ElyseD
New member
Hey everyone,
I was hoping I could get some advice for my Spanish ribbed newt, Del Lago. About 5 days ago he appeared bloated under his throat and back legs. He had eaten the day prior so I can't say for sure if his belly was swollen as well. I live in a apartment in Toronto, Canada and we had a spike in temp for a day (went up to 32c here and his tank water got up to 82). It was the next day that I had noticed his bloating and the temp went back down to it's usual temp of 76-78. I should also note that his water was changed about a week prior but I hadn't changed his filter media for almost two weeks. I've had him for three years now (he's around that age) and the last summer we were ok with his water sometimes rising to 80. I would use ice/ac to help cool him down.
I found lots of articles on here regarding bloat in newts and I'm worried my carelessness caused him to either have a bacterial infection, or worst the heat caused him some organ failure. I got an appointment for him with an exotic vet for June 20, he has a little under two weeks till then.
I will admit in my panic I had tried the fridging/cooling method I had read here for axolotls that suffer from bloat. He spent a day and a half in my fridge at the warmest setting I could manage, which was around 8-10. He's out of the fridge now and he's currently in a cooler with an ice pack, filter and some plants. I've managed to keep it around 64-66 which he seems much more comfy in. I've been doing daily water changes and started monitoring his weight. His bloat hasn't gotten worse but his appetite hasn't come back, I tried frozen blood worms last night which he didn't care for.
Just for some backgrounds info:
Tank: 10g with 8-10" of water, filter with floss and ammonia pack, java ferns, bamboo, and a driftwood log and floating cork bark
Tank mates: I do have a 2" feeder fish with him, I originally wanted the fish on my patio pond but he does a good job eating leftover bloodworms
Temp: in the summer it can be 78-82, in winter it usually stays around 76-78. I use ice and AC to help keep the water cool in the summer.
Cleaning: I usually change his water 25%-35% every week but sometimes it's 50% every two weeks.
Diet: mostly earthworms, and bloodworms to change it up a bit. I do feed the earthworms some veggie scraps. He eats about every 3-4 days.
I've attached photos showing his bloat when I first noticed it. As of today he hasn't eaten for a week and has a weight of 67g. His bloat hasn't changed much, he might be a little more bloated but it's very subtle. I started monitoring his weight last night so I'll be keeping an eye out for any bloat changes.
If anyone has any advice with newts and bloat I would hugely appreciate it. I want to keep him as comfy and stress-free till his vet checkup and try to see if there's anything I can do to help his healing. If there's any other info you guys need to know please ask.
Thanks!
-Elyse
I was hoping I could get some advice for my Spanish ribbed newt, Del Lago. About 5 days ago he appeared bloated under his throat and back legs. He had eaten the day prior so I can't say for sure if his belly was swollen as well. I live in a apartment in Toronto, Canada and we had a spike in temp for a day (went up to 32c here and his tank water got up to 82). It was the next day that I had noticed his bloating and the temp went back down to it's usual temp of 76-78. I should also note that his water was changed about a week prior but I hadn't changed his filter media for almost two weeks. I've had him for three years now (he's around that age) and the last summer we were ok with his water sometimes rising to 80. I would use ice/ac to help cool him down.
I found lots of articles on here regarding bloat in newts and I'm worried my carelessness caused him to either have a bacterial infection, or worst the heat caused him some organ failure. I got an appointment for him with an exotic vet for June 20, he has a little under two weeks till then.
I will admit in my panic I had tried the fridging/cooling method I had read here for axolotls that suffer from bloat. He spent a day and a half in my fridge at the warmest setting I could manage, which was around 8-10. He's out of the fridge now and he's currently in a cooler with an ice pack, filter and some plants. I've managed to keep it around 64-66 which he seems much more comfy in. I've been doing daily water changes and started monitoring his weight. His bloat hasn't gotten worse but his appetite hasn't come back, I tried frozen blood worms last night which he didn't care for.
Just for some backgrounds info:
Tank: 10g with 8-10" of water, filter with floss and ammonia pack, java ferns, bamboo, and a driftwood log and floating cork bark
Tank mates: I do have a 2" feeder fish with him, I originally wanted the fish on my patio pond but he does a good job eating leftover bloodworms
Temp: in the summer it can be 78-82, in winter it usually stays around 76-78. I use ice and AC to help keep the water cool in the summer.
Cleaning: I usually change his water 25%-35% every week but sometimes it's 50% every two weeks.
Diet: mostly earthworms, and bloodworms to change it up a bit. I do feed the earthworms some veggie scraps. He eats about every 3-4 days.
I've attached photos showing his bloat when I first noticed it. As of today he hasn't eaten for a week and has a weight of 67g. His bloat hasn't changed much, he might be a little more bloated but it's very subtle. I started monitoring his weight last night so I'll be keeping an eye out for any bloat changes.
If anyone has any advice with newts and bloat I would hugely appreciate it. I want to keep him as comfy and stress-free till his vet checkup and try to see if there's anything I can do to help his healing. If there's any other info you guys need to know please ask.
Thanks!
-Elyse