Question: Triturus dobrogicus (Danube Crested Newt) won't lay her eggs

[AnneR]

Hey all! It's my first mating season and I'm a bit worried about my girl. She has gotten so big I'm afraid something's wrong. There are two males and one female in a 20gal long. ( I lost 3 females last year ) Should I remove the males? They seem to be harrassing her. I don't know if it's needed mating behavior or too much and keeping her from laying. She has been like this for a couple weeks now.

There are several types of plants with differing leaf sizes/shapes. I've even tried the plastic bag strips. I'm open to suggestions, even if you think I'm overworrying. She just looks so cumbersome and uncomfortable, I want to help. Thank you all for the excellent support of this hobby!

 

[frank beard]

Maybe someone else has other experiences but in my experience I have always seen the females holding on to the egg laying surfaces vertically. She could not do that in the shallow water in your photos. If that is the reason you would need to add several more inches of water to allow for the egg laying behavior I have witnessed.

 

[AnneR]

Maybe someone else has other experiences but in my experience I have always seen the females holding on to the egg laying surfaces vertically. She could not do that in the shallow water in your photos. If that is the reason you would need to add several more inches of water to allow for the egg laying behavior I have witnessed.

Thank you! I added a couple inches yesterday but she probably needs more. I'll try that today.

 

[andrew_taricha]

Yeah I would suggest the same on water depth. I would fill it up most of the way, about 3-4 inches from the top.

Also,
1. I wouldn't be alarmed about her size. She looks full of eggs and will probably start laying any day.

2. It could be that the males aren't giving her a chance to lay. You could remove one or both males temporarily and see what happens. I think with this species being so large, a 20 long is a little small, and that becomes more apparent this time of year where the females have nowhere to get away from the courting males. So an alternative to removing males would be to bump them up to a 40 breeder if you can. Then you'll have space if you plan to keep any of their offspring. That's probably what I would do.

 

[AnneR]

Thank you both! She's in 12 inches of water now and the males are moved. She looks calmer so I'm hopeful!

 

[andrew_taricha]

I'm sorry to say, but that is looking more like it could be bloat in your update pictures. There are some resources here in the forums and on caudata culture regarding bloat. That may help you diagnose if that is what's actually going on.

 

[AnneR]

Thank you, I'm on it!

 

[AnneR]

Udate-it's definitely bloat. She's not responding to treament so far, but hope springs eternal. Neither of the males seem affected.

 

[AnneR]

Update- She's been in the Ringer's solution most of the time since last update. She got even bigger! Three days ago I decided to go ahead and use a small gauge needle to try and remove some of the fluid. She is responding well so far. The needle was very small so it is taking a while to deflate. I figured slower is better. Today her feet touched the ground enough for her to walk around! She's about half the size she was a few days ago. Fingers are crossed. Then I can try to figure out what caused it in the first place. The others are still fine.

First picture- three days ago, pre puncture
Second picture- today, walking around. The fluid seems to be draining from the chest area first even though the puncture is on the left side about 1 inch up from the back leg. I take her out a couple times a day to check the area. Puncture is too small to see, but if I put a dry paper towel on her side, I can see the fluid get drawn into the towel. Haven't had to repuncture, luckily.

Thank you for helping! If there is anything you can think of I should try, please let me know!

 

[AnneR]

Still hanging in there. She's getting back to normal size. I haven't seen her eating. I hope as she gets smaller, her appetite will improve. I have her in a small container now, but will probably put her in a larger one since she is moving around more.

 

[Niels D]

That's definitely looking better!