SICKNESS?

[newtmother]

MY NEWTS ARE ACTING LIKE THEY'RE SICK. THEY ARE STARTING TO GET THIS GRAYISH, WHITE COLOR ON THEIR BELLIES AND FEET. I TOOK THEM OUT OF THE TANK ABOUT THREE DAYS AGO AND THEY HAVE BEEN ACTING WIERD EVER SINCE. THEY JUST HANG OUT ON THE BOTTOM OF THE TANK AWAY FROM EACHOTHER WITH THEIR TAILS CURLED UP LIKE THEY ARE THREATENED. THEY ACT LIKE THAT FOR ABOUT TWO HOURS USUALLY, THEN THEY ARE FINE. IF YOU CAN RELATE AND HAVE AN ANSWER PLEASE HELP ME.

 

[ester]

Please turn off the caps-lock.
It'd help if you could tell us what kind of newts you have. How long you've had them and what their aquarium looks like. Do you use filtration, if so what kind? Do you have a picture of your newts?
If your newts are axolotls have you checked out the health pages on www.axolotl.org?

 

[newt]

I have three Japanese Firebellied Newts. I have two ten gal. whisper filters. They're in a 30 gal. tank 3/4 full. I have a net so they can climb out of the water, and a cave for them to hide in. I used to have two snails but I took them out because I read that they can harm the newts. I use a turkey baster to clean their tank everyday. I change the filters twice a month. They eat cut up mealworms, frozen bloodworms, and newt bites. I have alot of plants for them and try to keep them happy but it seems like I am not doing a very good job.

 

[jennifer]

Japanese firebellies are very rare, unless you have had them for many years. Pet shops don't sell them any more. If you can say for sure what species you have, this will help to know why they are acting strangely. See:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/firebelly.shtml

I'm wondering if what you describe could be a mating behavior. Tail waving is normal mating behavior. The white/gray color could be breeding color, although I wouldn't expect to see it on the belly/feet. It would usually be on the tail and flanks.

 

[newt]

I defently have the warty newt species. But I noticed in the pictures that they don't have a shiny silver around their eyes like mine do. Do you know of any pictures of "cloudy eyes"?

 

[jennifer]

Do the eyes look like this:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Paramesotriton/P_caudopunctatus.shtml
Or are they cloudy all the way across? If all of them truly have cloudy eyes, it's usually diet-related. What are they eating?

How are they bahaving now? Tail-waving can be a mating behavior, but it can also be a sign of aggression. If it's aggression, the one that is bullied can end up hurt or losing weight due to stress, so it's something to watch closely. Warty newts, especially males, DO have some aggressive tendencies.

If you read through the FAQ and articles here, you might find more info you need:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/index.shtml