Cynops pyrrhogaster new to this lil guy

[kara]

okeedokee, I felt so bad for this little guy when I was visiting the petstore my boyfreind works at...he had a lot of spunk, but he didnt look right and is very underweight...i made john pack him up right there, and i took him home...hes in a small tankright now at my house, the taricha granulosa i have was housed in the same tank along with other fish and snails and one other cynops P. at the petstore....he is also missing a middle toe on the back right leg, the exact one my taricha is missing...wierd. His face doesnt look the same as the pictures I have seen on the care sheet photos, but his body is identical. I think he may have been bumping the glass to get out. I might even get john to take the other one home tomorrow. What could this be? a deformation maybe? He looks a little pissed off with a curled tail right now, but he has plants, hiding spots and food, so i will recheck in the morning... I will get photos as soon as possible. Any advice??? help would be super appreciated. (it also may be female, i cant tell I call him he because I just dont know)

 

[danny]

Have you looked at the species identification links on Caudata Culture?? Its VERY rare to find C pyrr here in Canada. I know here in Alberta, they sell P hongkongensis as "Japanese" firebelly newts. Some pictures would be great!

As for your newt, is it alone in its own setup? How is its eating habits? I have a P hongkongensis female that had a bit of a facial injury when I bought her, and used some polysporin on her wound. She pulled through no problem, and one thing that didnt change was her appetite, ALWAYS eating! Is yours eating regularly? It might take some time before your newt settles in to its new home, just be patient

(Message edited by bitzer on August 14, 2006)

(Message edited by bitzer on August 14, 2006)

 

[kara]

they are sold at the petstore as japaneese firebellies, but the one i have is definately C pyrr...and yep hes alone in his own set up, he ate a meal worm today, so, thats a good start...he looks snouty to me...I have to show you some pictures so you can understand, i think he is deformed. I have him by the pc and have been comparing him to so many pictures, and he doesnt look like anything but C. Pyrr.
thanks danny, appreciate your post!!

 

[jennifer]

I'd love to see photos. Danny is right - C. pyrrhogaster would be a rare (but very cool) find. Rather than mealworms, I would recommend earthworms or frozen bloodworms.
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/foods.shtml

 

[kara]

okay, despite my hard work, and ensuring that he has a happy healthy home, he is miserable and sits there all day with his (or her) tail curled up. It makes me sad to see him so unhappy. What could I be doing wrong? He is one disgruntled newt.

 

[jennifer]

What is the setup like? Is the newt staying in the water, or out of the water? When sick or stressed, they have the tendency to head for land; then you either have to find a way to feed them on land (not easy), or else force them gently back into water.

You said above that the animal was skinny and perhaps injured when you got it. He's been through hell, so it won't be easy to bring him around. I recommend getting some nightcrawlers ASAP, that's the best thing to get him eating again.

 

[kara]

he is in a five gallon, with duckweed and a nice big peice of floating driftwood. He as a large dish in there as well, upturned to retrieve land easily. He is underwater all of the time. The aquarium guy at the petstore tried telling me he is shedding...I am not an expert,but it is definately not shedding.

 

[ali]

If he stays in the water, that's very good. Like Jennifer said, try the cut up earthworms. My c.o. is still skiddish when it thinks I am "trying to feed it." I normally have to hold a piece of earthworm on a toothpick in front of her for minutes...literally!...before she decides I'm not human and decides to eat it.

Duckweed is the tiny little floating plant, right?

The newt might like a plant that hangs all throughout the water. Like...maybe someone can help...I'm not good with plants. Things that act like anarcharis but have not so many leaves and leaves that are a little larger (I find that without a filter, my anacharis tends to leave lots of little particles on the tank floor).

I don't know if your newt is shedding or not, but often they won't eat just before, during, or after shedding.

Do you have a filter in there? Be careful if you do. I've tried time and time again to direct the flow, but I've just found that just about any filter is too strong for a 5 gallon, so I just do a good spot cleaning every day and have a bubble wand in there with a tiny air pump that came with a 2 gallon betta tank.

 

[bill]

keep in mind he might not be in the water when there is no one in the room... a bigger home would probably be better. i had a few fire-bellys that refused water until i got plants, gravel, and a fun filter to climb on. now u never see them dry. they are a smaller newt, but i still can't imagine them in anything smaller than a 10 gal tank. how is the water quality? water temp? lighting?
in the case of shedding... i have seen many newts shed there skin and not show any ill signs or changes in behavior, other than the frantic flipping out till the hanging thingy is off. i have also seen other newt come to the rescue and help the shedding process, by biting the skin and tearing it off.



(Message edited by beejium on September 15, 2006)

 

[kara]

I posted my incredible news, he is not a C. P....
He is, indeed a paddle tail newt. Pachytriton Labiatus. After many hours of researching photos on caudata culture and elsewhere on the web I found out.
I am sorry I did not post on this thread, but I did amke a post a while back when I found out...
He is doing MUCH better now. He is in a bigger tank, with a bubbler, and I do water changes bi-weekly. He is a voracious eater, loving meal worms and earth worms. I feed him every other day, and he is always hungry,

He looks happier and swiming,
Sorry about the confusion everyone, my mistake, but I do appreciate all the feedback!
Thanks Again!!
"His face doesnt look the same as the pictures I have seen on the care sheet photos, but his body is identical. I think he may have been bumping the glass to get out."-from my above post, the paddletails have a snoutier look to them...Duh, Kara....