Skinny Newt

[sarah]

Hello, I have two oregon newts housed with two firebelly toads and a plethora of feeder guppies. They are in a 50 gallon tank set up with 2 filtering pumps (one filters and spits water straight back in the tank, the other filters and pumps water up to the tank's filter then out to trickle down a pile of rocks), and one pump for circulation. There are lots of plants and rocks set up in the tank for hiding spots. I have had this set up with these animals for about 4 years now. I noticed one of my newts is bone thin, but still moves about the tank a bit. His belly is not caved in, but looks as if he is eating. The other newt is quite fat, but always has been he moves around the tank just fine too. They are fed newt and salamander bites, fish food, and I am sure they eat little guppies too. (With maybe a small cricket or two thrown in from when we feed the toads.) Any advice? Can't afford much right now as we have recently had a lot of ferret related vet bills.

 

[ester]

Perhaps isolate the sick newt and see if he will eat the salamander bites. If he wont eat them, perhaps try some frozen blood worms or frozen/live black worms. Even a small earth worm could do the trick.
I hope he pulls through

 

[sarah]

Danke Ester! (Used to live in Nuremburg). I thoroughly cleaned the tank recently, and the little guy seems to have a plumper belly. He is also moving around more and was in the water for a while today. I believe he was on a hunger strike so that I would clean the tank...I will separate him for a while to see if he is eating. Thanks again, and Vielen Danks (sp?)

 

[jennifer]

I would also suggest hand-feeding the newts for a while to make sure the thin one is eating. (If they are scared of your hand, use a tweezers or broom straw.) Earthworms are excellent for inspiring the appetite and fattening up skinny newts. There are some other food options you can also consider:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/foods.shtml