!URGENT HELP NEEDED ON PARASITE REMOVAL!

[nicolas]

Ok I hope someone can help me with this problem. Two days ago I purchased what I was thought to be three china fire bellies from a very respectable garden centre in the UK. Although im questioning' whether they are not however this isn’t really worrying me. The problem is what I found in the tank with my newts about 5 hours after introducing my pets into their \b {new fully sterilised} tank, gravel and plastic imitation wood things. Anyways, as I said, I was looking at my newts and saw what I thought was an air bubble on my newt - until it started walking around! Imagine the horror! I’ve kind of concluded its some sort of mite. I’m kind of panicking and really don't know what to do - Ive lost two corn snakes before due to mites and they perished within a week! Though my newts don’t look stressed and I see no burrowed mites or marks of any sort, id still rather get rid of these unwanted guests. Unfortunately I can’t really get a good picture to upload, but through looking at previous posts about parasites I found some guy posted pictures of his pests and my mites match the pics he has - they look identical. So for reference please use the pics he provided for now (ive attached them). My only plan up to know it to use "interpet #12 anti crustacean parasite" kills: Visible parasites such as anchor worms, fish lice, gill maggots and leeches. Only problem is, it’s sold really to treat goldfish - what are everyones comments on using this? Or remove newts, "wash" off any mites, then do their whole tank everything new and sterile. Then introduce the newts back into their tank from quarantine. Thinking about it now, maybe a combination of the two would be best? Please, oh please someone help me!

 

[dean]

i think this is caused with lack of oxygen in the water....Try and put your newt in a small container with water(dechlorinated) and put a small dab of that medication you were on about in the water.....see how the newt reacts if its fine add a little more and bath for about 10 mins....There should be medications expeiccially for newts...Good Luck

(Message edited by newtboy on December 14, 2003)

 

[samuel]

Whoa, this is the first time i heard of subcutaneous parasites in caudates. Dun think it's got to do with oxygen levels. Hope someone helps u soon. Sorry man, all the best!

 

[john]

<font color="ff0000">Dean - Please only post if you have some worthwhile information to offer. There's only one thing worse than no advice, and that's bad advice. And as a side note, can you please put a non-silly photo on your account? This is a reasonably serious web site and I'd like to maintain that.</font>

Nicholas, you are going in the right direction. I think you need to get a topical (i.e. you put it on the parasite on the newt's skin) anti-parasite medication. Now as to what one, I'm not sure but I think others may be able to help in that respect. What I would say is that I think you should remove the newts from the water and keep them terrestrial in a dry-ish setup for the time being. That may be sufficient to kill the parasites off (though it might take a while) or definitely with a good topical medication. Once they're out of the water and in a completely terrestrial setup, strip the aquatic tank, clean everything (use a weak bleach solution on the tank, gravel and ornaments to be absolutely certain you've killed off any intermediate stages in the parasite's life cycle). I doubt these parasites are life-threatening but recently imported newts (which you can be pretty sure these are) tend to be vulnerable to the slighest problem like this so I would deal with it soon.

Good luck.

 

[nicolas]

thank you all for the speedy advice! I was just inspecting my newts and to tell the truth, these parasite things have gone...though im still keeping an eye on them. Ok thanks to talkin' to Nate last night i think what was sold to me as three firebellys, are actually 2 P.fuzhongensis
and 1 Paramesotriton caudopunctatus. Anyways i took a few pics of them please could you all gimmie your opinions to what you think they are please - thanks!

 

[jesper]

For once(

) I agree with you John. I still remember the gas bubble disease thing I read about when I started out here....jeez I am still ashamed over believing that

.
Thanks again for correcting me on that one John.

Peace
/Jesper

 

[nicolas]

gas bubble disease?

 

[paul]

It was an example of a fool fabricating an answer to a question on a subject about which they knew very little.

Someone wrote that too much dissolved oxygen in water leads to newts absorbing higher volumes of gas and becoming too buoyant (and thus being unable to submerge).

A prize example of the mentality of some people who think that it is better to make up an answer to a question, than to leave it unanswered.

 

[nicolas]

Thanks paul - As i mentioned above anybody got a clue what my newts are?

 

[sari]

The pictures are kind of fuzzy, so it's a little difficult to tell, but they look just like my Paramesotriton, which I'm pretty sure is chinensis. What colour are the spots on the belly? This might help id them...

 

[nicolas]

There quite big spots - im sorry the pics are so blurry but my digi cam cant zoom that close up well. Heres another blurry pic of their underbelly, but at least you get an idea of their colour. Also ive uploaded (yes i know another blurry) pic of what i thought was a paddle tail. Probably is but could someone confirm it, and if it isnt, tell me what it really is? Ive got 2 suspect paddle tails, both are very alike. The only difference being one has a rounder head than the other, which is longer and more pointy. Just so happens that the long pointy one is slightly bigger and has one eye ( just thought id add that for sympathy, lol ) Thanks for your help everyone x

 

[dean]

it looks to me like you have 2 Guanxi Warties and 1 fuzongh wartie...
P.S What Garden shop was it and where abouts?

(Message edited by newtboy on December 15, 2003)

 

[nicolas]

Peter Barrets in teeside (united kingdom)

 

[dean]

tayside? near dundee thats where i live..Is it in perth? DO they sell alot of newts? and newt stuff?


(Message edited by newtboy on December 17, 2003)

 

[mark]

Nick is the Peter Barrets in teesside what your talking about the one near Middlesbrough?
i dont live far from that.