Triturus Italicus -Noob questions

[llamafish]

Hi all,

I just acquired two 3month old Italicus from a breeder on sunday, at the Ukfrog day. I little surprised at the lack on info about newts and basic care on the internet, hence why i post this thread.

I normally just a dartfrog keeper so have plenty of mel FF, spring tails & grain weavils around. So i hoping food atm wont be a problem

So I like to ask a few questions and hope you can help me

1. How big a viv should i keep them atm and when there fully grown
2. how long before Italicus is sexual mature?
3. how will i now if there entering the aquatic stage in there year
4. does my species hibernate?
5. Would you recommend palumium for newts (water & land setup)

Well thanks in advance & if you think on anything else i need to know please add that too

Mark

 

[GeoNewt]

I've had a group of L. italicus for a while now, so I'm by no means an expert, but I'll try to answer a few of the questions.
I've kept my 2 groups of 3 italicus in 10x6" with no problems (at the moment they're about 1.5" long). As they are so small at adulthood they only need a small tank, although of course when they are housed aquatically a greater water volume is easier to keep clean. Italicus can reach maturity very quickly, with some individuals taking under 1 year. I've heard so many different aquatic/terrestrial arguments, I think a lot of it's down to personal choice - some keep them aquatic all year, whilst others just move them in early spring. I've not heard of people putting the newts into a true period of hibernation in captivity, normally only a drop in temperature (to no less than 4) is required. A larger semi-aquatic set-up can be used, although as juveniles I prefer smaller set-ups that are much easier to monitor and keep clean.
This is the caresheet for L. boscai which has many similar requirements to italicus: Caudata Culture Species Entry - Lissotriton (Triturus) boscai

Hope this is of help.
George.

 

[caleb]

George has covered most of it, but I can add details of how I keep mine.

I'd recommend getting a whiteworm culture started, as they'll feed very well on whiteworm- better than fruitflies in my experience.

I keep juveniles on moist (not sodden, spray a little every day) kitchen roll with a small clump of moss over half the surface. I use small well-ventilated containers (often cricket tubs) to ensure that they're easy to find, and that they come into contact with their food. I have kept juveniles fully aquatic in the past, but that works best when they're kept aquatic right from metamorphosis.

Terrestrial juveniles sometimes seem to want to enter the water in late autumn. When they do, they'll often stop feeding, develop a shinier skin, and males will start to show signs of breeding condition. If they're placed in an aquatic setup, they'll usually swim straight to the bottom if they're ready. If you're not sure, you could place them in a semi-aquatic setup for a few days.

My adults are 100% aquatic- they usually try to leave the water (by climbing the glass) in early summer, but have always gone back in after a couple of days. They feed mostly on Daphnia, bloodworm and whiteworm.

They're all kept in an unheated room, which gets down to about 2C in winter, max 24C in summer.