Hibernation for T. Marmoratus?

[coen]

Hello People,

I'd like to bring my 2 year old marmoratus couple into hibernation.

Someone i know is telling me to put them in the water now, at 8 to 10 degrees so the male can build up his crest, and if I rise up the temperature from 8 to 15 in february, they will lay eggs.

But shouldn't they go into hibernation first at very low (4 degrees celsius) temperatures? In a muddy substrate?

Does anyone here ever put the marmoratus into hibernation or has a good method to get them to breed? The above message is from an expert but I'm not sure if it's the best way.


Photos of the couple here: http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/985/73879.html?1164820566

 

[ian]

i always hibernate mine i a terrestrial set up in my garage and around feb move them to an aquatic set up with a large piece of floating cork bark. i place them on the bark and let them enter the water in their own time.

 

[sergé]

Depends on where they are know: if they are on land I would hibernate them on land. This you can do in your fridge. Make a small terrarium with leaf litter and some bark and keep them there for 3 months or so. I always did it like that and it works perfectly. I bred them several times.
But, if they are in water, you can keep them like that and hibernate them in a small aquarium with a low layer of water also in the fridge.

A good friend of mine has them in his pond in France (he is dutch but moved there www.tigouleix.nl). He says that both ways occur. Some males and females enter the pond in autumn and hibernate there, while others arrive in Spring and have hibernated on land.

 

[coen]

Thanks Serge,

That's the answer I wanted to know. They are currently in their terrestrial fase. I didn't know they could also hibernate in the water, which is pretty fascinating.

 

[coen]

The website of your friend is very inspirational too, looks like he is living his dream!