My newt is floating upside down...

[newmanda]

Sorry, I think I posted to the wrong topic before...new to this. So below is what I already wrote in a different section.

Hi,

I have a fire-bellied newt that is at least 6-7 years old. It has been healthy the entire time (varied months of activity/inactivity, i think that's normal). Anyway I've noticed it has been gradually seeming lethargic the past couple weeks, and today I noticed that it was floating upside down and when it tried to move it would go in circles upside down and generally had no coordination. It seems very sick. There might be a slight growth on the side of its head that it leans on (I can't really tell because that is the side that is constantly underwater).

I took it out and put it in a small amount of fresh water in a bowl. It is just enough water to cover him completely...any more and he floats upside down. He still moves every so often but not a lot. He seems uninterested in food, but as far as I can remember he ate the past few days. Water quality and feedings have been the same, so no obvious changes in environment, except that it has been hot for the past few weeks.

Could anyone help me with what I should do and what might be wrong with him??

 

[vistajpdf]

Cool him and see a vet. I don't know what's going on to be honest and hopefully some of the more experienced members here can offer an explanation. However, if you've had him that long, he could be far older unless you know he was (CB) captive bred. Almost all are wild caught (WC) from pet stores. When they are WC, they could be old at the time or juveniles. My two of C. Orientalis (fire bellied), I'm certain now, were WC and while I thought they were young (terrestrial for many months at first), they reproduced less than a year after I got them, so I'm thinking they are older than I originally thought.

If you can't keep the A/C on to get the room cool, I've heard others recommending refrigerating the newt, though it's usually more to control the growth of a fungus. If he has a lump and it's on one side only, he needs to be seen by an exotic vet.

Good luck,
Dana