Shedding or sick?

[kate]

I've been told that newts shed, so I think my newt is probably OK, but I just wanted to double-check. Around his neck and shoulders, my California newt has got a large flap of skin hanging off. Small bits of it come off sometimes, but otherwise it's just this big blob. The only thing that really worries me is that the skin underneath appears to be pitch-black and slightly puffy. It's tough to take pictures of, but I'll post one anyway:

Can you sort of see the black spot on his back? Obviously the skin lies flat when he's out of the water. Thanks for your help.

P.S. If it's any difference, my filter has been broken for a few days. I'm going to get a new one tonight.

 

[newtmother]

My newts have shed, but their skin never came off like that. I probley am not the greatest person to get advice from but it doesn't sound normal. When my newts started shedding it was more like a snake. It looked like white filmy stuff stuck to the plants, and you could see it coming off of them. but never did it look like you described.

 

[andy]

Unless it's just my eyes i can't make anything out from the picture, try and post a better one and we'll see how it looks.

 

[joan]

My T. grans shed tends to be black. The actual skin that comes off is kind of black and grainy.

 

[jeff]

I have seen the skin ball up at the neck before.