N. strauchii

J

josh

Guest
hey guys, i have a group of 6 N. strauchii. they are about 4 inches long. not sure of age (dave knows all this info) but, i was wondering how i should go about housing them and if i can keep them aquatically at this age. also, how big do these guys get at maturity?? thank you very much and take care

-josh
 
hey jennifer, i did get your post. thank you very much! as for the max size, how big are the adults usually? thank you again

-josh
 
Ed and I were wondering the same thing-- would you say they're around the size of a P. ruber? The size the literature says doesn't relate to the body shape-- that's what we were curious about as well.
j
 
Josh,

I also have a lot of six from the same batch. Like you, I am new to this species and am actively trying to get information from experienced keepers regarding their husbandry. However, this has been my experience with them so far... Initially, I tried a shallow-water aquatic setup, but they all tried desperately to escape it. For that reason, along with the "talk" of sudden death in aquatically maintained Neurergus, I decided to play it "safe" an keep them terrestrially...at least for now.

I have the animals in somewhat temporary quarters; I am keeping them in separate plastic storage containers (with lots of ventilation holes) on moistened paper towel with a water source and flat stones/clay pot shards for them to hide beneath. I like this setup right now mainly because I can easily control the density of prey items; I can closely monitor what gets eaten, and I can eliminate any competition between the animals. At this point, I mostly want to make sure that all the individuals are feeding and maintaining good body weight. So far so good, although I am finding that these animals are relatively delicate feeders and shy (on land at least). Nevertheless, one of the strauchii took a cricket from a pair of forceps last night, so maybe they will grow bolder?

Good luck,
Sal
 
I know other keepers who have some (since they're all from the same batch) already have theirs aquatic. Are you sure they were reacting negatively to the water and not climbing and such out of stress from an environmental change? I definitely understand how you would be paranoid about these guys, they are really fantastic.
j
 
sure, it could have definitely been the stress of a new environment that prompted their reaction to the aquatic setup. In light of the debate regarding this species maintenance (and my inexperience with them), however, I just wanted to err on the side of caution. Yes, these animals are too fantastic not succumb to paranoia!

It would be nice to know something about the hydrology of the mountain streams from which this species originates, and if standing water is ever available year round?
 
from what ive read, standing water is available in small amounts. and from what ive heard, they go aquatic to breed after the spring floods recede and there are large still or slow moving pools for them to breed in. i dont know for sure however. my strauchii were acting the same way when i tried to get them aquatic. i have a feeling it is just stress from environmental change. i am going to try again when i get a set up that i feel is proper for them (alkaline, lots of rocks and plants). last night, i put my marmoratus in a shallow aquatic setup with a small portion of land...they all went directly into the water head first and have stayed under. i have kept them terrestrial for over a year and fed them well, let them acclimate and then tried introducing them to water (they had the same problem my strauchii are having now) so maybe if we give the strauchii some time to acclimate, they may take to water much easier. hey justin, just my luck.... i have 3 leucs (2 males and one female) and one auratus whos sex i did not know... well, i know now...she is trying to breed with my leucs and is full of eggs. so im separating them and getting her a boyfriend and a viable female for the leucs. the frogs i want to breed wont, and the frogs i dont want to breed...try to. GRRR!!
 
I should state that I am not experienced personally with Caudates, but it seems that from friend's experience that most of them at the appropriate age will switch to being aquatic with some patience and knowing the animals. Obviously there are drownings and some species will not switch as readily as others, but if it were up to me and I was in your place I would put them in a tank with a few inches of water, some plants to let them readily climb out on and some floating cork. Keep a close eye on them and give them a few days. I saw Mike Shrom's and his are aquatic-- again, since all of them are the same age yours are probably ready as well. Or you could take Jen's lead and split your groups and try it that way. But what do I know, I'm an old dart frog guy.

Josh, at least you know the sexes of them now... That group is hard to sex, no worries. Just stop by Greg and Amanda's and get some more.
j
 
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