T. shanjing and verrucosus

[foff]

I'm starting with Tylototriton shanjing and verrucosus very soon! And I'm getting some confussion about the setup for these guys! I was planing a semi-aqaristic setup, but I can se that many choose to keep these guys fully aqaristic!

I'm planing to keep these pairwise in 60x30x30 cm tanks!

How do you keep yours and what are the pros and cons?

Please let me know

Best regards
Krsitoffer Bjørn

 

[Otterwoman]

Here are some Tylo homes:

http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=52176

http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?p=136569#post136569

From what I have read, shanjing prefers a terrestrial setup, and verrucosus eventually become aquatic. But that is only what I have read, and not experienced. Perhaps others will chime in.

 

[John]

Dawn is right but put simply, Tylototriton shanjing are terrestrial except when breeding. Tylototriton verrucosus have much higher temperature tolerances than shanjing and they can be quite happy with 100% aquatic conditions all year around, with the exception of the time around metamorphosis when they can drown.

 

[foff]

Hi
Thanks for the quick replies!

Would the shanjing benefit from a 70/30 (land/water) setup or would a bowl/pond do the work?

Strange how there could ever have been confussion, weather these where one or two species!

Thanks
Kristoffer

 

[Mike Gent]

70/30 land water would be good

Hello Kristoffer,

First of all my manners...hello and happy new year.

You would be well advised to contact Ian Riggs (Rigsby) from the members list as he has a very succesfull setup for both the mentioned newt species (And indeed many,many more...he is a genious with caudates) and will I am sure be very valuable with advise.

If you follow his instructions you and your animals will be very healthy and happy.

Louise is also a guru with their health and happiness I gather.

Some more images of Shanjing set ups attached.

Good luck,

Regards,

Mike.



[Photos here were taken by Gord Ellis (left) and Ester van Strien (right), and depict their setups.]

 

[foff]

Thank you very much Mike for the advise and the pictures!
I'm still trying to plan the setup, and I'm thinking about various possibilities!
I have 2 40cm cubes from German ENT could that be fitting for a pair?
I'm planing to create the land part for wood and flat stones covered with java moss, would this be enough or is soil needed for burrowing?

Thanks again! And sorry for alle the rookie questions!

 

[Mike Gent]

Still think Rigsby is your man

Hi,

You are welcome for the info etc.

I must insist that most of my knowledge actually came from listening and learning from Ian Riggs the caudate guru.

All I would add is that (And again this is mainly advice from ian) as long as you keep it simple, dont try too hard, let the animals have what they want and need (Even if that means copying other peoples successfull set-ups) and dont fuss over them too much you will have happy and healthy caudates.

As for size of enclosure....bigger is better of course, but if you cant offer big enclosures, then keep them simple.

The right temperature. The correct amount of land/water mix (In the case of Shanjings...70/30 land to water...with at least 10-20% of it fairly dry. Apparently they like the option) and as with most amphibians, plenty of places to hide in. This will allow the animals to feel secure and will gradually raise their confidence levels and reduce stress.

Again, I must mention that I am NOT an expert...but after listening to good honest advice from people like Ian, my methods of amphibian care changed and have been more succesful ever since.

Hope some of this has been of assistance,

Regards,

Mike.

 

[John]

Mike - Can I join the Ian fan club too? I assume you're president .

 

[louise]

I'm in too, having met Ian and seen his collection!

Mike, thanks for the vote of confidence, but I'm relatively new to keeping shanjings, and still have lots to learn. The setup in pic 2 looks particularly nice.

 

[Mike Gent]

OK,OK....I will come clean!

he he he he!

Ok fellow Caudate loonies....I have to admit that I am a fan of the man 'Riggs'...but only because he tells it like it is.

No 'Bull' about being a mister 'know it all' or merely passing information on learnt from others (I have to admit to the latter at times....but only with information that has proved to work and is from a reliable source).

He lets the animals have what they are used to and need:-

Basic, naturalistic set ups as close to their original habitat as possible....not to look pretty or aesthetically pleasing to him, but to offer the animals choice, hiding places, security and balance.

Temperatures sympathetic to each species.

Food when food is relevent....not too much or too little..."when they are hungry...they will eat".

Stability...he doesnt go over board with regards to cleaning constantly and 'fussing' about in 'their' homes. He allows each enclosure to establish its own 'eco-system' no matter how small....therefore 'good' enzimes etc can help 'cleanse' the animals habitat just as it would do in the wild. By doing sensible cleaning and partial water changes he allows the occupants the opportunity to just 'live' in 'their' homes without the constant moving around and change.

Having said that, if others choose to keep animals in more clinical environments and it works for them and the animals are happy and healthy, then great. Each to their own. If it works/its not broke...dont fix it!

All I am saying with regards to Ian, is that his success with many species (especially those often termed as 'difficult' to keep or breed) and the obvious good health of all of his animals, are a credit to him and the lifetime of dedication he has put into this subject.

Not enough people in the world get a genuine pat on the back for hard work.....I guess I am old fashioned for my 'young' 38 years and give credit where its due.

"As for how much Ian is paying me to say all these nice things?......not nearly enough!!! ha ha" (Thats a joke by the way!)

My attitude to amphibian care changed drastically from talks with Ian (and Mike East...another caudate guru who I have an awfull lot of respect for) and after considering who benefits the most from me looking after animals of this type....me or them...I altered my attitude in many ways.

The result ? healthier animals and less stress for us all!

Sorry for the long essay gang, just trying to point people in the right direction for the right reasons!

Until our next installment....

MG.

 

[Jennewt]

Mike, thank you for all the info you have posted. It's all very useful. The long "essay" is wonderful. However, when you post other people's photos, please be sure to credit the original photographer. The first photo you posted belongs to Gord Ellis. The second photo belongs to Ester van Strien. I will leave them here, as I'm sure neither of these people objects to having their photo re-posted. I will edit your post to reflect the source of the photos. Thanks!

 

[foff]

Talking about off-topic
Thanks anyway I direct my furture questions to my new thread

 

[Jennewt]

Strange how there could ever have been confussion, weather these where one or two species!

Returning to topic, there is still some debate about them being 2 species or not. See:
http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=51197

 

[Mike Gent]

Hello and sorry

Mike, thank you for all the info you have posted. It's all very useful. The long "essay" is wonderful. However, when you post other people's photos, please be sure to credit the original photographer. The first photo you posted belongs to Gord Ellis. The second photo belongs to Ester van Strien. I will leave them here, as I'm sure neither of these people objects to having their photo re-posted. I will edit your post to reflect the source of the photos. Thanks!

Hi,

Thank you for the positive comments and the slap on the hand for the lack of creditation for the pics.!

I hadnt meant to use other peoples material carelessly...and both certainly DO deserve credit for their lovely set-ups/happy animals and fine photography.

Alas...my technological limitations held me back!

Regards,

Mike.

 

[rigsby]

thanks for the vote of confidence Mike (cheques in the post)