What can I do?

One of my newts has stopped eating. I noticed yesterday that one of my newts is about half the size it was about a month ago. I now have it in a one gallon tank alone. I tried feeding it frozen bloodworms, which they usally love but it still won't eat. I am not sure what is wrong with it. It went missing, I thought, but later found it in the tank. I have found one of the other newts hiding in the water filter, which is where I think this one was hiding. Do you think this is what made it sick, and is there anything I can do for it? Please help me.

[Alison Brown]

Hello newtmother, can you give us a little more information? What kind of newts do you have? You might try chopped earthworm if they are refusing the bloodworms. How long have you had them? What does their enclosure look like? What kind of top do you have on their home?

I am almost sure that I have a warty firebellied newt. I have had them for 4 months. They are in a 30 gallon tank with lots of plants and it has a glass top.

Has the newt stayed aquatic, or is it out on land? In your main tank, how large is the tank and how many newts live there?

One problem with warty newts is that they tend to be territorial. So being in a group doesn't always work. An animal that feels bullied by the others will often stop eating. Separation was a good thing to do. I agree with Ali, try earthworms.

I have had a problem with one of the newts, by the way I have three, being a bully. I thought maybe it was a mating thing, because of a grayish blue stripe that has appeared on his tail. My tank is 30" long, 12" deep and 20" tall. I thought that would be large enough for all three newts. Does anyone one if they can get sick from being in the filter. They can not get injured, because they can only get to where the cartrige is. But can they soak up anything off of it to make them sick?

Oh, and they are always in the water. I have a net that they sometimes crawl onto. But they hardly ever use it.

Well. I believe just as Jennifer said. It probably is caused by the territorial behaviour. The newt was weakened by being bullied and got to hide in the filter.

Since it got bullied so badly, it must be very stressful and became unwilling to eat. It's behaviour of hiding in the filter already shown that the tank is not big enough for all three animals.

Giving them more hiding places might help. But it will be very difficult to take care of the weaker newt.