Question: Egg spots on female paddletail

[Morm]

Hey,

So I just upgraded my cage and brought in 3 new paddle tails with the hope of breeding. Sure enough, none of the individuals at the store I was at had any egg spots. Then, randomly, one of them had egg spots appear within 15 minutes of being in her new home! She started fanning phermones and is sticking pretty close to the other big newt (the other two are smaller). As I understand it, the white spots + fanning indicate that there is something afoot.

I am wondering what I can do to facilitate her laying some eggs for me!

Thanks

 

[Morm]

What does it mean when a known male (as I now know the eggspots indicates..and he has little thingers coming from his cloaca) is fanning his tail at another one of similar size without egg spots that is also fanning back? It was like a fanning war. Other than that, It looks like breeding behavior to me but I've never read about females fanning back.

meanwhile, one that I think is a juvi and probably female and another that I'm certain is female (as she is smaller but still fat) keep flipping out and rocketting out of the water at top speed or hanging out amongst the floating plants. Is this just a sign they are unreceptive? Should I be chilling the water?

 

[Greatwtehunter]

Have a read through this caresheet for Pachytriton labiatus and see if that answers some of your questions.

 

[Morm]

I did, hence why I'm asking more specific questions on the forum.

 

[nitelyechos]

They could be having a territorial fight. I had two paddletails in a 20 gallon aquarium and they acted just like your description. But mine also fought each other constantly. I though that if i gave them each a hiding spot at opposite ends of the aquarium they would leave each other alone. But after i'd had them for about a month one of them must have crawled out of the tank since i found it in the corner of my bathroom all dried out and dead. The one i have left still has a notch in its tail from their fights. so that's just my experience. I was hoping to have a breeding pair, but for me having two paddletails together in one aquarium just caused a lot of bullying and fighting. They fanned tails a lot and if i watched them one would sneak to the others hiding spot and bite it, then i would have to physically separate them and they'd go back to their hiding spots. I would say the aggression escalated until one got feed up and left to tank in search for somewhere safer. If i were you i'd keep a close watch for fights, biting, missing chunks of limbs and tails. In my case i should have keep them in individual tanks. They didn't get used to each other, as i'd hoped, they fought until one escaped and died. This is my experience i've never kept paddletails before. I don't know what you should do in your case but i hope this helps you and your newts. Good luck.