New to paddle tail newts!!!

Today when I fed him, offered him a worm piece, he nipped it twice and then had nothing else to do with it. Do you think it was a red wiggler and tasted bad or something. Tomarrow I am going to buy some night crawlers and try sections of those.
 
I know they can be mean to each other. Would my most likely male dislike it or like it if I found him a female. Is it close to breeding season yet?
 
You just 'rescued' this animal, are thinking about amputating its arm, can't get it to eat, don't have any idea what water conditions to keep it in, and you're worried about breeding them?!?
 
I agree with Kaysie on this one. It's always best to be able to keep a newt healthy and alive before even thinking about breeding them. To answer your question though, they aren't normally social animals. I've kept a pair together before, but I know of a lot of people who used to keep them together and had disasters. Concentrate on getting the one you have back to health and study that care sheet until you have it memorized;)
 
Ok, I was just talking about futurely speaking. About the water quality, I changed the water, so it is just well water without any additives. The ph is between 7.6-8. Since the tank is cycling as we speak, I do one gallon water changes every other day to keep amonia down.
 
If I were you, I would be changing the water everyday.
 
As long as you don't remove all of the water. Just remove like 25%. Good luck.;)
 
You don't cycle the water you cycle the tank.
The beneficial bacteria live on surfaces (glass, stones, filter etc.) not in the water. So you do not remove them when removing water. You do remove ammonia and nitrite, which is needed to "feed" your bacteria.
 
So how do the bacteria get in there. Are they in the air and just fall in there?
 
grunsven said:
You don't cycle the water you cycle the tank.
The beneficial bacteria live on surfaces (glass, stones, filter etc.) not in the water. So you do not remove them when removing water. You do remove ammonia and nitrite, which is needed to "feed" your bacteria.
Click to expand...
You wouldstill probably go through another cycle if you removed 100% of the water.
 
Hey everyone. I have been trying various methods to try to feed him night crawlers. He wont. He just looks at it for a while touches it with his nose and looks away. I have tried dropping them in front of him, using tweezers, and toothpicks. I am thinking of buying some kind of fish or shrimp to feed him. How long can I leave the night crawlers in his cage? How about some kind of fish? What kind of fish would be the most likely not to carry disease? How about crappie minnows from a bait shop? If I bought an expensive fish from a pet shop wouldnt it be healthier? I know feeder fish are known for diseases but pet stores dont want the "pretty fish" to die when people buy them. Has anyone here used feeder fish or shrimp for their newts and had a ill effect? How high is the risk? I will try waxies. I think he doesnt recognize the night crawler parts as food. they are about 1/2 inch long.
 
If I am following this thread correctly then it has been eating small worms up until a day or two ago. In all honesty I would just leave it alone for a few days - no feeder fish, no more water changes, just keep it cool and give it time to acclimate. As already stated, this species can become very "tame" once acclimated. At this point it will feed readily on a variety of food. If it is injured to the point that it is not feeding then chances are it may die anyway and the constant activity in the tank may only increase this chance. I know that it can be frustrating but the best thing for you to do at this point is to try and relax a little.
Chip
 
I dont think he did eat the small worms because I found them when i had to reclean the cage of harmful chemicals. Tomarrow, I am thinking of catching some scuds from my pond for him.
 
The kind of food you are offering is not why your paddletail won't eat! Stressed or sick newts don't eat. It is not waiting foryou to feed it another kind of food. Leave the pieces of chopped nightcrawler in the tank over night and maybe it will eat in the dark.
Looking for other food sources is not your problem in this case. Your newt is obviously stressed by something else. You have read the caresheet and are doing water changes. But still it takes time for a newt to get settled. Leave it alone in the dark and do not disturb it and see if it will start to eat. If you are checking on it's leg and seeing how it is doing and moving things in it's tank frequently, then it will be too nervous to eat.
 
I left them in overnight. He did not eat them. Last night around 7pm-9pm he was exploring and what looked like foraging for food. That is why I want to try more foods.
 
just give him some time. He was probably just exploring his surroundings. It can be frustrating when a newt does not eat, but offering him multiple foods in a very short time span can also be stressful on the animal. Typically when an animal is not eating, it is because of stress and not because of food selection.
 
Tonight I offered him a worm and he snapped at it immediatly and then dropped it...again.
 
Turn the lights out, feed him in the dark, and leave him alone with the food.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
    There are no messages in the chat. Be the first one to say Hi!
    Back
    Top