URGENT: Sick eastern newt, stuck skin shed is black and rotted looking??

[takashiimike]

So I was away from home for a LONG time and my dad was watching my critters, and he noticed one of my eastern newts didnt look good. I got back last night, and he’s right. For the record, this guy has always been tiny and skinny compared to the much larger other two. But this is BAD. Idk if he’s eaten at all, probably not. He’s lethargic, but still lively enough to attempt to push his head up or drag himself a few inches. The shed looks like it comes off relatively easily by the center of his body. I’ve been soaking him in warm water and sometimes with a tiny bit of pure honey mixed in (even tho honey baths are for digestion). PLEASE HELP!! At this rate, he only has a couple days left I bet

 

[takashiimike]

I know I shouldn’t touch him with my bare hands, but at this rate its the only way i can efficiently take care of him, and tbh at this rate it doesn’t seem like itll make things worse. I see normal looking skin underneath the black molt.

 

[JM29]

I had something like that sort of problem on some young ribbed newts.
There were 2 particular conditions :
- under-fed animals (shame on me !),
- plants (Egeria) but no additional light.
Of course, my animals were aquatic. How about yours ?

You can have an under-fed animal in a group, if this animal is under domination from the others (I had this problem with Cynops ensicauda popei).

So the first step would be : isolate this newt in his own tank

 

[takashiimike]

I had something like that sort of problem on some young ribbed newts.
There were 2 particular conditions :
- under-fed animals (shame on me !),
- plants (Egeria) but no additional light.
Of course, my animals were aquatic. How about yours ?

You can have an under-fed animal in a group, if this animal is under domination from the others (I had this problem with Cynops ensicauda popei).

So the first step would be : isolate this newt in his own tank

He definitely could be underfed, and I set him up in his own setup last night. These guys are semi aquatic. This one does seem to be younger than the others, judging by size and how late he seems to be maturing. Also, I say he, but I do not know its gender.
Out of the 3, this guy hardly goes in the water, hardly eats. The only thing I ever seen him eat is fruit flies for the almost 2 years I've had him. I feed them every day but I can never get this little guy to eat anything else! The other two eat chopped up worm bits, he doesn't touch them. Any alternatives or recommendations?

I also want to add just in general, it doesn't seem to be infectious, or else the other two would have gotten sick. I wonder if it could be a vitamin deficiency too. I've come to learn that you become your own vet after awhile, especially when there are no exotic vets around.

 

[JM29]

A suggestion :
- Fully terrestrial setup,
- Live preys he does eat (fruit flies) and other he never met before (small woodlice for example).
You can try little worms after a while

 

[takashiimike]

Ok I happen to have some young woodlice so that helps. Thank you!