Newt Eggs

Hi, Jennifer...

From what I gather from the reading I've done, I am not to put a lid on the worms in the fridge. May I poke a few holes in the lid of the worm container and keep this on the container instead?It makes me feel a bit uneasy to keep live worms in my refrigerator.


Thanks again for your prompt responses.

Oh...and "aged" water just refers to water that has been sitting for a little while, right???
 
I keep my blackworms in a large tupperware with holes in the lid. As for worms in the fridge, it's not as gross as you might think.

Aged water is water that has been treated with dechlorinator (if needed) and left to sit for 24-48 hours (or more).
 
Hi, All! I have now purchased the live worms, and am getting used to caring for them, and preparing them for my newt larvae....it's quite the adventure. My concern now is that the larvae are still not interested in eating them. I know the larvae are all alive, as when I move the container, they swim around. One appeared to jump around for a few seconds upon feeding them, but mostly, they are staying still. Two are on their 5th day after having hatched, and 2 are younger than that. Any suggestions???
 
Be sure that the blackworms are chopped small enough to be eaten (but large enough to still wiggle) and keep trying. Sometimes it helps to pick out the smallest blackworms.

The worms do need a lid, as they sometimes climb up the sides. Be sure that the water is just barely deep enough to cover them - they need to be able to reach the surface or they will die off.
 
I have used nylon stockings to cover both blackworm containers and newt/larvae enclosures, and they have worked pretty well. By using nylons I don't ruin any lids that I may want to use for something else other than caudate keeping in the future, and I like the visibility afforded by using the mesh nylons. And the container I keep my blackworms in didn't come with a lid, and I was pretty disgusted one day to open the mini fridge I keep for newt food only to find black worms EVERYWHERE. So I like the nylon covers.
Ya, I am probably the only girl I know who buys stockings for animal keeping purposes...
 
Hi, all....


It's been quite a few days ( about 10 days for some of the babies) now since 6 of my baby newts have hatched. I could see the yolk on some of them up until a couple of days ago, and it is still there on the youngest larvae. I have attempted to feed the larvae live blackworms, but they don't seem too interested in these. I have chopped them up very small, but still big enough for them to wiggle. I have left some big, some small in the container, to experiment. I have, on occasion, noticed a couple of the larvae "hopping" around once or twice, but not continuously. I leave the worms in the container with the larvae for quite some time to see if they will eat, but upon returning, it seems as though nothing has been eaten.I'm very concerned that these little guys are not eating. They are all still alive, and do appear to be growing. What do you suggest I do? I am really worried they are not eating.
 
I suspect they are eating when you aren't watching. At this stage, they might eat only one piece of worm per day. If you saw them hopping once or twice, that is all I would expect from them. They won't become "eating machines" until a couple of weeks from now! Try to look closely at the color of their belly. Sometimes you can see a dark spot where the food is.
 
Thanks! I can't seem to see their bellies, as they are no longer laying on their sides, so it's hard to see a bit of black. I do see some of the yellow yolk still on a couple of their tummies. That makes me feel much better...I'll try not to worry so much any more.
 
Hello, again!

I just reread the website page about housing larvae and it said that I'm to do a partial water change every day, but I have been doing a total water change each day for my larvae. I do the total change because I am feeding my babies live worms in their container and want to make sure that it is completely free of worms once they are done eating. I want their space to be clean.

Also, one of my babies had dinner tonight and it appears to still have a bit of worm hanging out of its mouth....it's been like this for a couple of hours....should I be worried?
 
Total changes are fine. You can leave the live food in there most of the time, though, so they can eat at will.

I wouldn't worry about the worm hanging out of the mouth. He'll get it down.
 
Here's another one for ya....


I noticed one of my babies has a red spot on its belly...I noticed it immediately after feeding. It's close to its throat, not quite all the way at its belly...what might this be? It seems healthy and happy...I'm just wondering about this one.
 
When I fed my larvae blood worms I thought later I had done something awful to them..they appeared to have red 'blobs under their skin arround their throat and stomach area. When reason kicked in I realised it was the blood worms . A month or two down the line I noticed that a number of the larvae/ juvenile had noticable lumps down one side, I was about to hop on line with my tales of woe . Whilst studying this awfull deformaty I realised that the lumps where more or less identical to the pellets they had just been fed! The stomach areas on the larvae and juveniles are generally very pale and translucent, so brighter coloured food shows through.
 
Just a few questions:



1. How do I know if the live blackworms I have are going bad ( I've had them for about a month now)?

2.When might I try to feed my larvae frozen bloodworms instead of the live blackworms I've been feeding them? I tried to feed them the frozen worms today, and I just made sure to put lots in the container as well as move them around with an eyedropper...it looks like a couple of the babies ate some. I also keep the food in for a while so they can eat when they want to.

3. When can I expect my Chinese Firebelly babies to morph? I just want to be sure I have everything prepared for when they do...


thanks!
 
1. If the blackworms were going bad, you'd know it!:tongue:

2. No harm in this, as long as the dead bloodworms don't stay long enough to foul the water.

3. About 3 months after hatching.

Congrats on getting them this far along:famous:
 
Thanks for your reply and for your congrats! It's been a lot of work so far, but really rewarding. These little guys sure are cute.
 
The babies are doing really well...I've been feeding them frozen bloodworms over the past couple of days, and I think they are eating...it's hard to tell, but they are hopping around a lot, so I figure they are.

Just one question for today....

Amethyst, the mother, is acting really strange lately. I've noticed since this whole baby thing, she's moving around on her side a lot, and I just found her lying flat on her back by her plant....I was terrified thinking she was dead, but she's alive, thank goodness....is this a normal way to behave during pregnancy??? It's very odd to see...up until she began laying eggs, she'd just move around right-side up...not sideways, and certainly not upside down...it's very strange to me.
 
Is your female still eating well, and has she had any changes in skin texture or color? These, among other symptoms, can be signs of illness.

Are you sure she was not attempting to lay more eggs? My Cp female would go into all sorts of strange positions when laying her eggs, including on her back or sides. If you notice your female doing this again, watch her rear legs - if she is clasping plant material in them and pushing her cloaca against the plant, than I think you can rest assured she is just laying more eggs.

Have fun with your little larvae. They are a lot of work but it is so cool to see them develop into little newts!
 
Yeah...that must be what she's up to...she does continue to lay more eggs every day or two, and I suspect this may go on for a while longer. She's eating just the same and otherwise, she's healthy- no discoloration of skin or anything like that. Thanks for your reply!
 
When do I need to watch for the larvae to start being able to jump out and climb about???How long after hatching? I thought it was when they metamorphose,( so in about 3 months' time) but is it sooner???
 
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