Please help

[lauren]

I recently got 3 firebelly newts. One of them has stopped eating. I feed them chopped nightcrawlers. They are fed by hand but he wont eat anything offered anymore. I'm worried he will starve. If anyone has any suggestions they would be welcome. Thanks for your time.

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[joel]

Maybe it are just shy, refusing to eat with you around. Many of my newts are like that. To really know if it is eating or not, just isolate it and feed it, missing food tells you it is eating. Thats all I can help you, hopefully someone more knowledgable can help you...

 

[jesper]

Hi,
It's totally impossible to say anything from the info that you are giving, you have to provide info on how you are keeping him, how long you have had him, how long time has passed since its last meal, what temperature is it kept in, a description of what kind of firebellied newt it is or preferably a photo etc etc etc.
If it is a cynops orientalis(see photos on the site), it should be kept below 21C in a semiaquatic tank. How often do you clean the tank? Do you use filters? Have you checked the water quality?
Newts are easily stressed and often refuse to eat if stressed - in my experience cynops orientalis from pet shops are extremely sensitive and easily stressed. A newt survives a very long time without food - if it doesn't eat in a week it's nothing even though one should think about why....

 

[jennie]

I agree with Jesper. I have a firebelly from a pet store, and he took some time to adjust to his new home. Definitely check the temperature, at first I was keeping him in a tank that was too warm. Also, mine only eats every four or five days, I can tell when he's hungry when he starts hunting in the rocks for food. Joel's comment about shyness is a possibility too, Sebastian doesn't eat if I'm just standing there, but the food is always gone after a little while.