Stress and death in young juveniles

[harleyquine]

Hiya,

I currently have about 30 newtlets just about ready to come out of the water and three already on land. The land ones have been out for about a week and a half now and I'm a bit worried because I haven't seen them eat. They're still looking a bit podgy though so I'm hoping they eat when I'm not looking (I still put food out).

I tried moving three newtlets to a pet store last monday but the next day when I went to check on them, one had died and the other two were miserable, so I took them home again. Are they really that fussy about where they live that they can die? Or was it maybe some other factor such as the other tank having too much water in it, or the wrong temperature? When I got them home one of them was on its back and I thought it was dead already but when I put them in the tank they seemed to come round and now they're doing fine again.

So.. my questions are.. how long until I start worrying about the land newts not eating?
When they grow older will moving them to another aquarium be a problem and how can I help the process? and...
Is it possible for the mummy newts to suffer seperation anxiety from the babies? I know... they're reptiles.. but my two female newts have been acting oddly. One of them seems to have cheered up after I stopped moving the eggs (there are a few babies in there with them now). Newts are amazing to watch develop Thanks in advance and sorry for the novella.

 

[evut]

Hi,

sorry to hear you're having trouble with your newts (amphibians, not reptiles, by the way).

I think you could add some more information:
- species (I assume C. orientalis?)
- how big are they
- how are you keeping them (what set-up)
- what are you feeding them

Regarding the pet shop experience, how big were these animals? And when you say maybe there was too much water - were these still larval or morphed?
It sounds like they may have been too young for anything less then intensive personal care. The fact that they morph doesn't mean they will grow into adults...it is a very difficult time for them and it can take weeks before they start feeding and become strong enough to withstand any stressful conditions again.

I'm going to stop guessing because many things just aren't clear from what you wrote so please add more details.

And regarding the mother - child issues, that's really not likely with newts.
And last, have you read this http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/raising_juveniles.shtml