, but it really does work: I've lost only one eft out of around 50 or so that morphed in the last 2 years. You might have to feed once a day at first until they get started eating, but then you can switch to larger meals every few days or so.
Anyway, that was long! I hope someone finds it useful
Everyone always says you should get your larvae to grow as big as you can before they morph. I've found that no matter what I do, if my larvae are going to leave the water, they pretty much all morph into efts that are the same size: teeny tiny. I'm not counting the individuals who skip the eft stage and go straight to adult (I love those guys!) But you can delay morphing by avoiding certain things: don't disturb the larvae too much, don't change the water often, don't overcrowd them, don't let them get hungry, and don't let the water level drop too low.
In the past, I've tried using natural vivaria with ample food, raising them on clean paper towels, etc, etc, But the following method is the only thing I do now. So here it is in excruciating detail
When they first leave the water, I put all of them into shoebox-size tupperware. I use a natural dirt substrate with a few dead leaves for cover. I've tried other substrates (paper towels, cocoa fiber, etc), but I haven't had as good survival. Mist sparingly, about once every other night - they cannot get too wet! I keep mine at room temperature (actually, I keep them in my kitchen so I can stare at them all the time). The key here is to not give them too many hiding places - just a few large leaves and a cm or so of dirt.
I think the major mistake people make is to try to give efts too much 'space'. They're shy, so disturbing them a lot must be bad for them, right? I've found the opposite is true: they need to be disturbed frequently to make sure they begin eating. Once you get them started, they are super easy.
Once I've got them settled, I start offering food. The more often you do this, the sooner you will get them eating. I start by offering small earthworms chopped into little pieces - just make sure they still wiggle a little. (If you can get live termites, these work very well - just squish the heads first so they can't walk too well.) I lift each leaf and place a worm piece in front of each eft (use forceps or a toothpick), then replace the leaf. You want the worm to basically dance on the newt's face. Once I've gotten a worm in front of everyone, I start going back and checking to see who has eaten their worm. You can usually catch them with the worm still hanging out of their mouths. I move any eft who is eating to a different tupperware. Once you get them eating, it's easy to keep them going. The best time to feed is just after lights out and after you've misted. For the eaters, I alternate between live earthworms and frozen bloodworms (you might have to wiggle these a little at first) to get them used to non-moving foods. In a week or so, they will start begging for food when they see the forceps coming.
I often have a few individuals who refuse to eat for a long time - they can go weeks without eating. I'll move these guys into individual small tupperwares and feed them more intensely. The key is not letting them hide until they starve to death.
It's a bit time consuming, but it really does work: I've lost only one eft out of around 50 or so that morphed in the last 2 years. You might have to feed once a day at first until they get started eating, but then you can switch to larger meals every few days or so.
Anyway, that was long! I hope someone finds it useful
