Injured Newt

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Someone has given me a young C. orientalis, and as I've gotten him settled into his quarantine tank, I've noticed that he's not in great condition.

They must have kept it in a tank with another animal because his legs look like they've been nipped at. He's missing all but one toe on his right foreleg and the bones are exposed on his left hind foot.

I suppose I'm asking if there is anything I can do to help this newt recover.

 

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ALSO, I forgot to ask advice on the age of the newt. Not so much year-wise but whether or not its a mature newt.

Compared to my first newt, it is noticeably smaller, but perhaps too big to still be an eft.

It's maybe two inches long? If that.

 

[Chinadog]

Firstly, the newt is most likely a mature adult or sub adult, probably a small male. It would have been collected in the wild from an aquatic environment, so it's not an eft. Unfortunately the outlook isn't good at all. These kinds of skin sores are common on petstore newts and are usually the beginning of the end. You can try treating it in a quarantine set up with damp paper towel substrate and a small hide. Apply Neosporin ointment (the type without anaesthetic) directly to the sore twice a day and hope for the best.
Sadly, by the time these skin sores start to break out, the newt's immune system has pretty much stopped working after the stress of capture, importation and most likely poor conditions at pet stores, so the illness can spread around it's body unchecked. Neosporin is worth a try, but don't be surprised if the animal is too weakened to recover. Sorry I can't be more help.

 

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Thanks. I was hoping that it'd be able to be saved, but I had a suspicion that it couldn't be.

I will try the neosporin and see what happens.

So its the result of it being a pet store buy and not another animal?

 

[Chinadog]

Maybe it started out as an injury, but these kinds of skin sores seem to erupt and spread almost from nowhere on imported newts. It's definitely worth trying the Neosporin, but these newts are extremely fragile when purchased and are often suffering from multiple other stress related problems.

 

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I'm sure the person who gave it to me would have preferred to get a CB C. orientalis, but I'm not sure they knew it was better to get one that way.

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any local breeders in our area. I know that if I ever want another, I would prefer a CB newt.

 

[Chinadog]

I know, people just aren't producing enough captive bred ones because the Wild caught petstore newts are so cheap. I don't think things will change unless the mass imports are stopped or regulated in some way. In the past, European tortoises were treated in the same way and millions of them died over the years until the cheap imports were stopped. Today, almost all of these tortoises are available as captive bred youngsters.
If your newt doesn't make it, it would be a good idea to put up a wanted add here on the forum. There are people who breed them in small numbers and sell the babies cheaply enough, or you might even find someone looking to re home some healthy older animals.

 

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I tried applying neopsorin to it's feet, and I feel really bad because he bled a little bit after I did it.

Is bleeding a sign one way or another? Like, on the one hand, there's blood flow, but...

 

[Chinadog]

If you got some ointment on the sore I don't think there's much more you can do. I know how hard it can be while the newt is struggling to break free!

 

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I took a picture while I was attempting to apply neosporin this afternoon. You can see where he only has a complete set of toes on one foot...

And he's so skinny.

 

[Chinadog]

He is, it really doesn't look good i'm afraid. Maybe keep trying with the neosporin, I really don't think there's any more you can do.

 

[Otterwoman]

Don't completely give up hope though. If he's eating things could maybe turn around. Also if you have access to silvadene cream, I've healed a couple sores with that.

 

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He took a couple bloodworms the day he was given to me, but unfortunately he hasn't taken any from see since. As far as I can tell, he's just been sitting on top of his plant pot for the last day or so.

 

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A new question now.

This morning, I noticed the tip of his tail has fallen off.

At this point, I'd rather not let him suffer. What do I need to do?

 

[Chinadog]

The one and only time I've had to resort to euthanasia with a terminally sick newt I used a hammer. It's an awful thing to have to do, perhaps the newt will pass on it's own soon, or maybe someone else can suggest a better way?

 

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The newt passed away sometime today. I just found him in his tank and made sure.

I suppose my next question is what do I need to do to the things that were in his tank so that I can use the for another newt? Cleaning wise, is hot water enough?

 

[Asevernnnn]

I suppose my next question is what do I need to do to the things that were in his tank so that I can use the for another newt?

This article should answer your question: Caudata Culture Articles - Quarantine and Disinfection

As for getting another newt I would make sure you're buying a healthy captive bred individual, and not from some petshop.
Also take into consideration what you can provide for it, tank size, temperature, water temperature, aquatic vs terrestrial, plants, etc.
And if its an aquatic animal, establishing a stable cycle.

 

[tcbemis]

Waaaiiittt... Chinadog... A hammer? Really? Sorry, just seems like there's better ways. Yikes.

 

[xxianxx]

Waaaiiittt... Chinadog... A hammer? Really? Sorry, just seems like there's better ways. Yikes.

Destruction of the brain is considered humane, death is instantaneous. It can be messy and i have used similar techniques in the past for euthanasia.

 

[tcbemis]

Yet disrespectful to a living creature.