Newt No Eat.....Very Skinny

F

firebelly

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hello hello
i have 2 chinese firebelly newts, one large one.. about 4 inches and plump and one small one about 2.5 and slender.
I have had a problem with these guys eating for 2 months. Not a thing was eaten at all. They never ate for 2 months... then i read that they need a cooler environment, so i started putting bottles of ice in the tank making sure it is about 16 degrees celcius. I started feeding them earthworms, to see if they would react to it at all. the Bigger one did right away, he snapped that right off the bottom. Ate a whole worm its first meal.. its been about a week since i started feeding them earthworms and the little guy wont eat ( cope ) while ( chubbs ) goes to town.. the smaller one also is not as aquatic as Chubbs tends to hang out in the water all day/night.. is there anything i can do for the little guy? maybe put him in a smaller tank until he starts eating and gains some weight..

Anything?</font></font>
 
I would recommend putting the little one in a separate tank for now. Try to feed him of a tweezers. Just dangle a piece of chopped earthworm infront of his face and see if he takes it. Dont touch his face with it or it will scare him and he wont eat. Be patient too, it may take a minute for the little guy to get interested. I would also try feeding them live bloodworms. My firebellies love them. Keep there temps below 70 degrees F. I dont know what that is in C.
 
thats what i was thinkin.. for sure. generally, newts tend to like the dark more dont they? less light... more confined places? should i have the tank in a darker cooler part of the room to try and get him going?
 
I would say, yes. Keep trying with the earthworms (or pieces of them). After 2 months, though, it'll be challenge to get it back to health. Pet shop newts are wild caught, and some never adjust to captivity. Juveniles are especially difficult.
 
good good, well the bigger one seemed to adapt well to the change. hopefully i can get Cope to adapt aswell
 
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  • Clareclare:
    Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus Japanese . I'm raising them and have abandoned the terrarium at about 5 months old and switched to the aquatic setups you describe. I'm wondering if I could do this as soon as they morph?
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