How much time do you spend on your newt habit?

[Molch]

I know there are folks here who have a dozen species or more. I don't know how you're doing it :wacko: - I have 2 species plus a fish tank plus Daphnia and I think I can handle maybe one more, but that's it.

How much time every day do you spend messing with your newts and herps - including all the cleaning, water schlepping, maintaining feeder colonies, larvae, etc?

Do you have any time left at all to feed your human larvae (if you have those), make love to your spouses or SO's, cook dinner etc?

 

[Molch]

to start, I spend about 2-3 hrs daily, most of that because I have Daphnia and larvae and brine shrimp at the time, which are work-intense. If it was just the adult newts, maybe about 1-2 hrs a day. That includes my planted fish tank, which needs regular plant clipping.

My other spare time goes to my dog, the Pudden. We skijor in the mountains every day, or when weather is bad, we watch old pirate movies on the couch.

That's my life: work, sleep, dog, newts. I really don't have any time left for a husband or kids, so it's a good thing I don't have any of those

 

[Greatwtehunter]

I spend on average around 6-8 hours a day (Saturdays are twice that!) downstairs in the newt room. I work night shift which allows me most of the day to fart around down there and spend time with the family. Of course it helps that my wife and kids love the hobby almost as much as I do and jump at the chance to help me. My 4 year old can do water changes with the best of them.

 

[Joost]

I try to make a biological balance in all my tanks. With lots of waterplants. Waterchanges aren't that much needed here. I feed the newts twice a week, and that are the days I could spend some little time more. Normally I spend less than an hour per day to my newts. I have around 15-20 tanks, and around 100 animals, excluding all the larvae.

 

[RobM]

I tend to spend a load of time one day a week, and then practically little each day the rest of the week. Sometimes I wish I had more to do! But when I am doing newt stuff, I get on with it and don't fiddle and potter around, so I get through doing stuff very quickly.

Molch, do you include water collection in your predictions?
Justin, do you do water changes with a pipette?

 

[Greatwtehunter]

Justin, do you do water changes with a pipette?

HA! I have to use hoses. I have over 50 aquatic tanks.....Needless to say, there is always a few that need water changes. I'd never be able to leave if I used a turkey baster.

 

[RobM]

HA! I have to use hoses. I have over 50 aquatic tanks.....Needless to say, there is always a few that need water changes. I'd never be able to leave if I used a turkey baster.

50 aquatic tanks... *drools*

 

[Molch]

50 aquatic tanks... *drools*

I'd have to build another house to have space for 50 tanks!

 

[RobM]

I'd have to build another house to have space for 50 tanks!

Let the project commence!

 

[martasauce]

I'd have to build another house to have space for 50 tanks!

I'd have to build another marriage!

 

[Azhael]

I´m a bit like Joost. I have so many plants in my tanks (it´s actually quite ridiculous at times) that water changes can be more relaxed. Adults get fed twice a week, on average, and my juveniles are trained to eat from a piece of paper towel, which simplifies things. The H.dunni are fed almost daily but with such appetites, they don´t require much time.
I do spend quite a lot of time just staring at them like an idiot, though... There are pools of drool under many of my tanks.

 

[freves]

I actually did not vote because unless I am feeding hatchlings/larvae I do not spend everyday with the animals. My schedule is mondays (app 2 hours), wednesdays (app 20 minutes), and fridays (app 4 to 5 hours). Fridays are when I clean tanks, change newspapers, do partial water changes, etc.
Chip

 

[RobM]

I actually did not vote because unless I am feeding hatchlings/larvae I do not spend everyday with the animals. My schedule is mondays (app 2 hours), wednesdays (app 20 minutes), and fridays (app 4 to 5 hours). Fridays are when I clean tanks, change newspapers, do partial water changes, etc.
Chip

Well if you average that out over 7 days, its about an hour a day!

 

[DeCypher]

50 tanks?! I don't know how you can do that. I only have 2 tanks and that is quite enough work for me!

 

[Erzs]

I have to add another "50 tanks !" That's dedication!

I only have 2 tanks at the moment. One is out of use but currently being prepared to be in use again! I spend <1hour a day on my axolotls. But that's just messing in the tank, if I were to add up how many hours I spend talking to them it would be a lot more!

 

[freya]

I spend like 2 hours on my axy's every day!Thats without the talking to them or drooling in front of the tank XD
When im behind my computer i can turn left and see my axy's and they can see me (I'm being watched now)

 

[zoezakella]

Well thanks to all of you that have loads of tanks that has now made hubby breathe a sigh of relief & made me look less high maintenance lol! He kinda moaned when I got my 3rd tank last week, but he also knows not to make too much of a fuss as its a pointless battle and its not hard when our 2 kids love the pets aswell!!!

I am in awe of those of you who have that many tanks and stay sane with all the water changes, the amount of mess I make doing 3 is laughable, plus I always end up stinking of manky water but I blame the goldfish/apple snail tank for that urggggh fish poo!

Plus I am also very lucky to have my 4ft axie tank 1 meter away from my sofa, goldfish tank 2 meters to the right and my soon to be newt and shrimp tank next to my axie tank (newtlets are still in their baby tub).

I have visions for lots more tanks but sadly I dont think my kids would appreciate being chucked worms instead of lunch & dinner so for now I will stick with my 3 as I am kinda fond of my kids

 

[Cas]

Haha ZoeZakella I know what you mean, my poor partner shudders I think every time he sees me looking at second hand tanks on ebay before sizing up our small home working out where I'd put it. But like yours he knows its a battle he wont win and only fights to convince me that the 6 foot tank I want won't fit in the car.

On one hand I envy all you folks with multiple tanks, on the other I wonder how you manage it all. Thankfully my goldfish/platy tank seems to take care of itself and I do water changes once every 3 weeks. Same with my other tanks, and my Betta seems to thrive on tough love. The only one which gets treated better is the axie, she gets a quick clean when needed and regular water changes each week.

All up I spend more time on my self-sufficient but bossy cat than on all the others.

 

[freves]

Well if you average that out over 7 days, its about an hour a day!

True. I suppose I was thinking about it a little too literally.
Chip

 

[Jennewt]

If the question is only about time spent on direct care (not including time spent on Caudata.org), then I think I spend about 1 hour/day, averaged over 7 days of the week, and also averaged across the year. I'm spending less than that right now, but it will be higher than that during the spring when I have larvae that need attention daily. I have about 20 aquatic tanks and about 10 terrestrial setups. I think I do a pretty good job of finding ways to make my setups and feeding/cleaning routines as low-maintenance as possible.