Newt parasites?

I meant to type "Newt Parasites"

I've had my Chinese Firebelly Newt for 9 years now, and he's always had a fairly good appetite, and still does for his age, though not as much of a vigorous eater as his earlier years, it takes him longer to find the live food. I actually got 2 newts from there, but he killed the other newt, apparently they were both males and he was the bigger of the 2, I never got any more after that because I felt really bad, just had him alone after that.

But i've been wondering, is there any chance for all these years he could be harboring parasites? I've never treated him for any, and the store I got him from 9 years ago had a really filthy tank with other sick animals in it, he himself was stick thin when I got him and it took me a while to get him to eat when I first got him, but finally he got the hang of it and grew. He also couldnt swim when I got him, but mabye that was due to his young age? I was fairly young when I bought him so I didnt know not to buy from there, I felt bad for him and being only a kid, buying a newt for only 99 cents was easy.

But amazingly he is still alive and 10 years old! So my question is, could he have parasites, and if so, how do you treat them ?

He probably doesn't have a parasite and is just getting old. The period that he was in the bad water at the pet store probably shortened his life and is starting to catch up with him. Don't take my word on this though because I'm new to this.

Thanks for your input, i'll wait for more replies too.

hi Keith,

It's certainly theoretical possible that he could harbour parasites that are just now causing a problem - they can remain in balance with their parasites for years until something tips the balance in favour of the parasite or other bug. It may be worth getting a faeces sample checked for any sign of parasites - a vet should be able to help.

Hope this helps,

Bruce.

Keith - I renamed the thread!

As Bruce said, it could be possible that he has some parasites but I would imagine that they would have caused more trouble when you got him, skinny and weakened.
I'd suspect that he is not as vigorous anymore due to his age but you could do a check as Bruce recommended. If you have a microscope you could even do a preliminary check yourself.

I do have a microscope with clean slides and can easily get a fecal sample from his tank, what should I look for on the slide? The more specific the better.

keithp said:

I do have a microscope with clean slides and can easily get a fecal sample from his tank, what should I look for on the slide? The more specific the better.

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Although this may prove interesting, I might think it would be an exercise in futility. There are many 'things' that could conceivably be found in a fecal sample – nematodes ova/larva, flagellates, ciliates, amoebae, etc – some which may be of concern and others not. If GI disease is really suspected, stains for cytology would be needed as would the ability to evaluate for inflammatory cells, RBCs, etc. Last but not least, how do you treat? Many of the meds would only be available through a Vet if disease is found.

I would agree with Bruce’s recommendation – as this needs a trained eye, I would find a vet that is familiar with caudates (Ok, not the easiest thing to do) and take a fresh (not refrigerated) sample in for evaluation …. if you are concerned about intestinal parasites.

Also, if you take the "sample" from the floor of the tank, it will probably have already been invaded by normal aquarium micro-organisms. To get a clean sample of feces, you need to keep the animal on clean damp paper towels until it poops.

Also, if you feed your newt live food, some of the micro-organisms from that live food will be present in the feces, but will not mean anything about your newt's parasite load.

So, I guess at least at home here there is nothing I can do to see if he has parasites, although just for the heck of it, I can do this.

"To get a clean sample of feces, you need to keep the animal on clean damp paper towels until it poops."


Trouble is I dont know of any vets that specialize in exotics. I know of one who deals with wildlife, but thats only birds and squirrels, not non-native species. If I lived in New York city then I would be in luck because I know of one there, but I live on Long Island, far away.

If anyone else lives on LI, mabye you could help me find one that specializes in amphibians.

keithp said:

So, I guess at least at home here there is nothing I can do to see if he has parasites, although just for the heck of it, I can do this.

"To get a clean sample of feces, you need to keep the animal on clean damp paper towels until it poops."


Trouble is I dont know of any vets that specialize in exotics. I know of one who deals with wildlife, but thats only birds and squirrels, not non-native species. If I lived in New York city then I would be in luck because I know of one there, but I live on Long Island, far away.

If anyone else lives on LI, mabye you could help me find one that specializes in amphibians.

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Hi Keith
I don't know if the following will help, but these are a couple of listings of vets who deal with amphibians/reptiles in NY:

http://www.arav.org/Members/NY.htm
http://www.herpvetconnection.com/newyork.shtml

Thanks, they were a big help, I found 1 10 minutes from me!

keithp said:

Thanks, they were a big help, I found 1 10 minutes from me!

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Great and good luck. Just remember that if you do need to collect a fecal sample, make sure that it is clean (as Jennewt recommended) and that it is fresh and not refrigerated.

Just for fun, I looked at a sample under my microscope, but putting it on a paper towel wasnt the best idea, half the poo got stuck, so I only had a tiny bit to examine, but boy it was like an ecosystem in it!!!!

I could clearly see 2 worms, and these very tiny, oval shaped things zipping around, they were so much smaller than the worms. Less than 5 minutes of observing and everything died, but I managed to get a picture anyway. The worms worry me though being they are so large.

The clear area around the poo (brown mass) is the water on the slide from the tank, I saw little or nothing in the water, only the poo.

If you feed live food, the worms could very well be nematodes which commonly reside in earthworms.

How did you take that picture?

Yeah that is a good point, I do feed live earthworms, so its probably that.

I have a microscope, so what I did was took my digital camera, put it on "macro" mode (for small things), put the camera lens over the hole on the microscope I put my eye, and took the picture. Works fairly well.

Yes, it does work pretty well! I have a stereo microscope, but I might try it myself. Thanks!