Difference between Japanese & Chinese FB newt??

[kailz]

I purchased a FB newt about 3 weeks ago, I thought he was normal size until I got another newt yesterday. The newt I got yesterday is nearly twice the size of the other, and the new one also has a different looking tail. (New, larger newt is Cairo and the smaller one is Rio) Cairo's tail seems more like a tadpoles tail if you know what I mean? While Rio's is just like a regular rounded lizard tail. Which is which??

Also, I've bought the newt pellets and Rio has not eaten at all, so I'm going to ditch the pellets because apparently they aren't as good anyway. Can I literally just give them earthworms from my back yard?

Thank you!!!:happy:

 

[Azhael]

If you upload some pictures we´ll be able to tell for sure.
Judging by your description i would hazard that maybe one of them is a Pachytriton? If that´s the case you need to separate them ASAP.

You can feed them solely on earthworms, it´s an excellent staple. Just make sure you collect them from safe, chemical free areas.
They are very unlikely to accept pellets as they are recent imports and so they are used to live prey, plus there´s the huge amounts of stress they´ve suffered from the horrors of the importation and their need to adapt to captivity and their new home. In time, provided they do well, they can learn to accept pellets.

 

[kailz]

Okay, I just took some pictures and will upload them.
Now that I look at Rio's tail it does seem similar to Cairo's.. maybe it's just that he's smaller.
In the pictures you can't really tell how much bigger Cairo is than Rio. Rio is also very skinny

 

[kailz]

The newt on the plant is Rio (smaller) and in the water is Cairo (larger)

 

[jasper408]

It's hard to determine the species from the picture, and unfortunately, Rio is definitely not looking too good. I would take a guess that they are both orientalis, but I am sorry to say Rio's emaciated state makes him look different.

Have you read Caudata Culture Species Entry - Cynops orientalis - Chinese firebelly ? Caudata is a great source of information.

 

[Azhael]

Agreed, they are both Hypselotriton orientalis but the first one is in a terrible state. Try to offer optimal conditions as soon as possible (minimum of 10 gallons of water, very heavily planted, cool temps and no stress) and get some waxworms to entice the poor thing to eat something. Its chances are very bad, though...

Also, for future reference, please don´t buy WC newts. This is what happens. CB animals are a far better choice and they are an ethical option, unlike the barbarism of WC imports.

 

[kailz]

Very upsetting to hear these things about Rio, we are trying to feed him earthworms right now and he just turns away. Cairo on the other hand attacked it and is plumper than ever.
PLEASE someone tell me what to do with Rio, he just has absolutely no interest in eating. He is in a 10 gallon tank with plants, water and rock.
I don't know what to do

 

[jasper408]

Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do other than what Rodrigo suggests. Your biggest goal, assuming the living conditions are acceptable, is to get Rio to eat. Waxworms and blood worms are usually readily accepted, but it may already be too late, unfortunately.

 

[Mark]

The future doesn't look too bright for Rio. Is he mainly aquatic?

If he's aquatic I would be tempted to purchase small live aquatic invertebrates that can be left in the tank such as daphnia and blackworms. That way he always has access to food and more importantly it'll be food he recognises from his life in the wild. I'm afraid to say that the addition of a larger newt to his enclosure will only cause more stress for him so you may want to consider separating them during his recovery.

Sadly when a newt reaches a certain point of emaciation it can be very difficult to get them to feed again. The ribs on show and skin taught around the skull implies that he hasn't fed for a very long time. In the right conditions newts can starve for many months before dying. Stress and sickness will speed up the process.

Keep him in a cool, clean, dark enclosure with suitable hiding spots and 24/7 access to live prey.

 

[kailz]

Thank you Mark!! I'm going to try and get to a pet store as soon as I can to get some inverts that I can leave in the tank for him. The other newt really doesn't bother him at all, they just float around each other and it doesn't seem like either of them seem threatened. Rio is doing what he normally does.
Also I thought I might add that Rio has a white spot covering his nose and mouth? Does this imply any kind of disease?