Marm crest

[richierich]

The larger of the two marmoratus that i received this year has devleoped a crest, but thing that bothers me is that he is still terrestrial. He seems to be shy of the water but he has a definite 1 mm high crest running down his spine. Is this normal at all? the other one is a fair bit smaller - by about 3/4 of an inch and still has the bright orange stipe down its back. Should i try "forcing" them to go aquatic? or just the larger one? any help would be appreciated.

thanks - rich

 

[Azhael]

It´s normal as far as i know. Males will develop a crest when they are sexually mature. This crest is always noticiable. It gets larger when they are in breeding attire but during the rest of the year it remains as a tiny 1mm crest as yours has. You should also notice a white band on it´s tail....
Two of my marms have a tiny crest a swollen cloaca and a bright white sheen, yet they don´t show any interest in breeding (they are still small young males). As for the smaller one, it may need more time, or maybe it´s a female. I wouldn´t force them to be aquatic...you can try by putting them into a tank with very shallow water, shallow enough for them to not be covered, with lots of plants. If they still don´t show any interest...just be patient...they will eventually go aquatic when the time comes.

 

[richierich]

thanks. i didnt really know what to do, as whether or not to force them, so im going to do a 50/50 aquatic tank now, as opposed to just a small pool. I will probably install a silicone divider to make it interesting. I hope the other one is a female