Illness/Sickness: Red Sore on Fire Belly Newt

[LiamPhilp]

Hey guys!

I recently noticed my fire belly newt has a blister like sore on its rear leg. I've done a bit of research throughout the forum and I've struggled to find an answer, as it has varied from case to case. I've attached some photos of the sore to see if anyone has any ideas.

I decided to adopt him after he was sold to my dad as a "fully aquatic" newt and was kept in a tropical fish tank. I knew this wasn't right and decided to take him in myself. He took a while to settle and was very reluctant to enter the water initially. Now he's spending a lot more time underwater and seems to be eating well too. He lives with one other fire belly newt that is settled and healthy.

I'm very new to keeping amphibians so sorry if I have missed anything.

Very grateful for any help and advice I can get!

Thanks

Liam.

 

[Donna001]

Hi Liam and welcome to the forum. :happy:
I'm not very experienced, and have axolotls rather than newts, but there are plenty of experienced keepers on this forum who will be more than happy to help you with your problem. I'm sure that they will be along soon to offer their advice.
Best of luck.

 

[Chinadog]

Welcome to the site.
Your pictures aren't visible, you could try again like this?

http://www.caudata.org/forum/f1-gen...hnical-not-newts/55492-how-post-pictures.html

Skin sores are very common with wild caught pet shop newts, they sometimes, but not always, go along with other problems like a swollen bottom jaw and refusal to feed or get wet. You can try treating it with neosporin ointment, the one without a painkiller in it, but without antibiotics from the vet it's almost always fatal.

Here are some links to read that will give you some idea of treatments that were successful and also some care sheets if you haven't seen them already. I'm sorry I can't offer any positive home treatment advice, but by the time the newts reach the petstores from China they are highly stressed and often sick, even though they may look ok in the shop. You can also use the search function to find lots of threads about sick, imported firebellies with skin sores.
Good luck whichever route you try, and don't be afraid of asking questions, even if they seem daft, if I can help at all I will.

http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...7-newt-salamander-help/101508-newt-wound.html

Caudata Culture Articles - Sores

Caudata Culture Species Entry - Cynops orientalis - Chinese firebelly

 

[LiamPhilp]

There, I believe that's them attached properly now.

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Chinadog]

Unfortunately that newt is very sick. It's skin looks inflamed and smooth and the sore on it's leg is pretty bad. Again I'd say a trip to a herp vet is it's only chance of survival, even then it's a long shot.
If you have an interest in keeping newts, I hope this doesn't put you off. Firebellies make fascinating pets, healthy captive bred ones are already acclimated and usually disease free. They might take patients to find, but they're well worth the wait.

 

[LiamPhilp]

Thanks for the response

Unfortunately I don't think I have a specialised herp vet in my area, the best thing I could do would be take it to a local reptile and fish shop

I'll try and get a hold of a neosporin equivalent. I'm from the UK so I'm not sure it's available here (or there's nowhere I can get it from within the next 24 hours)

My dad keeps tropical fish and he has a general antibiotic for treating them. Would this be likely to help?

Is there anything else I can try? I know his chances are slim but I don't really want to give up on the little guy!

Thanks again for all the help!

 

[CatSpit]

Hi LiamPhilp, your newt does look quite unwell. If you read the post about my newt, it was only when i took her to the vet that she recovered and even the vet did not think she would. After receiving treatment prescribed by the vet she healed up very quickly though.

Please call around your local vets and ask if they or any other vet's they know of have any experience with reptiles/amphibians. I only found the vet I went to by calling my regular (dog and cat) vet and getting some ideas. I had to travel quite far to get to the recommended vet but it was well worth it. The vet gave me diluted iodine to clean the wound daily and prescribed a drop of baytril to apply to the wound daily. As far as I know you need a prescription for baytril so talk to a vet about it. As the vet explained, the neosporin wouldn't work as some bacteria are "gram negative" as was the case with my newt's wound.

Oh and I wanted to add that the vet I went to was a regular vet with an interest in reptiles and amphibians - he did consult reference material to figure out treatment. So he wasn't a specialized 'herp' vet exactly, but did know how to find the answers and prescribe the medication.

I wish you and your sick newt all the best and hope you can get it the professional help it needs.

 

[Donna001]

Herp Veterinarians

Even if you can't find a specialist vet in your area, some of them will consult with standard vets and help them with diagnosis and treatment.

Best of luck.

 

[LiamPhilp]

Thanks for all the help guys. Unfortunately after quarantining the little guy he took a massive turn for the worst and sadly died.

You guys seem like a great community and I really do appreciate all the help and advice you gave me.

RIP Leyland!

 

[Donna001]

Sorry to hear that Leyland passed away.

 

[Chinadog]

Sorry to hear that. As I said before, I hope you aren't too put off the hobby to start again with healthy animals.