My C. Orientallis Bloat or Egg Carrying?

I have five C. Orientalis in a tank heavily planted. I have discovered that three of my female newts have growth a lot fatter in the past two months. At first I thought they are probably carrying eggs. In fact one of my healthier newt is actually laying eggs everyday and the size of its belly decrease as well. However, my other two female newts don't seems to have laid any egg yet.

After reading the forum, I have discovered this symptom called bloat. And I have also started feeding them chopped worm. Which from the forum I also heard that live worm might carry bacteria that might cause bloating. Looking at my newts after I fed them a big meal, the two big fat female newt seems to be very big in size, and the swelling has become the whole torso (middle body, not the neck, not the legs) So I am starting to worry if this is caused by the eggs and the big meal or bloating. But other than the body swelling, they are very healthy.

Should I quarantine them with consideration that they might be carrying eggs as well?

Thanks.

How do you know the egg laying is limited to just one female?

If it's bloat, the swelling will be all over, in the chest area, up to all the legs. If it's eggs, the swelling will be localized to the abdomen. Also, if it was bloat, it would be very sudden, usually overnight or within a few days. In my experience, egg swelling takes longer to build up.

(Message edited by Joan on August 31, 2005)

I know egg laying is limited to one since the other two have been swelling up a long time. The egg laying one got much thinner since then.

I hope my newt are fine.

I think I will start feeding less so that I can distinguish wheather it is egg carrying + food or bloat.

BTW, in your experience, do amphibian eat and act active when bloat?

Actually, bloat can take different forms. The most common form, which is often seen in newly-imported firebellies, is generally as Joan describes. The limbs swell and it progresses rapidly.

But I've also seen a slowly-developing form of bloat that does not affect the limbs. Unfortunately, there is no sure way to identify this slower form of bloat in the early stages, except to "wait and see". And there is probably no treatment anyway.

Below are photos of the same newt in 2001 and again in 2002. I don't know in what months the photos were taken, but the newt began to look slightly enlarged and continued to slowly progress, ever larger over a period of months. She continued to eat well throughout the process. When she stopped eating, I decided it was time to euthanize.

Ian - don't let this scare you. Your newts probably don't have this problem. Keep us posted. Also, I assume you have already seen the gravid versus bloated photos here: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/bloatEDK.shtml

Thanks,in your experience, does this slowly developing bloat spread to other animals in the tank?

I doubt that this slow kind of bloat would spread. It didn't in my case. I think it is just caused by gradual organ failure. If it were caused by bacteria, it would progress much faster.

I stopped feeding for a bit and its stomach became smaller and I have finally witnessed her laying eggs, so it probably not a bloat.