C. pyrrhogaster sparkling

[wpken]

My C.pyrr walked out of the water and appeared dead, I didnt know what my newt looked like without being underwater so I tried to pick him up, he surried into the water and looked like he was covered in bubbles, iridescent. I thought it was breeding dress and just looked different in front of my eyes and not from a picture. Eventually it faded then he walked out and walked back underwater and is completely coated in whatever this is, probably bubbles. it doesnt look like its under his skin so im befuddled, and im trying to find something to make him more visible when i take pictures of him so sorry about that

 

[wpken]

also, rex has been over active and seems a little climby

 

[tmarmoratus]

Nothing sounds out of the ordinary to me in regards to the "skin" issue - the bubbles you see are caused by being out of the water long enough for the newt's skin to "tighten up" so as to slow water loss.

In terms of the overactivity, check to make sure you are meeting the temperature requirements for this particular species, and that the water quality is acceptable.

How long have you had your newt?

 

[wpken]

ive had the newt for a couple of weeks and i dont think he would be swimming around like he is if he was sick, so your explanation sounds about right, i dont know why they dont make a "dont worry about it" section with things like this in it haha. Ive been researching my species since the end of august and finally got one sometime in the middle of january i think. thanks for making me feel better about this at the very least

 

[tmarmoratus]

Since you've only had your newt for a short while, it's quite possible it is still stressed, particularly if you got it from a pet shop and was wild caught - a stressed newt is more susceptible to infections and disease due to a weakened immune system, so keeping it in the optimal conditions required for this species will greatly increase it's chances for survival while getting acclimated to it's new home.

It's great you did the research before the purchase - here's to hoping a long and healthy life for your new pyrrhogaster!

 

[wpken]

it did come from a very ireputable dealer that housed these with fire belly toads =( and when i asked them to order more they got paddletail newts. his tankmate was dead in with him and i feel bad purchasing him to save him from them and not buying a captive bred one. Seems fine now, just walking around plenty under the water, didnt expect it to cover so much ground as quickly as it can in a 55gal. Cheers!

 

[tmarmoratus]

Yeah, sounds like your newt came from about as bad a situation as possible, and unfortunately, a situation all too common in pet shops. For whatever reason, pet shops see "fire-bellied" and assume that means it's okay to keep these toads and newts together; that they still do it in this era of where instant info is but a click away makes the practice even more reprehensible.

This dealer didn't put the paddletails in with the toads, did he?