Paddle tail Newt babies

[Morm]

So I got a Paddle tail newt a few weeks ago and she started hiding in a cave all of a sudden, all the time. Just yesterday, I noticed little tiny tadpoles swimming around in the water- about 30 of them so far.

I removed them from the mom, since they are pretty aggressive. It's a good thing I did, she ate a TON of food that night in a rampage and was pretty aggressively moving through the tank to sniff it out.

I have frozen rotifers to feed the youngins. What can I expect from these guys?

 

[caudatadude28]

Newly hatched and young newts wont eat frozen foods, for the most part. Try FINELY chopped blackworms, live baby brine shrimp, baby daphnia, baby whiteworms, pond water. On a side note, you are very lucky to get tadpoles(newt larvae) out of a paddletail newt. They dont breed very commonly in the hobby. Try your best to raise as many as you can.

 

[Azhael]

Pictures!!!
Pictures, please!
xD

This is certainly a rare event. The female was obviously gravid when captured in China. This happens with other species, but it´s the first time i ever heard of it with P.labiatus.
I don´t want to jinx it, but you should probably know that this species has traditionally been very hard to breed and raise. Of the rare occasions when people have succesfully bred them, many have failed to raise them at all.
It would certainly be brilliant if you succeeded. Best of lucks!

 

[Jennewt]

In terms of general advice on rearing, have you read the rearing article on Caudata Culture? Is there any chance that you could come up with live food for them? Perhaps daphnia from a local pond? Finely chopped live blackworms? Feeding with frozen food has occasionally succeeded, but usually fails. It's a last resort at best.

In terms of specifics for rearing this species, you are in uncharted territory. There are VERY few people who've ever seen eggs/larvae of this species.

 

[Morm]

I'm familiar with raising reptiles and I've worked with amphibians a bit as well.

These guys seem to be devouring the frozen rotifers. They cluster near the food and I do see them picking at them every now and then, but I can also clearly still see a yoke sack. I see no external gills nor balancers...I realized there were goldfish in this tank before and after a cleaning, the newt was put in. There may have been some goldfish eggs in the gravel.

They are so damn small it's only thanks to due diligence that I noticed them at all. I'll wait a few weeks before making a judgement call, because if they are newts I want every one of them to live. If they are goldfish, Sigrouney the Newt will revenge eat every single one of them on my behalf.

 

[Azhael]

Mmmmmm....sounds like they are not newt larvae after all.
A picture will clarify everything instantly, so please try to take one.

 

[Morm]

they are waaay too tiny to get a photo with my camera. I have a simple point and shoot.

I'll keep you guys updated and film the massacre if it happens. The odd thing is that the mother started hiding in a cave in her cage for a few days before the babies appeared. Now she's voracious...she's eating more than I would have thought, which can never hurt regardless because I want her fat. It will please me.

 

[CherryBlossom]

what came of the larvae?