last years young

[phil]

just a couple of pics of last years results



bit of a difference in growth rates between the alpestris cyreni and the terrestris, even though the terrestris only morphed 3 months earlier. i will try to find some other species for comparison in a day or so, its just that the dry conditions here are making them difficult to find

[john]

Great pics Phil :)How many young of each did you get and how are you rearing them?

[phil]

hi john. if i remember correctly there were originally about 50 salamander larvae of which about 25 actually morphed, most of which have been sold or traded for other species. the newts are a little more prolific, and can be relied upon to produce many more young(although less well developed). rearing can be quite problematic when done "artificially" i.e. in tanks , tubs and aquaria etc. and i now generally leave them in the outdoor enclosure to fend for themselves. if measures are taken to reduce predation by adults and other wildlife as well as atracting natural food items into the enclosure, better results can be acheived. here is a picture of my simple (but efficient) enclosure which is shared by several species

[taihaku]

Hey Phil
Judging by the breeze blocks I'm guessing thats somewhere around 3 foot by 7 foot? Any idea roughly how many larvae you can produce in that space without overcrowding issues?

[phil]

quite an accurate estimate mate, your not a brickie as well are you? most of the salamanders were sold or swapped soon after morphing but there are 3 adults and about 5 half grown terrestris permenantly living in there, along with green toads , midwife toads and alpine newts. i think the enclosure is close to capacity now, because the adult female terrestris is pregnant again and will probably give birth by the end of summer. she uses the shallow concrete pool to deposit the larvae in and this is too small to provide enough natural food for 50 or so larvae and bags of live bloodworm and daphnia are added at regular intervals

[john]

Thanks for reply also answered second question ..size! How deep is it though and what lid?

[phil]

there is a timber and plastic mesh lid for the enclosure john. but its rarely used as the timber overhang prevents escapees. the only time i really use the lid is if severe frost is forecast and i staple bubblewrap over the top for heat retention

[phil]

as for the depth. i actually built it three courses of block deep ie 27" on a 4" thick concrete strip footing, although only 2 courses are above soil level so approx 18"

[Killian]

Nice pics, I added the Code for you so everyone can see them just post your URL between [ IMG ][ /IMG ] tags

[taihaku]

phil said:

quite an accurate estimate mate, your not a brickie as well are you? most of the salamanders were sold or swapped soon after morphing but there are 3 adults and about 5 half grown terrestris permenantly living in there, along with green toads , midwife toads and alpine newts. i think the enclosure is close to capacity now, because the adult female terrestris is pregnant again and will probably give birth by the end of summer. she uses the shallow concrete pool to deposit the larvae in and this is too small to provide enough natural food for 50 or so larvae and bags of live bloodworm and daphnia are added at regular intervals

No brickie - I used the breezeblocks and had a rough punt.

Very interesting regarding the stocking - do the toads also breed in the same ponds?

[phil]

the toads are a relatively new aquisition and are immature at the moment. they do however co-exist without conflict. i am actually planning to build other enclosures this summer and may extend the existing one widthways to maybe double the present area.