Escapee slightly worse for wear...

if you read my other thread, you've read about my female hong kong warty who took a trip around the house.
well, she did it again (i have no clue how) but on putting her back in her tank, she's got a lot of damage. her tailed is completly ripped to shreds, and she only has around 3 toes left, the rest are either missing or hanging off. it looks like she dragged herself through our half finished kitchen floor.
i'm slightly concerned about what to do here, she's happy and eating (if a little fluffy) but i'm worried she may get infected in her wounds.
i've dosed the tank with melafix, which seems to do no harm to amphibians, and a little salt, should i do anything else for measure?
i assume the toes won't grow back, but what kind of time frame should i expect on the tail. i currently don't have the facilities to quarantine, as several other fishes from another tank have come down with whitespot.
she's in a 2' tank with 2 axolotls, a couple of weather loaches, 9 mountain minnows, filtered by the largest eheim aquaball, soon to be replaced by the smaller eheim ecco.
i try to keep the temp at around 18c, but it does sometimes hit 20c at times. what kind of temp would be best for healing?
if theres anything else i should know about getting her up on her feet again, it would be appreciated.

chris (and slow the newt)

thanks for any help

(Message edited by kagh't on December 23, 2003)

Chris, I can't entirely answer all your questions, but here's some ideas for starters.

1. You MUST figure out how she escaped, or it will happen again. It is absolutely miraculous that you were able to find her twice. How does the cord to the Eheim get into the tank? I suspect there must be a gap under the lid that she is using to escape. Seal it (and all possible gaps) with black electrical tape. Put something heavy on the lid if you think the newts could push it up.

2. Cooler temps are usually better for healing, at least that's the conventional wisdom.

3. When you say "fluffy" do you mean dusty or small fungus infections? Fungal infections may be dabbed with hydrogen peroxide on a Q-tip, then rinsed off.

4. She may indeed grow back the toes if she survives. Regrowth for the tail and toes may take a month or more.

5. When you are able, I would separate the warty newts from the axolotls. Unless this is a really huge tank, it doesn't seem like a great mix to me.

6. You don't need an actual "tank" for quarantine. It could be something as simple as a plastic tub with secure lid and an airstone.

well, i managed to find the escape route - my dad feeding them and not leaving the lid on afterwards...
what i meant by fluffy was simply dust.

as for the mix, they've always been fine together, the newts pretty much reign over the axys, but i'll keep a tight eye on them to make sure that they're playing nice. i'll try your tub method of quarantine too...

My paremesotriton newts can get about 1 cm of my finger in they mouth eaily, i wouldn't be surprised if it accidentally ripped of an arm or something, as they are aggresiove when feeding

AJfr0ggy

well, she's taken a turn for the worst, her tail and feet have become infected with fungus, and she's loosing control of her body movements. she really isn't doing well at all.
is there anything i can do to help her, or is it kinder at this stage to euthenise?
if i do, what would be the best method (considering the fact i don't have access to medical drugs, and i'd rather not if possible decapitate or use extreme cranial trauma).

In case it does come to it...
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/euthanasia.shtml

Have you looked through the other articles available on caudate culture?

I would only do that if it is the last option, from my experience of my warty newt who had a hole in its head that went under its skull, and hadnt eaten from over 3 months, they can recover. However, it does sound like she is in pain.

AJfr0ggy

Do you have a local vet that has experience with amphibians if so give them ago.

Have you tried searching the web...And Jen is right, your quarantine can be anything from a tank to a tub. I hope your warty gets better they are very sensitive newts(i own 2). Good Luck And Have A Merry Christmas all!