Help with Alpine Newts

[TikkiDui]

Hi,

I am working on my degree project on Alpine newts as an invasive species in the UK. I am looking at habitat preferences to help work out where they could spread to.

As you may know if Alpine Newts are caught in the wild it is illegal to put them back so i now have some in a tank at home. At the moment I have a rock so they can sit out of the water and a little air stone in the tank. I have been feeding them frozen bloodworms.

Can anyone advise me how best to keep them? Is there ideal temperatures, water quality, any plants they like? I know they can survive in many conditions but i am looking for their optimal conditions. Has anyone monitored different behaviours in different conditions?

This information will not only help me keep these newts but as a good starting point for my project.

Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

tikkidui

:ufo:

 

[Azhael]

Caudata Culture Species Entry - Mesotriton (Triturus) alpestris

You can also find more information in the "former Triturus" section in the advanced topics.

 

[TikkiDui]

Hi,

I have read the care sheet and I have a few more questions.

Do I have to watch things like ammonia and nitrate levels?
And what plants are best to put with Alpine Newts?

 

[Mark]

Are they a subspecies or straight up alpestris? It might affect how you keep them as some are more aquatic than others.

For optimal condition Alpestris alpestris should really have a cold terrestrial phase during the winter. I keep the apuanus subspecies aquatic outdoors in a 100 litre rubber tub. Planting is just the standard pond plants found in the UK; duckweed, elodea, hornwort etc. Alpestris like it cool and regular room temps are at the top end of their tolerance. You should consider how to keep them cool during periods of warm weather. Wild caught newts will be conditioned for outdoor temps and keeping them sub 20C will be important.

Water quality is important for all newts. If you're new to aquatic husbandry you should read the following: Caudata Culture Articles - Water Quality If you opt for the outdoor approach the British weather normally negates the need for water changes.

It's worth noting that newts, illegal aliens or not, can live for upto 20 years in captivity, so be wary about taking your studies home! It's quite a commitment.

Good luck with your research and be sure to share your findings with us.

 

[TikkiDui]

Thanks for the advise.

We are unsure of the definate species at the moment but are planning on doing DNA testing to find out.They were collected from in the water though and have spent all their time in the water even though I have provided rocks for them to climb out on.

I am new to keeping aquatic animals, I have had reptiles before though (cats and dogs too).

As I do not have a garden they are being kept indoors. I know they usually hibernate in the winter but after reading the care sheet it seems that cooling the temp is done to help breeding, is this correct? I do not want more so if I do not cool the temperatures will that mean they will not breed or is there no stopping this?

I will definatly let you know of my findings, one of the reasons for choosing habitat preferences was because it could benefit monitoring and future studies in the UK on wild populations as well as pet care. There is little known about the spread of wild populations and speaking to many organisations around the UK they just do not have the time to do this themselves.

 

[FrogEyes]

Are they a subspecies or straight up alpestris? It might affect how you keep them as some are more aquatic than others.

I.alpestris alpestris IS a subspecies, equal to all the others. In any case though, isn't there only one subspecies introduced to the UK? Even if that's not known for sure, those introduced to the UK would be at the very least reproductively tolerant of UK climate.

 

[Azhael]

The winter cooling is highly advisable. The hormonal cycles are largely dependent on seasonal changes, mainly temperature and these are important not just for breeding, but also for general health. Also, animals that have been cooled properly during the winter, are more likely to tolerate heat waves later on.
They don´t hybernate, they remain active even at 3-4ºC. This is a species that actually prefers very cold waters. They thrive in low temps.
If you are not interested in breeding, but they do anyway, you can give the eggs away or just leave the eggs with the parents and they´ll "take care" of them. Some larvae might scape and do well, depending on the housing conditions, and you can just give them away when they morph (this may not happen, though).

 

[TikkiDui]

I am unsure if there is only one species that has been brought into the UK, this would be interesting to know. The reason we are testing DNA is our Newts are bigger than ones found elsewhere in the UK. This could be due to habitat suitability but they may be a different species too.

The population we are studying was owned by someone who dumped them into his pond We know this because they moved to a different town and have done the same thing again and now they too have a growing population of Alpine Newts. We think the Newts have been there for about 20 - 30 years and it is a large population now.

I will do the cooling if it is important to their health. Do they not hibernate in the wild as well or just in tanks?

 

[Jennewt]

"Do they not hibernate in the wild..." How we define the word "hibernate" is a problem here. The biological definition of hibernate usually means a period of dormancy (total inactivity, reduced metabolism, and lack of consciousness). If we take this definition, then no, newts do not hibernate in the wild either. They may take shelter and be very inactive, but if you dig them out and offer food, they will eat and be alert. It's clearly different than what hibernating mammals do, for example.

In informal conversation, sometimes the word "hibernate" is used more loosely to refer to any period where an animal is kept cold. For example, some people put their newts in the refrigerator for a period and they call this "hibernation" because they don't feed them or pay much attention to them. In this sense, yes, newts in the wild hibernate - they retreat to place where they won't freeze and become less active. But if a bug crawls by, they will still eat it

 

[TikkiDui]

Thank you thats cleared up my confusion.

 

[Mark]

I.alpestris alpestris IS a subspecies, equal to all the others. In any case though, isn't there only one subspecies introduced to the UK? Even if that's not known for sure, those introduced to the UK would be at the very least reproductively tolerant of UK climate.

Of course you are right, even the nominate form is a subspecies. It wouldn't suprise me if any of the popular pet subspecies were found as aliens in the UK. I.a.apuanus and I.a.alpestris are the most common. You don't need DNA tests to tell those two apart.

I think the only documented UK populations are the nominate form, and yes, I can attest to apuanus reproducing easily in our climate, I'm sure the others would too...

 

[TikkiDui]

No you are right, after looking at guides we think we have I.a.alpestris, but we are also testing to see if we have two different populations or if one population has spread over a large area so we are also comparing species relatedness as well.