2 potential health problems, anything to worry over?

[Neuter]

I've had 4 fire belly newts in a 10 gallon tank for what I think must be 8 or 9 months at this point. I have a tank with some gravel(much too large for them to eat), places to hide, rocks sticking out of the water so they can be fully out of the water if they want to. I have filter and I change the water once a week. The filter does make a weak current, working on fixing that.

They were wild caught, but i'm pleased to say they have not had any health problems. All of them are female as best as I can tell. They stayed on the small land parts when I first got them but all gradually became almost fully aquatic.

For the last month, one of them has been spending a fair bit of time on the rocks. It might spend a day or more there without moving much at all. I feed my newts every second or third day, cut up earthworms. She goes between periods of staying on the land and going in the water, the others stay in water almost all the time, they almost never leave.

Should I be at all worried at the one who leaves the water sometimes?

I removed my newts from the tank today to change the filter and thoroughly clean the tank. I put them in a small bowl. When I went to put them back, I noticed there was red waste in the bowl. I do not know which newt made the waste, except for the one who leaves the water, the others have no health problems or odd behavior, though one of the newts did not seem hungry when I fed them all yesterday. I've seen red waste in the tank before, but only on occasion.

Should I be at all worried about that? What could cause the waste to be red, besides blood? I do not feed my newts bloodworms, I only feed them earthworms.

 

[jbherpin]

I don't know what causes red fecal, but my cynops always spent long periods-months sometimes- in the water, and then spend a few weeks on land. I think it is normal from my experience. i would tong feed the one on land so that the others aren't the only one's benefiting from your feedings. You may want to consider housing them all seperately for a few days until the red poop is traced to the owner. That way you can effectively treat the 1 in need, if there is indeed a problem. Was the fecal solid or runny? Let us know what happens, or what you are thinking.

Best of luck!

-jbherpin-

 

[Neuter]

I tong feed all of them, every meal, so I do not need to worry about the others over eating.
I'd try quarantining them, but I do not have the supplies to keep 1 seperate, let alone all 4. I've noticed red poop a handful of times in the past, it has happened before, but it does not seem to be a majority of the waste, till I saw it today, I don't think i've seen other red waste in a month.

 

[Azhael]

No clue about the red feces...could be a lot of things.
I personally consider 4 adult Cynops to be the maximum for a 38l tank...this means that it may be slightly on the crowded side. Take special care in maintaining water quality. This slight crowdinness, or water quality issues may be the reason why one of the newts goes on land. I´m not saying it´s always a sign of something wrong...but it may be(most adults if housed properly almost never leave the water).

Also, vary the diet...no diet can ever be complete if it´s based on one item. Earthworms are brilliant, they are the best...but even they can lead to deficiencies...so make sure you vary their diet.

 

[jbherpin]

Everytime I've ever owned Cynops-I have only kept Orientalis-they are completely healthy and live for the full expectancy (Aside from the occassional pet shop "crasher"). They all came onto land at least some portion of the year.
However, i think Azhael makes a great point on the crowded issue, and it is a good possibilty that it is the reason in driving one on land. Mine seem to always come onto land in early fall....

-jbherpin-

 

[Neuter]

I did not expect to get 4 of them, but I cannot get a larger tank, i've had them for 8 or 9 months with no problems so far, except for this thread of course.

I've tried bloodworms Azhael, but they are a lot more difficult to feed them and, messy. I do take special care with the water quality, I always keep it in good condition.
Any advice on other clean foods to feed them?

 

[Greatwtehunter]

Have you tried bloodworms in a jar or on a petri dish lid? It keeps them all in one spot.

 

[Neuter]

Tried both. My newts simply do not seem able to find food if I do not give it to them on tongs.

I am pretty sure they have no vision problems, sometimes they watch me as I move by the tank, but they just dont seem to eat anything I leave in the tank itself. I'm not sure if its motion, proximity, smell etc, but I can't get them to eat if I dont use tongs.

 

[jbherpin]

Maybe you should try sand or bare-bottomed tanks. The prey cannot escape into the sand or through the glass bottom. Also, mine always appreciated a little reptomin floating food stick supplementation to the diet. While not the best choice for nutrition, it helps to round out a diet that is primarily live foods. Also, if they take the "sticks", you know they can find prey in the tank through scent. Live brine shrimp are devoured by most all aquatic newt species. The salt content forces you to limit the offerings, but they are a great treat that always is eaten eagerly.

Keep us posted.

-jbherpin-

 

[Neuter]

I am very, very, VERY hesitant to give any sort of pellets.

I had a turtle as a kid for many years, always happy and healthy. I had some African dwarf frogs last year. They were healthy and doing fine for a few months. I fed them some pellets, they all died soon after.