A Living Investment...

...is on its way to me and should arrive at my house tomorrow.

I expect to receive three of these:

Blue Tailed Fire Belly Newts
http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Cynops/C_cyanurus.shtml

and three of these:

Anderson's Aquatic Salamanders http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Ambystoma/A_andersoni.shtml

and three of these:

Iberian (Spanish) Ribbed Newts
http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Pleurodeles/P_waltl.shtml

Now they may look more like newts or salamanders than they do like an investment but I am hopeful I will be able to breed them and get some return on the money I paid for them. How much did I pay? Don't bother asking because I don't know if I want to say just in case my wife sees this. I know there is not much chance of my wife ever taking enough interest in my life to read my blog but my daughter or son might see it and show it to her, so I don't want to let on that I paid $320 shipped for all nine of them.

I have recently seen the Andersons's Aquatic Salamanders (Ambystoma andersoni) going for as little much as $189.00 apiece not including shipping. I do not expect to get anywhere near that much for them but if someone offers that right after I get mine - I would sell the three I expect to receive immediately for that price. What I am realistically hoping for is that they will grow up to be at least 1 female and 2 males, better yet 2 females and 1 male, and they will breed, produce lots of babies (they can lay a lot of eggs) and that in short time I will have made my money back with money to spare to keep the hobby going and maybe to buy some ammo for my other hobby.

As for the Iberian Ribbed Newts (Pleurodeles waltl), did you look at the pics in the link and see the one in the guys hand? I hope to do likewise with them and breed them - if I cannot sell em I could always roast em and eat em, they are sure big enough. I also plan to do the same with the Blue Tailed Fire Belly Newts (Cynops cyanurus) of which I already have a trio. No, I do not mean I plan to roast em and eat em - I plan to breed them to; I hope to breed the ones I have already by next spring and the new ones the following year at the latest. I would have already tried breeding them this past spring but was away in Phoenix for a few months and missed the opportunity.

I have new tank set-ups ready for the Iberian Ribbed newts and the Anderson's Aquatic Salamanders - and depending on size, the new Blue Tailed Newts may go in the tank with my existing trio - otherwise they get a new tank too. When I say depending on size, I mean that if they are big enough not to be cannibalized by the others then they can stay together. The other two species will get their own tanks for sure.

All the best,
Glenn B