Help! My Chinese Firebelly Newt's skin dull...

I bought a pair of chinese firebelly newts 3 weeks ago. I have been feeding them small live crickets but am still worried about them. Both of them have a pair of tiny bumps on their pelvis. One of them also have skin that is brownish. I am not sure if the one is molting or not. I have not seen newts molt. Please help me evaluate the condition of my newts.
Thank you.

Are your newts in water or on land?I wouldn't worry about their color,most firebellies go thru stages where they turn brownish or gray.The bumps on their pelvis sound like they so thin that their bones are showing,you need to feed them more and fatten them up.Mine like bloodworms and soft sinking newt pellets.I have 4 f/b and they ALL were very skinny when I bought them but now they are quite plump.

One of my newts seem to like life better underwater. The other prefers to stay on land underneath rocks and damp gravel. It is the one under water that has the colour change. Both of them have live crickets to snack on when they are hungry and I periodically feed them bloodworms in goo. Save force feeding, I know of little I can do to fatten them up.
Thank you for your help.

Everman, do you actually SEE them eating? If not, then they aren't. They can go months without food. Shedding skin is normal. Being brown instead of black is also normal. The critical things at this point are: good water quality (no decaying food) and getting them to eat.

The newts are malnourished enough for me to see a swelling in the tummy after they eat. I do get to see them eat sometimes. My presence seems to distract them from the affair at hand and they stumble for their kill.

One of my newts seem to be too greedy now. I think it gorges itself on food almost everyday. Is it possible to overfeed them?
How do I get rid of the oil on the surface of the water?

Don't feed them every day (after recovery, that is). Obese newts are sadly quite common.

Put a piece of paper towel on the surface and remove it instantly again. Make sure that your water quality stays decent.

I might have to seprate the feeding area for the newts. The thinner newt likes the water better now. It still seems to be shy so that it won't feed whenever I get too close. Seems content to hunt crickets and only crickets ignoring bloodworms, waxworms and pellets.

The newts are doing better than they were in the petstore. The newts are eating water? They seem to peck at the surface of the water for particles which I can't see. One is doing well on wax worms (fattening up ) while the other has a huge gut. The greedy one moves around fine but has an uncontrollable desire to eat. I have even seen him eat only to vomit it out. I am nervous about the greedy one. Very nervous. Is this attacking behaviour normal and is the enlarged gut a sign of the dreaded bloat?

waxworms for firebellies? hmm, im a little skeptical about that. i fatten mine up on a few crickets once a week, adn the rest hand feed bloodworms. 2 of mine are overweight, 1 needs special attention but is still skinny. my suggestion is to put fake leaves {craft store} washed in really hot water. mine seem to love the challenge of climbing through.

you shouldn't feed your newts crickets, only blood or tubifex worms. crickets are too hard to swallow and can be difficult to catch and can also be aggressive toward the newts

megan, pin head crickets arent agressive and are sometimes used as a main staple in diet. normal crickets do have mandibles and are capable of pinching the newt (inside or out).

everman, i do suggest separating them during feeding. if you have a special feeding tank for both of them, you keep the main tank clean, and you can be sure of how much each has eaten. and a newt can only eat what the owner feeds it. if you're worried its eating too much, DONT FEED IT SO MUCH. if you put less food in there, it obviously cant eat as much. the enlarged gut doesnt sound like bloat, just like you're overfeeding. follow the recommended guidelines. and remember: newts can go sometimes a few months without food. they dont need to be fed every day. just like houseplants: if you water (feed) them every day, it has adverse affects.

also: wax worms are very fatty, and should be used as a special treat, not as main part of diet.