Illness/Sickness: P. labiatus sick):

[aaustin15]

When i woke up this morning i noticed my newt was sitting on top of the filter in his tank and it looks like he is shedding): i don't know what happened. yesterday he was eating well and acting friendly as usual. i recently (about four days ago) changed his diet to mostly earthworms and he's been eating them and doing great. also last night i added about an inch of water to his tank because it evaporated. any ideas on what it could be? he's back in the water now, but he doesn't seem like himself.

 

[aaustin15]

oh, and the shedding is not in once piece. its not flakey, but theres like a little strip of shedding

 

[Azhael]

What are the temps?
Is the tank cycled and the parametres stable?
It looks from the picture in your avatar like the layer of sand is quite deep. This is problematic as the deepest sections will eventually become anaerobic and the metabolism of the bacteria that will colonize those areas produces very dangerous and toxic compounds. To prevent this it´s recommended that the layer is no thicker than an inch, or that it is stired regularly. Frankly, it´s much better to keep the layer thin.
The tank also seems largely empty. Make sure the newt has several hiding areas .

 

[aaustin15]

he kinda moves the sand around and when i pour water in sometimes it moves the sand (even though i try not to) so in some areas its completely bare and others theres little mounds. right now its not as dramatic as in the pic though, the sand is probably 1.5 inches at its deepest. ill try to level it out though. and on the caudata care sheet it says they only need one hiding place, so thats why he only has a couple. not really sure about the parameters. last time i checked it was fine, but ill test it again today when i get back from my classes. and the temp is about 65 and the tank has been set up for a couple months now.

 

[aaustin15]

okay, so he just shed like all of his skin (i don't know why that one random strip came off separately) and he's out of the water again though. I'm going to go get his water tested now

 

[aaustin15]

i tested his water yesterday and the nitrite/nitrate levels were high. i always suck up the food he doesn't eat, but today i was cleaning the tank (just sucking up waste with a turkey baster) and i found part of a worm decaying under a rock /: how can i get those levels down faster than just doing water changes?