Shedding Problem

L

lauren

Guest
Hello all,

I have two Eastern Newts and one of them seems to be having a problem shedding - his skin has gotten stuck around his abdomen. I noticed it yesterday and thought I'd see if it was gone today and it's not. Does anyone have any suggestions? Should I try to help him? Thanks!
 
Is the newt living in water or on land? This is uncommon for newts in water. Unfortunately, I associate problems with shedding with sickness. How is the newt today? If it's done carefully, it wouldn't hurt to remove the stuck skin.

(Message edited by jennewt on May 05, 2005)
 
Thanks Jennifer - he lives in the water and he is looking way better now. He does have a line around his middle where it looks like he stopped shedding half way through. This is maybe unrelated, but their tank seems to reach a point where it has a lot of tiny snails in it. Usually, when this happens, I change the water, clean the aquarium, but the snails keep coming back (I think they're in the plants). Do you think that the presence of the snails would be bothering the newt? Thanks again for your help...
 
The snails themselves do not bother the newts, but the fact that they are multiplying rampantly is sending a message: there is a lot of "something" there for the snails to eat. This "something" could be dead plant parts, animal waste, or uneaten food. In any case, the tank is probably due for cleaning.

Instead of doing "total" cleanings, it's better to do a little cleaning every few days. It's useful to keep a turkey baster next to the tank and pull out all uneaten food or waste that you happen to see, and change 10% of the water per week. (Sorry if you are already doing these things; a lot of people don't know this, so I repeat myself a lot
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)

If you haven't already seen them, these articles might be helpful:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/waterquality.shtml
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/Tank_critters.shtml
 
So smart! I started feeding them more often because I noticed that one of them is more shy and wouldn't get enough to eat unless he had more frequent opportunities. This did mean that their aquarium got a little less pristine a little faster. I will try the baster. You've been wonderfully helpful. My newts thank you
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has the newt got any rocks or logs to aid shedding i often see my newts shedding of skin next to rough surfaces like these cheers justin
 
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