T. gran eggs and larva

[audrey]

My T. granulosa couple mated this year and so far momma has laid around 75 eggs. Here are some pics.

 

[Jennewt]

That's fantastic, Audrey! This is a species that, for some reason, infrequently produces eggs in captivity. How long have you had the adults? Congratulations!

 

[Jake]

Congrats on the eggs Audrey. See, I told you it wasn't common for them to lay in captivity You really should tell everyone the "Audrey method", I wanted to breed them and tried for a while, but gave up and moved on to other newts.

 

[jcb118]

agreed. There are many of us who would be very interested in how you managed to get these guys to breed successfully. The more details the better, especially about the temperature over the past few months.
edit: oh and congratulations and good luck!

 

[audrey]

T. gran breeding

Well first off I have only kept newts for two years and never tried to breed them. So I can just tell you what I did and maybe that will be helpful. My only goal has been to keep my newts happy and healthy so any new things that I read on this site I started doing...thanks!
I have had the female for probably about two years and I got her in decent condition and the male for a year maybe but when I got him he looked horrible. If fact he doesn't even look like the same newt now.
I keep them in a thirty gallon aquarium with plastic plants, bare bottom, and submersed filter which I put plants under to redirect some of the water flow. This winter the newts were in a room with a window slightly open, but I'm sure the temp didn't get much below 60 F. I haven't changed any temps for the seasonal effect. I still keep them somewhere around 65 F.
I feed them primarily black worms about once a week.
The "Audrey Method" as Jake calls it is just my theory that maybe what sent them into mating was not water temp but rather access to spring sunlight. I moved in March and was forced to keep my newts in a room that got a lot of southern sun exposure (though I live in Iowa which means it's not that intense). I tried to block it out but my T.gran tank and T. cristatus tank were in front of the window and now both of them have breed successfully this spring. I have thermometers on the tanks so I know that my water temp did not increase significantly from the sun light.
(I just came up with this idea because I have a lizard whose system responds to the natural sunlight no matter what the conditions are in his tank. I know amphibians and reptiles are different, but I couldn't think of any other reason that they would have bred when I didn't do anything).
Has anyone else noticed this to be relevent?

 

[Ester]

Congratulations Audry, I am really looking forward to seeing pictures of the little ones growing up!

 

[Jake]

I've noticed that several species of frog go into breeding mode more readily with an increace of light in the spring.

 

[Jennewt]

Thanks for posting details, Audrey. This information is more valuable than you know. When it comes to figuring out how to get a particular species to breed, information like this is really all we have to go on.

There has been some speculation with other species that sunlight or day length can be a stimulus for breeding. So it's quite possible that a bright room had some effect. I also think that, although you haven't gone out of your way to vary the temperature, it's undoubtedly warmer in summer than in winter, and even a small, consistent shift like this is enough for many species to decide to breed.

 

[audrey]

Well I suppose that there may have been small fluxuations in temperature, but I keep my newts in a closed room that I have always tried to keep at a constant of 65F year around. I am pretty sure that I have at least maintained temps between 60F and 70F. Do you think that is enough change?

 

[apples]

Congratulations Audrey and thank you for sharing your breeding information.

Those look like viable eggs. Please do keep us updated with their development.

 

[John]

Congratulations and well done Audrey!

 

[audrey]

New pictures

Here are some new pictures of the T. grans. I think momma has laid around 150 eggs so far and they are still getting busy!

 

[dane_zu]

thats really awesome, keep up the good work

 

[apples]

Hi Audrey,

Any updates? I hope you haven't been trying to raise all 150 yourself--that might explain your absence.

*Edit: Oh dear, I see the other thread now. Forgive me, I've been working in lab 24/7*

 

[uwe]

Hi Audrey,

Congratulations for your breeding success, which is always something special.

Concerning the statement, that these animals breed rarely in captivity is (fortunately) not true. They breed quite well. For example: my animals breed for >10years every year with no big problem.

See you

Uwe