Chinese Emperor Newt not eating

[Viv]

HElp. My female emperor newt has stopped eating. When i first got it about a 3 weeks ago it was eating but now it has stopped. I dont know if this helps, but it lives in a terrestrial setup with a water bowl, some plant, a rotting log, a hide, and a male emperor newt. I feed it crikets and the occasional mealworm. I NEED HELP!

 

[Azhael]

That diet is inadequate. The staple food should be earthworms, and for variety you can offer every now and then, the crickets, isopods, slugs, waxworms...
Don´t give them mealworms they are a very poor choice since they are very lacking in nutrition, hard to digest and can bite causing damage.

Make sure you are offering perfect conditions, if they are adult then they are wild caught and likely to be extremely stressed or even ill, so perfect housing is a must.

How long has she been off food anyway? They can go for long periods without it having a negative effect.

 

[Viv]

She has been off her diet for about 5-6 days now. Whould the rotting log have anything to do with it, it might have a virus or pathogen? I will try for the diet you said. thanks.

 

[Jennewt]

What kind of substrate is in the setup? What is the temperature in their tank?

 

[Viv]

Well the temperature is about 72ºF in the day and a little lower at night. Well i was just away for a week and the person who took care of them made like an inch of water at the bottom of the tank where the drainage rocks. But she stopped eating before that.

 

[Jennewt]

You didn't answer part of my question: what type of substrate is in the tank? Having a habitat or substrate that is too wet can certainly cause health problems, so the water could be related. If the substrate is wet rocks/gravel, this is usually a prescription for disaster.

The temperature sounds good. Keep trying to feed it earthworms. Even try waxworms; although high in fat, these would be better than mealworms. But definitely find a source of earthworms (I recommend pieces of Canadian nightcrawlers, which you can buy at bait shops and walmarts.)

 

[Viv]

It´s eco-earth.

 

[tmarmoratus]

Yep, try wax worms, at least to stimulate the appetite, though 6 days without eating isn't too long a time.

You say you've only had her for 3 weeks? Could be the animal is stressed from recent importation, and has an illness that is worsening. The best thing you can do is to provided optimum care until the newt has had a chance to settle into it's new environment, and shows no signs of erratic behavior. Of course, optimum care after is preferable, too. :wacko:

Can you provide pictures?

Good luck!

 

[Viv]

Oh yeah, i just remebered. It has a deformed leg but it seems to be able to walk alright.