Obesity in N. Viridescens

J

jason

Guest
I've been keeping 6 N. Viridescens in a 20 gl tank. Five of the newts look like if they ate any less they would be too skinny but one of them has grown really big and has gotten really dark. Is it unhealthy for a newt to get too big? He looks like he might be too fat, and the other newts look like they aren't eating enough, could he be scaring them off? I feed them two cubes of bloodworms every night and there isn't much left in the morning.
I appreciate any tips.
Thanks,
Jason
 
feed them separately, see if the other ones "fatten up"
 
I tried that and all they do is try to get out of the feeding tank. Do you think maybe I could take the big one out every other day and not feed him?
 
Removing the larger one out during feeding is one option. But easterns are generally pretty peaceful, so I doubt that the others are being intimidated. I would suggest feeding a larger amount of food (maybe 3-4 cubes) so there's plenty to go around, but feeding less often like every 2-3 days.

Does the fat one look like it's inflated? Over the course of many years, I've lost two easterns to a slow-progressing form of bloat. They keep a good apetite, but over the course of several months, they just get bigger and bigger until it becomes obvious that they are not simply fat. I don't want to scare you unnecessarily, but does this description fit?
 
well I am now frightened because this does fit the description...is there anything that I can do to prevent this even if it isn't the case?
I'm trying taking him out while they eat and seeing if perhaps that will make a difference.
 
I don't know of any solution to the problem. I didn't try any medical treatments on mine. I did try reducing food intake and that did NOT help.
 
By the way, is the newt in question male or female? Both of mine that died this way were female, and the other case I've heard of was also female.
 
Well I feel like an amateur...I reduced feeding to every 2 days and the big male has decreased in size although now he has developped a few white spots on his skin. They don't look irritated or dirty in any way. Also the others are still pretty skinny...maybe I should give them to someone who has better luck.
 
Hey I wouldn't give up if I were you, at least not yet.
Anybody know if bloat can occur in other salamanders? I have a female spotted salamander and she seems to be really fat compared to the male. She was pregnant but that was a long time ago. Any ideas?
 
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