Illness/Sickness: Newt starving - Really worried

I have an Oregon newt who hasn't been eating well for probably months. I have noticed in the last few days he must be literally starving. I feel awful. His ribs are showing and his spine is sticking out. Is it hopeless. He was always a small eater so I didn't worry too much but today I am feeling despondent with how he looks. Is there anything I can do at all.

Hi,
I have seen in other threads that people can put their newts in a jar with nothing but food. If you try this method with your newt and leave it there for about 15-20 minutes, that may entice it to start eating. Otherwise you could try a different source of food. What are you feeding it?

Blackhawk

Hi. He eats frozen bloodworm. Or at least he used to I will try this but today I have felt nothing can be done. He is curling up and a few times I thought he would go belly up and he is too weak to get on his floating bark. It doesn't help that I worry about touching him. I will see if my son will try it and get a clean jar ready. Oh, I have also tried feeding him with some thawed bloodworm in a plastic spoon. He does go for it but barely touches the food. After I tried twice he went to the bottom of the tank and had a clump of food near him but seemed to just sit there with it dangling from his mouth not swallowing. I wish I didn't feel so gloomy about it. Thanks for this advice.

You should try some live food. Earthworms, waxworms, freshly moulted/decapitated meal worms, black worms, etc. would all make good choices.

What are your water parameters and temperature of the tank?

Hi. He has a five gallon tank half full which has always been fine for him. This apartment is definitely too warm and the summer is always brutal so the water hasn't stayed as cool as he would like but then again this is nothing new. Now it has cooled down outside and the temp of the water is around 20. There is no cooler place to put him - I don't have a basement etc... and I never have the heat on. I could move the tank closer to the balcony door for a while and keep him there during the day with the door open. I'll do that now.

The pet shop gave me some live black worm. I put in more fresh conditioned water to his tank and fed him a small syringe. He definitely went for it so that's a good thing. I am going to try giving him a small syringe twice a day to see how that goes, if he survives (hope!).

So...1. move the tank close to the open door - it's cold out there! 2. Feed him a little bit twice a day.

Any other ideas? Keep 'em coming. I am prepared for the worst but hoping for the best.

Chopped earthworms. You are in Canada, which has to be the mecca of Canadian nightcrawlers.

Well, I heard that my bait shop got their earthworms from the states. So, it might be some other species.

Anyhow, I have seen rough skin newt like that before.

I once tried to rescue a rough skin that was really sick and really starved. I got it eating again with chopped earthworm. I think that probably the best food item you should try.

For my rescued rough skin, it lived for an extra half year until it started rejecting food again and eventually died. I associated it death with poor water quality in a small 10 gallon tank that was full filled. I will suggest you to try expanding the aquarium to 10 gallon.

With winter setting in and living downtown I wonder if I can find any earthworms? Your profile says you are in Toronto. Where did you go?

He ate a few black worms this morning, is looking just as sluggish and skinny (yes, I know he can't fatten up overnight)...but he is still alive and eats those very few worms with a certain amount of enthusiasm.

In the chat room I was encouraged to take out water from the tank and reduce it to just over his head so that he could climb onto his floating areas if he needs to. I've done that and moved the tank close to the slightly open balcony door where it is cooler.

I suppose I want a change now. I'm encouraged that you succeeded but don't know that I have the skill or the time. I'm in the middle of packing and moving, etc. Gah. Enouragement, please!

Well I got my worms from Le' Baron, a fishing, camping, bait shop, in the Thornhill Area. From my previous experience, They will stop selling worms in late October and over the winter. They might start to sell them again in April. I have been storing up a large inventory of up to 200 worms to go over the winter. Usually I will need to start feeding bloodworm in late winter or simply feed less.

If you try now, they might still have it. Or you can try any other bait shop in your area. Or maybe some Reptile Pet Store might help you special order some.

i have the same problem but my taricha is over 20 years old and sadly i dont think she'll last the winter, same with mine , she'll still eat live food but just doesnt digest properly any more

Wow 20 years was what I was hoping for, not 3. Sorry this is happening to you. Anyway today things are a bit unchanged but I think he pooed out the worms he ate yesterday pretty much undigested. Also his skin is shedding and I suspect it's cos he is shrinking rather than getting larger...or just sick? It's very painful to watch. Don't envy you.

this has worked for me with frogs that wont eat but IVE NEVER TRIED THIS WITH NEWTS AND I DONT RECOMEND IT, but greatly diluted doses of liquid human baby vitamins, in a "bath" can stimulate appetite ..i think it was b vitamins that help , i cant remember fully what i did , but search around and check which vitamins are poisonous to caudates , and this may help, it is incredibly difficult to work out dosage though and you should maybe ask a herp vet about this, sorry your newt is so ill, it does sound like it was unhappy for a long time
if it goes terrestrial it will still take wax moth catterpillars , theyre hard to digest so pop thm with a pin first(the skin is very tough for a newt to break)
also if its a young newt, it may have parasites !
if it has been in a tank where it was bullied or badly neglected, some newts just give up
try and keep the water at 19 degrees, this is a good feeding temp for taricha, mine are in an unheated tank at uk temps, and that is as hot as it gets indoors at the hight of summer, it sounds as thpugh you should definately not let the enclosure cool for winter this year though

also are you conditioning the water correctly ? excessive skin shedding is usually the fault of untreated tap water litterally burning the skin

spoons said:

also are you conditioning the water correctly ? excessive skin shedding is usually the fault of untreated tap water litterally burning the skin

Click to expand...

Yes I do condition the water. I have him in very shallow water right now while he is weak. That way he can get onto the floating area if he wants to be terrestial. So far he hasn't tried to get up there but prefers to stay underwater

And yes he is still alive and possibly slowly recovering. It's hard to tell. I am giving him a syringe/glass bulb kind or two of live blackworms three times a day. He does go for them and seems to be less sluggish, walking around the tank a far bit rather than just hanging out in one spot motionless. So I hope this is a sign of him feeling more energetic. It might be a lost cause or we might succeed but I am doing my best. If he survives and starts to gain weight I will get the larger tank and new filter.

Honestly when I first wrote I think he was a gonner for sure but now I am holding out a little hope. Thanks for all these ideas. I may order some worms if this keeps up or call the newt places to see if they stock them. Monday I think since I will be out that day anyway.