Great Crested Newt breeding program

[chris]

Hi all,

as some of you know i have an interest in our native amphibians and have been breeding and releasing the common frog, smooth newt and common toad for the last 5 or so years now. last year i got in contact with someone who could supply me a few great crested newts later on this year, i was told that provided the specimins are captive bred then there is no need for a licence. however i have just got another contact who can provide me with the newts now (if i were ready for them):grin: , but it seems as though i may actually need a licence to keep and breed them after all! the licence will also cover my back should the RSPCA ever show up as we know what a bunch of morons these people can be, and i would hate to have them taken off me, or get arrested for lacking a licence:-x i have just contacted english nature about a licence as this is where i have been directed, so hopefully very soon i may have a small breeding colony of these little beauties, and more importantly will be able to go about joining, or insdeed starting my own breed and release program for this species.

i will let you know what happens,

Chris:wink:

[Waxbillman]

hello Chris

thats sounds great, i have frogs and toads breed ing my pond every year, i love all the stage, when taddies turn into froglets and then hop off, i love this time of the years as well, as they are always in the pond at night, its interesting to watch them.
i'd love some day to have some newts in my pond.

matthew

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Chris,

I'm sorry for not replying on this thread before now, I wish you all the luck in the World on becoming a breeder of the Great Crested Newt, I know you are more than qualified for this project, I just hope that English Nature understand your stance and expertise on this subject.

You are a very rare individual who will silently go out of their way to encourage the population of British Amphibians.

All the best mate.

Paul.:grin:

[chris]

Hi all,

i've checked out the licensing for these, it erm, well confusing!:?
i'll check again to make sure i don't need alicence for captive bred specimins, and then i'll see about getting a few to breed from, 8 should be enough to get me started:grin: that's close to about £90. there is a licence required to even handle GCNs wild ones at least, so i may apply for this as it does allow someone to keep wild newts in there possesion for upto 24/48 hours, and shouldn't require references i don't have unlike the other licence! should the worst happen and i am unable to prove that the newts i have are captive bred and from captive bred parents, then the licence will cover me for 24 hours to think of somewhere to hide em:shock:

Chris

[Gary]

Hi Chris have you a link for the licences, so i can have a look though...
have you contacted english nature yet?

[chris]

Hi gary,


i haven't got in touch yet, not about the handling licence anyway. here's a link to the licencing on the english nature website:


http://www.english-nature.org.uk/science/licensing/

Chris:wink:

[Gary]

very interesting mate, a bit confusing though ????

[chris]

Hi Gary,

i know exactly what you mean there mate, they don't make this licencing stuff easy to digest:neutral:

Chris:wink:

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Chris,

So it is true that the stuff that comes from the back end of a Bull does in fact baffle.:?

But if you were to be part of a genuine breeding programme, then surely you wouldn't have to part with money to get yourself started, if I were you I would steer clear of any Native Newts offered for sale mate!

I think your best bet is to contact the relevant protection groups and enquire how you can become involved in breeding and releasing Great Crested Newts, and explain what you have done so far regarding Frogs etc.

It may be a good idea to offer the contact you have offering Great Crested Newts for sale, to the Authorities.

Paul.:-|

[chris]

Hi Paul,

the chap with the newts is legitimate and licenced for it, getting a licence seems to be the problem. unfortunately our conservationists aren't interested in captive breed and release programs thanks to the AR influence among them:-x thanks to them, captive breeding apparently does little or nothing for the wild population, yet placing up a fence around a pond, letting construction take place where it shouldn't and making up daft laws that prevent people such as myself helping out apparently does help:shock: :roll:

these AR muppets are everywhere and do nothing but get in the way of progress! if we can't even touch the things without a licence how are we meant to increase there numbers? no captive breeding because it "spreads disease"! nope, i think it's got something more to do with keeping wild newts in tanks to breed them.....

i think i may have to face up to it, there's probably no legal way of helping out this species, as with the other newts and frogs which i have helped in our area (strictly speaking that isn't legal either...)

i guess i may have to go undercover from here

Chris:-|

[Waxbillman]

what a great shame you have to do that chris,

you are someone who can genuinly help and make a difference, and that to them idiots you can legally do nowt, its disgusting, how the seems to have control over everything. i wish there could be a way to stop them.

matthew

[chris]

i've quite possibly just found someone who breeds and supplies great crested newts and their eggs

also found out everything i ever needed to know regarding legality of the subject this week. no licence necessary!! why english nature never told me that is anyone's guess

the only snag is that any specimins to be classed as CB in the government's eyes must be bred from either captive bred or captive reared parents, ie a minimum of 3rd generation from any wild caught adults, after that it's pretty plain sailing

and as for the whole wildlife and countryside act that has pee'd me off for oh so many years, apparently it doesn't apply to captive bred animals in any way. not only that, in the case of smooth, palmate newts, common frogs & toads the only protection is from trade. it's quite legal to collect them from the wild and keep them, you just can't sell them!

for the past few years all i ever managed to get out of anyone was you cant do this or that, this is illegal that is illegal, licencing blah blah.... this week i seem to have dicovered the other side of the coin. pitty it took so damn long:-|

still fingers crossed from what i can tell eggs dont cost a lot:-)

Chris

[laurab]

Hi Chris

Near to where I live there is a Common that once 'teamed' with Newts (so I am told), problem is over the years people have plundered the Newt population and you are lucky if you even get a glimpse of one!

Such a shame it is not so easy to put back what has been taken. :cry:

[chris]

Hi Laura,

if they're smooth or palmate newts then they can be legally collected (unless your county protects them). so you should be safe for grabbing and breeding a few to stock your area with, although i'd check with the council first.

if they were great crested you'd either need a licence or to find CB stcok of uk origin to breed and release. speaking of which my 45 eggs should be arriving this week or next:D sounds a lot but half will inevitably never hatch due to a chromosome abnormality that kills 50% of all eggs. the 20 ish that do hatch have an unlimited supply of newly hatched brineshrimp and daphnea when i'm back at home, plus i should have bought a whiteworm culture or two by then to grow them on with.

it is possible to kep GCN aquatic from metamorphosis to maturity which has the bonus that they feed better and so grow quicker - as a result can reach maturity in 12 months so given my track record of doing what frogs normally do in 4 months in 4 weeks i shouldnt have too much difficulty there!:shock: :lol:

i cant wait for them to arrive now

Chris:razz:

[chris]

:D :D :D

guess what came in the post today!

Chris:grin:

[laurab]

Whoo hoo!! :razz: :-D

[chris]

got my mom to unpack them and place each set of eggs in it's own water tray in the kitchen till i get back on wednesday. some are already developing though so probably wont be far off hatching when i get back, even when they do they have around a week's worth of yolk and development to go through before feeding.. depending on what temperature they are kept at. i did stress "cool water, no direct sunlight" so fingers crossed they wont be doing anything fast until i'm there. after that they can grow as fast as they like, i want them breeding in 12 months time! :lol:

Chris;-)

[chris]

hmmm, apparently the eggs are green... i reckon it's just the colour change in the embryos as they develop but if they are actually green it means they're one of the other crested newt species and not GCNs

the chap i ordered them from keeps all 3 species i think so it's unlikely or an honest cock up

fingers crossed anyway, they're developing faster than i expected so might have some tadpoles by wednesday

Chris