T.m.pygmaeus--cannibalism, or Houdini trick?

[platinum]

This probably sounds mad, but has anyone any experience of a female pygmy marbled newt eating her mate?

I bought a sexed pair at the end of May. Since I've had them both have been enthusiastic eaters who ate worms from tweezers, then my fingers, within three days. Each night they're ready and waiting betwen 7 and 8pm for food.

Tonight, I showed up to find the female curled up on the usual flat stone looking a touch listless and with a swollen belly. No interest in food. No sign of the male. Fearing illness, I put the female into isolation and started to look for the male. I've taken the viv apart--no sign of him.

The viv is a conventional glass one with a mesh strip along the top and two sliding front doors. It's divided with a Perspex (plexiglas) strip--one third two inches of water, the other part land, consisting of pebbles, weed membrane and Eco earth coco fibre mixed with sterile top soil, in all about three cms deep. In the substrate is a depression covered with the flat rock and on top of that a curved piece of cork bark. The only vegetation is a small fern and a small clump of baby tears plant.

They were transferred to this semi-aquatic tank from a fully aquatic tank with haul out rocks just over a week ago. Both have been feeding well on earthworms, lesser waxworm grubs and fruit flies.

I've searched the room which is prepared for newts only and has a tiled floor and benches for the tanks. I've also searched a tank on the floor in which I keep a few spare water plants. No sign of Houdini.

Sorry for the length of this, but I'm baffled and the only answer I can think of is cannibalism.

Barry

 

[Jennewt]

All of the possibilities seem unlikely, but one must be true. It's unlikely for an adult newt to eat another adult of similar size. If they were the same size, it may be impossible. Escape is possible, and not finding the newt in the room is normal. Often when they escape, no body is ever found. I also think perhaps it's possible that houdini is hiding in the tank, perhaps buried into the substrate, or under the weed-block somehow. In a complex tank, it's amazing where they can hide. I hope you find him.

 

[rigsby]

if your feedind fruit flies and lesser wax worm then i take it the are juves but then you say you have a sexed pair so now i'm not sure. Was there a big difference in size ,its amazing what a newt can swallow but its also amazing how they can escape. If the newts are small ,as jen says he may be just hiding maybe in the roots of the plant..hope he turns up but not out of the backside of your female..

 

[platinum]

T.m. pygmaeus-cannibalism...?

Thanks Jennifer and Ian for your comments.

The male newt is still missing despite another thorough search...

The female is still without appetite!

Ian: I don't know their age for sure, but the female is 8cms nose to tail tip. The male was perhaps one centimetre shorter.

The gap between the viv's doors is approximately 3mms.

Can they slip through a gap that small?

Jennifer: If it has escaped the door of the room is six feet from a constantly open exterior door out to an orchard...and a half-barrel pond full of frogs and tadpoles. I'm sure you're right about never seeing it again.