Newt Eggs

You have the timeline correct: they begin metamorphosis (and possible climbing) at about 3 months after hatching. They won't jump, but they may climb, even before they have fully lost their gills.

There are a whole host of "symptoms" you will notice at this time: shrinkage of the gills, shrinkage of the tail fin, changes in head shape, change in belly color (beginning to be red), etc.

You seem to be really worried about this, so what I would suggest doing one of the following, beginning at about 2.5 months after the first one hatched. (1) start using a lid, or (2) apply a rim of duct tape all around the tub/tank to create a 1-inch overhang. Either of these will prevent any of them from climbing out. See:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/escape.shtml
 
How do I properly disinfect a used tank? I used a mild bleach and water solution for the tank my parent newts are in now, and I recall running the filter for a couple of days to get the water circulating, as well. I can't remember exactly the ratio of water to bleach that I used. And, of course, I rinsed it very well. How do I prepare rock or new plastic plants that are going into the tank? Also, somebody at a local store told me that a vinegar/water solution functions the same way; as a disinfectant. All these questions I have in preparation for my babies!!!!
 
I have a confession – in 15 years of keeping newts I’ve not once used a bleach solution to disinfect anything…. That said I have used boiling water and the microwave on occasions for some porous decorations, (wood, cork, substrate etc) to kill off mites or fungus gnat infestations. All you really need for general cleaning of tanks or new decorations is some hot water and elbow grease. I would only resort to bleaching items if I thought they were contaminated with disease - thankfully that situation hasn’t arisen for me. Vinegar isn’t really an effective disinfectant.

If my 15 years of non-bleaching has still left you feeling paranoid you can soak non-porous items in a 10% bleach solution. Rinse them well and place them in water with regular aquarium de-chlorinator before use.
 
Hi, All.

I have some sad news...Two of my babies died within a couple days of each other. I can't figure out what this was caused by. I know occasionally, when I go to pick them up with the medicine dropper, they sometimes get stuck going in, and perhaps they have suffered injury due to this??? I don't know how else to pick them up...I've been trying to be as careful as I can be. Could it be something else that has caused them to die? The oldest larva that I have is not quite 2 months old. Please offer some advice! Thanks!
 
When I need to move larvae, I either pour off most of the water, then pour the larvae. Or use a turkey baster. In general, it's better to avoid moving them, if possible.

Do you really mean an eyedropper? I'm wondering if they are too big to fit through the opening. Or if they do fit, perhaps aren't growing well enough? Are they eating well?
 
They do fit, so perhaps they are not eating well. I've been feeding them the frozen bloodworms and using an eyedropper to move the food around. Sometimes, I'll see a baby with a worm in its mouth, but I am concerned they are not eating...any suggestions???
 
Well, the eyedropper is a bigger eyedropper, I suppose. I have seen growth, but not a huge amount of growth. Also, I have not noticed any wastes that the babies are producing. Should I be worried???
 
If you have live plants in your tanks, I'd recommend providing some to the babies. A bare tank/container isn't the best. What happened with the live blackworms?
 
I have some plastic plants that I will put in the container for the babies. I have been feeding the larvae frozen bloodworms for a few weeks now, since the live blackworms went bad. I do, on occasion, see worms hanging out of their mouths, so I suppose they are eating something. I also just fed the babies and used tweezers to wave a worm in front of their face, and one little guy was grabbing onto it, hopefully taking a bite, I suppose.
I also just put in 3 pellets in addition to the worms. I figure these dissolve into tiny crumbs, so they might be easy to grab at when the babies hop around trying to get food. The larvae do move around the container when I move the food around for them, so perhaps they are eating. It's so hard to tell. I'm just worried. They seem awfully small, still.

Also, how long can I keep food in the container for the babies? I have been removing it after an hour or so. May I keep it in longer..even over night???
 
Some of my babies have now died. I have been reading a lot from the caudata.org website to investigate what had happened, and I believe it was air bubbles trapped inside the babies that caused them to die. The surviving larvae seem to be doing well.

I am still worried about the amount that they are eating, but I sat with tweezers and frozen worms the past few days to make sure they were at least eating one worm each. That seemed to work. They do seem awfully small, still, which is concerning me. I can't figure out how much growth should have already taken place at 2 months now.



You have mentioned starting to use a lid at the 2.5 month mark. I have my babies in two separate containers now. Do I just poke holes in the lids and then place them on top of the containers? Will this do?


I am also wanting to maybe get the tank set up in the next little while. I am going to disinfect the tank with a bleach solution as it is a used tank from a local pet store. Do I need to put gravel in the tank early on? I am worried that it will only trap dirt and serve no purpose other than that. Also, I would imagine for newt larvae, very shallow water is best. Maybe only an inch or two at this point...that's all I have in the containers right now. Also, do I need to use a filter early on when the larvae move into the tank?

It's hard to imagine setting up the tank at this point, as the larvae still seem so small. I just want to be prepared, though.

Thanks!
 
Good news! I am now feeding the larvae live blackworms and they are definitely eating. :D

1. How long can I keep live food in the container with the larvae?

2.I have been using a medicine dropper every day to move the larvae to another container while I've been doing full water changes. Is it best to do smaller water changes and just clean out leftover food with a turkey baster?

3.Jennewt mentioned to avoid moving the larvae around, but how do I wipe out the container without transferring the babies to another one?

4. I'm going to move the larvae into the tank soon, where there will be a lid for them. Do I need to use a filter right away?


Thanks again for all the help!
 
For the new tank, don't add gravel. DO add lots of live plants, if possible. Disinfecting with diluted bleach is fine, just be sure to rinse well, and be especially careful about bleaching any porous items (gravel, rocks, etc) as it won't all rinse out.

1. I would leave some live blackworms in there at all times. Each day, add roughly the amount they will eat in a day. If there are no leftovers, add slightly more. If there are lots left over, add less.

2. You could probably do smaller changes, but it really depends on the water volume, type of food etc. Hard to give a pat answer.

3. I pour them from one container to the next. If you're using simple setups, then you do need to clean well and I generally move them and wipe the containers. Other people don't bother with wiping the container. I think you just have to figure out what works for you.

4. You don't need a filter, but if the lid is solid (not screen), an airstone would be a good idea.
 
Thanks, Jennewt. This is helpful. I was worried to leave any live food in the container for fear of contaminating it, but my understanding now is that it's good to leave it in there. I'll try to do smaller water changes daily ( some worms might get cleared out this way, unfortunately), and I will try to clean out the container a couple times a week by maybe using a bigger cup to scoop them up. That might work.

Once the tank is set up and they are living in there ( which will be in a few days, probably) I won't be wiping the tank out. We'll see what happens. I just want them to be happy and healthy!
 
Oh! One more thing for now. I just got in touch with a pet store that supplies live plants. The woman I spoke to advised me to use a fluorescent light above the tank for the plants. Must I do this and will this heat the tank...I want it to stay cool.

Also, you mentioned for the new tank not to use gravel or a filter...do you recommend ever putting gravel or a filter in , or is it best to always leave the tank bare bottomed without a filter? for the parent newts, I have always had both gravel and a filter....
 
Fluorescents will not heat the tanks, but can be pretty bright. You may or may not need this, depending on the type of plants you're using.

Bare-bottom tanks make maintenance on juveniles a LOT easier! You can clean up poo, and monitor feeding a lot better. When I'm raising little ones, I keep them unfiltered until they're about 2 inches long, and then switch them to a sponge filter. They don't get a real filter until they're in the adult (read: permanent) tanks.
 
Thanks, Kaysie.


Can I get away without a real filter until the larvae have grown if I'm cleaning the tank daily? Right now, all i have is a brand new Fluval 2 filter (same as what is in the adult tank) and have noticed that a sponge filter requires an air stone to function...this seems to be getting costly.
 
If you're doing daily cleaning and frequent water changes, you don't need a filter at all.
 
Will the tank have a screen lid or a hood or a glass lid? My answer to the airation/filtration questions depends on this.

You probably do need the fluorescent light, unless the tank will get other forms of light (plenty of indirect window light, for example).
 
In that case, you don't even need an airstone. The Fluval is certainly too powerful for a larvae setup. After they morph, you are likely to have to lower the water level to a very shallow setup. Rearing the morphs on land is also an option.
 
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