Paramesotriton

[mark]

Hi all

I'm receiving a few Paramesotriton chinensis(?) in a few days. Is it best to keep them in water right from the start or better first on land?

Greets

 

[chris]

That depends on how they have been kept previously... are they pet trade or longterm captives? I give all my Paramesotriton a corkbark island, with a curved piece on top to serve as a cave. They may take a while to settle down. Watch out for aggression - the dark form of chinensis is one of the more aggressive paramesotriton
Chris

 

[mark]

Yeah they are from the pet-trade but should be in good condition. I prepared a tank, with no lighting and a few caves, they should like it...

Thanks
Mark

 

[frank]

A good way to tell if they are doing fine (this is what I saw with P. chinensis imported in Belgium) is that they turn from almost black (which can be considered a stress colour unless the animals are juveniles) into a light brown. I would keep them in pairs and even then, there might be some aggression. I have found these Paramesotritons to be the most aggressive of the species I kept until now (P. caudopunctatus, hongkongensis, fuzhongensis, chinensis). If they are wild caught, they probably were in the aquatic phase. In my experience, the animals only leave the water when temperatures are rising (> approx 25°C) or when water quality is insufficient.

 

[TJ]

That's a very interesting observation about the color transition, Frank

 

[chris]

I am not sure...there are two poulations of chinensis - an inland and a more coastal population. One population is the brown, putty coloured animal which you have described, but the other is a dark chocolate to black colour. I have two of these. They are in excellent condition (and have been for nearly a year), and have come close to breeding, and have been black all the time. This form is very warty.
Chris