Questions about becoming aquatic.

[Azhael]

So i´ve been trying to find as much information about this as i could find and the result was....limited. I was told the transition from eft to aquatic adult is quite the challenge with N.viridescens. The experience i´ve heard was with WC animals, which apparently suffered a high mortality rate when transitioning to the aquatic phase.
I have a few questions about this, the most important one being when should they be given the opportunity to choose to be aquatic? what size/age?? I have a large juvenile, meassuring over 7cm long. I have no intention of trying to get it to be aquatic, but i´m VERY curious as to when in the future would be a good and safe time to do so.

Also, is it common to have problems with this newts and their natural transsition to adult life??? Or is it just a problem us europeans have with WC imports?
What´s the best way to introduce them to water? Shallow water, and slowly increasing depth technique?

I haven´t been able to find virtually any info on this issue, so any help will be apreciated

 

[Holding2k9]

Possibly you could consider a 50/50 divide in your tank this could give your newt the option to become aquatic or not . if it spends considerably more time in the water reduce its land

i hope this is a decent answer

 

[Otterwoman]

I think it's the challenge between aquatic larvae and eft. They morph but then all die off slowly.
If you have an well-established eft, that is old and large enough to go aquatic (fully grown), that is the easy part. I have collected several efts that I now have as aquatic adults.
And as Holding2k9 said, giving them a choice is a good plan. I think I did something like that, but I do remember I had one eft that got so fat because it was easier to feed them terrestrially, that I just decided one day he needed exercise and dumped him in the pond tank. He took to it immediately.

Dawn

 

[slowfoot]

This is the issue I'm starting to worry about right now My biggest eft is 2 years old now and really quite fat. I think it might be time to set up a transition tank for him. I'm terrified, however, that I'll wake up one morning to find that he's drowned himself.

Dawn, how big were your efts when they 'became' aquatic?

 

[katebutton]

I have three efts from last season and they're all in a 50/50 tank. One of them decided he didn't want to be terrestrial and has always been in the water basically 100% of the time, even though he hasn't developed the broader, aquatic tail yet. The other two never go in. Their parents were already fully aquatic adults when I got them, so I can't help much on when they make the morphological changes.

 

[Holding2k9]

Possibly you could also show us some pictures therefore it can indicate to us what you could do .
i hope my recent comment has helped a few people with their options

 

[slowfoot]

Possibly you could also show us some pictures therefore it can indicate to us what you could do .

Here is a picture of the fatty this morning: http://www.caudata.org/photoplog/index.php?n=2177
He/she is about 2.5 inches long and a little over two years old.

I actually tried looking through the literature (using Web of Science) for any kind of references to efts becoming aquatic adults, but had no luck.

 

[Holding2k9]

To me your big girl seems in mint condition.
if this is not too much trouble could you send me a private mail with pictures of your set up.
then i can offer you some good advice