Question: paddletail newts - why did both die?

[ghrh696969]

Hello, we've had 2 paddletail newts for about a year now and have really enjoyed them with no problems. However, yesterday a friend was holding 1 of them and accidently dropped it on a rock and it immediately died. We put it back in the tank that night but to my surprise when I checked on both newts the next morning the 2nd newt had died as well and for no apparent reason that we can think of. Our family is obviously upset and can not understand why the 2nd newt died as well; could it be that it was so upset about the 1st newts death? Did the 1st newt put off toxins that killed the 2nd newt? Help- can you think of a possible explanation?

 

[slowfoot]

Why did you put a dead newt back in the tank?

 

[Jennewt]

For the benefit of others reading... it would have been better to put the injured newt into a plastic container with wet paper towels. I imagine that you put it back into the tank because you weren't 100% sure that it was dead, and you didn't want to dispose of it if there was any chance that it might "come to".

Yes, it's possible that the injured newt gave off toxins that killed the other newt. I'm sure it wasn't due to any emotional blow to the 2nd newt. I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[ghrh696969]

I did put the 1st dying newt back in the tank because I didn't want our daughter and her friend to be upset about the death that evening; my husband and I wanted to think of a good reason, other than it being the friends fault, why it died.
Unfortunately, I had no idea that could possibly kill the other newt or we would have never done it. Thanks for your help I appreciate it.