Paddle Tail Injuries

As a newbie to the whole pet newt thing im a little troubled.
after purchasing a Paddle tail from the local pet store last Saturday i noticed she has two chunks missing on her side, they looked clean but deep.
i know i should of checked her over before hand so this is entirly my fault for taking her home with injuries.
thing is i have moved her now to a small tank, for observation and a cleaner environment, away from the other fish ect. although it has no filter and heater, so i shall have to be observant.
i have done alot of research since getting her, i thought this was the best option.

i dont know what to do, do i just wait or is there simple things that can help her quickly and avoid infection? the small tank isnt the best and dont want her there too long for her own sake.

any help would be greatly appreciated!

JustJordan said:

As a newbie to the whole pet newt thing im a little troubled.
after purchasing a Paddle tail from the local pet store last Saturday i noticed she has two chunks missing on her side, they looked clean but deep.
i know i should of checked her over before hand so this is entirly my fault for taking her home with injuries.
thing is i have moved her now to a small tank, for observation and a cleaner environment, away from the other fish ect. although it has no filter and heater, so i shall have to be observant.
i have done alot of research since getting her, i thought this was the best option.

i dont know what to do, do i just wait or is there simple things that can help her quickly and avoid infection? the small tank isnt the best and dont want her there too long for her own sake.

any help would be greatly appreciated!

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Well, I would advise that you read the paddle tail care sheet. The best way to keep newts is by themselves. Paddle tails are aggressive and may injure or kill other paddle tail newts. They can be injured (or injure) fish that they cohabitate with and most fish require much higher temperatures than paddle tails should be exposed to. We have an article about disasters that have occurred from species mixing.

If the tank the newt came out of has a heater than the observation tank you have him in is a much better choice. Almost all newts and salamanders require cooler temperatures, at least below 70F. Paddle tails come from swift flowing, cold streams so they can easily be kept much cooler.

I would recommend moving your newt to the coolest part of the house, like a basement, where he is not likely to be disturbed often and carefully monitor his wounds for infection. Fungi are especially common and can be identified by the stringy/fluffy material around the wound. Make sure the enclosure is escape proof! Newts, even (or especially) paddle tail newts, are expert escape artists and will get out of any enclosure without a tight fitting lid.

If fungus shows up salt baths should help clear up the infection. This would also be an appropriate time to fridge your newt. You place the newt in the fridge and wrap the enclosure in a towel to prevent light from disturbing the newt every time you open the door. You will also need to put a bottle of dechlorinated water in the fridge to change his water with everyday. Changing his water with room temperature water may cause additional stress and that's why you need water the same temp from the fridge.

A pic of the wound might help, give us a bit more of an idea what your dealing with.

I've bought wounded paddle tails before, too(rescue!). The offending store is still keeping 15 to a tank(I'm assuming your in a similar situation and they've been nipping each other in the pet store).

Its my experience that they generaly heal ok on there own, though isolation, and perhaps seperate housing(TLC) doesnt hurt. Keep the tank and water clean. You might find if you try to re introduce it other paddle tails will keep picking on it(you have more than one in the tank?). Fish may also nip at open wounds.

If the wound isnt healing, or looks infected it may help to wash the wound(not the newt!) with lightly salted water. I dont know what other forum goers(ie more experienced people, I've only had 6 paddle tails inte past) stand on 'medication', but I've had success with this in the past. A small pinch of clean sea salt, disolved in a clean container with boiling water and allow to cool to room temperature, gently applied with cotton wool to remove any debris or gunk from the wound. Be gentle, carefull not to cause further damage and mind you dont pull away any flesh from around the wound.

As someone with more piercings than sense I cant extol the virtues of light, warm salt water baths to healing wounds enough!

Thank You, The temp in the tank is below 70 anyway as the fish are suited to the temp.Also there is no sign of agression between the Paddle tail and the Fish. They all seem to get along well, could be due to the deep size of the tank (i do have dry areas such as a floating cork island for the newt though).Sorry this image insit very good, best i could do at the time.http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg183/JustJordanAhoy/mexmas.jpgsince then the injury has gone slightly paler, not white though.the advice is 1st class and am consatntly watching her developments. i dont want to take serious action till i am sure she cant do it her self. i dont want to risk harming her as a newbie when im really trying to help the poor thing. she is still eating resonably well and has shed her skin once since getting her.ill be back with further updatesthanks guysx

Sorry faulty link im having trouble solvingworking this forum out lolBad picture and its to big but best i can do atmx