seriously bloated crested newt

[Bishop.69]

my female danube crested newt managed to get herself stuck in the 'behind the scenes' portion of my paludarium a few weeks ago, and I assumed had perished for it.
After correcting the area where she gained access, I checked what I could see of the back, and sure enough - there she was... a few hours worth of dismantling later, and I discovered her in this condition:

She's swollen like a sausage...

The last photo is of the male for reference - she was a bit larger, but nothing like this.

Any thoughts or recommendations?

I'm planning on keeping her in this container for a few days at least for observation, but would really appreciate any insight that could be provided.

Thanks...

 

[Clintaceous]

I'm dealing with a similar issue with my alpine newt. Take a look at the bloat article on the caudata website. Basically, quarantine, monitor, and take it to the vet if possible. You can also whip up some ARS solution if possible to see if it alleviates symptoms, which the recipe is at the bottom of the bloat article. If the bloat is slow to progress, its probably organ failure of somekind. If it came on fast, most likely its cause by a bug (bacteria, virus, etc.). However, you can't know what it is without getting fluid samples.

Bottom line, quarantine it and take it to a vet if possible. Treat it as if its infectious to your other newts, but don't offer meds unless prescribed by your vet. Keep it comfortable, and feed if it eats. Don't overfeed it though. I heard keeping bloated newts terrestrially might help too. Be prepared to put it down, as if its organ failure, there really isn't much you can do.

 

[Bishop.69]

Good news, all around... after reviewing the bloat article (thanks for the tip), it's clearly starvation induced. She was stuck for a minimum of three weeks before I found her and got her out.
I currently have her in a small tank in very shallow water to reduce her energy output to breath, and am slowly re-introducing her to food.
She is eating, which I take as a very good sign... if I see any signs of defecation, I'm going to assume that a full recovery is possible.

 

[Clintaceous]

Good to hear you came up with a diagnosis! Keep us informed, I'd like to know how things go