Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

I kept a large Tiger Salamander for almost 6 years, he died and I have gotten a new Fire-bellied newt. He isn't one of the tiny black ones, more of a brown-ish with yellow dots. He is approximately 4-5 inches long and was in great health when I got him. I am housing him in a 55 gallon tank, filled with about 6 inches of water ( too deep?) with an island in the center. There are many plants and rocks for him to assist in reaching the surface when he needs, and I have a water filter that is supposed to cycle the water a little more than once every hour. There are also 4 goldfish, a small catfish-type thing, and some tiny snails.
If those are poor conditions for my pet please tell me, I've never had an aquatic newt before. That being said, I got him about a month ago, and I don't believe he has been eating. The petstore gave me salamander/newt pellets and told me that he'd eat them. I have tried to drop them where he could get to them- but he never took much interest and the fish ate them. I recently bought frozen bloodworms, with much the same effect.
A few days ago I noticed a slight discoloration on his snout area. His upper lip (if u call it that) is raw-looking and there is a thin white line below the reddish skin- I'm wondering it it's his bone. I was inspecting it today and my father decided to touch it to see if he was sensitive. (I know how bad it is to touch them but it is very hard to understand what is wrong). He didn't seem too pained by it, however he did begin to bleed. I don't know what precautions to take to prevent further damage, or how it happened. I also don't know if there is any way to treat/ heal him. Please let me know of any ways I can heal my newt. i can't have a dog or cat and have come to love these strange amphibians.

Sincerely,
Jazz

I would suggest taking the newt to the vet to see what is cauding the odd coloration on his snout. He doesn't sound like any firebelly newt that I've ever seen. Perhaps he is a chinese warty newt? Do you have a pic of him that you can post here? Tank conditions sound fine. Also, don't forget to dechlorinate the water first. Also, what are the temps at? They don't need heat and actually prefer it to be cold. Mine like it at 60 degrees farenheit. Glad you decided to get new food. Newts rarely go for the pellets. Frozen bloodworms are a good start. Maybe you can throw in some daphnia or tubifex worms if he decides he wants something different. All can be picked up at the local pet store. Good luck with your newt.

I discovered that he is indeed a Chinese Warty Newt. His tank should stay around the temp of my house which is kept around 66 degrees. I have tap water conditioner for dechlorination and nullifying heavy metals, does that count for dechlorinating the water? I'm trying to work the pH down right now but my water is apparently very basic and stubborn. Thanks for your help, and please let me know of any relatively inexpensive water care solutions, that is my biggest problems with fish and things. And I will look into taking him to a vet. Thanks again!

Thanks for letting me know what he is then. Sounds like you are using a decent dechlorinator for the water. I use basically the same type of thing, and the water is perfect. Good luck with the vet.

I would say get rid of the Goldfish and the snails. Goldfish tend to nibble at the toes and tail, so that would stress your newt out greatly and may be a cause of death. While your newt is stationary (they don't move around that much unless underwater) a snail might come upon it and dissolve his porous skin. Sounds weird, but it happens. I'm just trying to look out for another newt.

Hey guys and gals,
Thank you for all your help, advice and support! I am amazed to announce that, despite my vet's lack of hope, my little guy has a mighty will to live and has made a stunning comeback! His skin is almost completely regrown over the exposed area, and he is exploring the tank and eating some of his tankmates (new minnows, all gone..suddenly he's fatter...coincidence? no.) I may get rid of the goldfish, as was suggested, right now only 2 remain, the others died, but they are large, and may stress David out. Fear not. I am keeping a close eye on him.

One thing I want to throw out there, although I do not in any way advise or endorse this; after I left the vet with his practically hopeless verdict on my newt, I thought of what, if anything, i could do. I knew I would have to stop the spread of the fungus to the rest of his skin and that it would have to be a water-proof. So, what did i think of? Liquid bandaid. The other thing, was that I remembered what antibiotic he said he coukld inject; biaxin... turns out they sell a topical ointment at the supermarket. So, I decided that if it was the only thig I could do, and he was going to die anyway, I might as well try. I wrapped him in a moist paper towel( he was very lethargic at that point), and proceded to put the ointment and then liquid-bandaid on him. He did not like it, I'm sure it smelled to high heaven, but he has come around. I don't know if my actions aided the recovery, or didn't make much difference, but I wanted to throw that out there to let everyone know, sometimes it's worth trying.
I shall try to put a pic of him up for you all once I can get a hold of the digital camera! thanks again! and may the force be with you, and your newts be fruitful and happy.

Unfortunately, when these newts are imported, it can be gravely below ideal conditions. It is difficult to treat amphibian skin disorders because of the sensitivity of amphibian skin. The treatment usually stresses them worse than the disease. I'm not surprised that the newt didn't react when your dad touched the inflamed area. Animals that are sick in the wild use a defense called "masking" which is to act normal and unaffected by pain/sickness. This is so they don't draw the attention of predators. If fish are living in your water, the water's fine. These amphibians are very easy to care for and are a lot of fun to observe. If your newt is sitting on the land constantly, one good source of food is waxworms. Just drop them in front and the movement will stimulate the newt to eat...if he will eat at all. The waxworms are heavy in fat and may provide enough fuel to help him to get over his affliction. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to make sick amphibians better, but it's not unheard of and I wish you the best of luck. One recommendation: use smaller fish like zebra danios in the unheated water. They are quick, come in a variety of colors, and when they die off (I've rarely seen one live over a year), the newt will eat them...an extra plus. Hopefully, if this newt recovers, I suggest you avoid getting any other newts for your tank because warty's have been known to be aggressive and sensitive towards the presence of other newts.

Well, I took him to the vet. It turns out his jaw is fractued, in more than one place. I don't beleive this happened while he was in my care, and since he was in a tank with other newts at the pet store, and I have been informed that they are aggressive, it is possibly the result of some tank war. The vet was not very optimistic, especially because I don't know if he has been eating. The way his jaw looks, I would think eating woul be painful. because of his slim chances, I decided to try to fix his jaw with some crown filling ( I know how bad this sounds, but it was worth a go)which he has rubbed off. I am putting some antibiotics on his mouth, in the hopes that something might change and he will get better. However, it doesn't look good and I might have to put him to sleep. Thanks for all your helpful advice and information on my pet. Its great to know that there are other concerned newt enthusiasts out there!

Sorry to hear that he has a fractured jaw. I happened to get a crested gecko with a fractured jaw once from Petco. Eating was very painful for him and eventually he died, despite the fact that I tried to feed him cgd and babyfood. I hope your little guy recovers though, but if you have to put him to sleep, know that you did the best you could.