At last, we have a new arrival. Our newts have bred! After keeping a few Marbled newts Triturus marmoratus for several years, they have finally managed to produce offspring - well, a single eft - but it's all rather exciting.
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| Our new arrival |
An injection of new blood in the form of three adults led quickly to some interesting breeding behaviour. With the arrival of females the single male newt rapidly gained his full breeding attire and began dancing away at every opportunity: shadowing the female and frequently whipping his tail in her face. I thought that I spotted some eggs on one occasion but as nothing happened thereafter I assumed that nothing would come of it.
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| Adult Marbled newt |
However, last week I peered into the tank and saw this tiny silver thread swimming around - a baby! Over the following week it has grown into a really rather attractive beast, with fluffy gills and a spotted tail. I have added some more water plants so it can take refuge from the ever-hungry adults. Here's hoping for a successful outcome...
2 comments:
For their first year I kept them on soil and moss, after which I half-filled the tank with water and added a soil shelf with a log for access/egress. They soon took to the water and are now more or less fully aquatic.
Cheers
I have a 30" tank half-filled. Two bricks support a shallow plastic shelf with deep moss and a few sticks and rocks for shelter, and a split stick sloping down into the water. I have some bunches of Elodea in there too. I don't use any lighting at all - they are unlikely to breed without a cold spell - my friend keeps his outdoors permanently and they bred like rabbits! They are about as low maintenance as a pet can be - just chuck them a few worms every few days and they're happy.
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