Should New Newts be Quarantined from Old Ones?

I have had one CFB in a 10 gallon for about a month, and things are going well. I was planning on upgrading things for him soon, like adding live plants and a snail to act as house maid.

Anyway, if this all seems to work good then I thought I might try to get a second CFB maybe in a month or so. I was wondering if I do so, should I quarantine a new CFB in a smaller tank of his own before I add him to my main aquarium? Just in case there's something wrong with him at all or anything like that. If so, for how long do you suppose I should keep him in quarantine?

I also have a bit of a side question; right now for 'land' for my CFB I have a small magnetic turtle dock I keep in one corner of the tank, with a small fake tree on it that it likes to climb in to rest. Will a second newt and my current one be able to get along well enough to share this amount of land?

HI TLaw,
You should definitely quarantine the second newt, especially if it comes from a pet store.
I usually quarantine for two weeks, others might say a month or even 6 weeks.

As for the turtle dock, they are small friendly newts and can definitely share.

Good luck with them!

ALWAYS quarantine new animals...
As Dawn said, very specially and for a longer time if the animal is a WC.
I personally would say a month....

As a general rule, a quarantine of about a month is a good idea. Anytime you are introducing anything new its a safe rule to make sure the "newbie" is in good physical health. If buying from a pet store I would go the full month in a separate container. This also grants you the ability to see what it eats, how much, and if it produces waste.

As far as your float, it should be fine. As long as they are the same species and there is not a size difference it should work. Keeping an eye on them is always a good idea to see how they react (eating/stress) but they are not an aggressive newt so it should be fine. Adding a small cork float or some floating plants (if you dont already have some) should help.

Mitch

Quarantine is almost essential when dealing with pet store animals and no acquisitions in general and I would recommend one month as a proper length.

There are a lot of things to think about with quarantine procedures. Bacteria will be transferred by your hands, nets or any other objects that move from one tank to the other so use separate items on the new animal's tank. Take care of your new newt after your old newt to minimize the chance of moving disease carrying organisms. Don't put the tanks close to each other as tiny water particles can transfer from one tank to the other (spray from pumps, etc) and transmit disease. It is usually best to put the animals in separate rooms.

I know it sounds like a lot, but the newts that most pet stores receive are not healthy and have been through some very stressful situations. It is best to err on the side of caution or you may find yourself with no newts at all.

just a note to show some of the differences in opinion on both sides of the pond. here in the UK its generally advised a quarantine period of 3 months. I'm not trying to start an argument just thought it was interesting how different the views are

definately at least a month as it can take some time before 'signs' of illness will occur. Also usually conditions in a pet store are notoriously poor so this will increase stress and chance of picking up an infection. Just quarantine and keep a watchful eye out for any problems.

What about if I get a snail? I was thinking of getting a snail to be my CFB's maid, but if I do, does the snail need to be quarantined as well??

The snail poses less danger because its diseases and parasites are less likely to be able to infect a newt. The snail could be quarantined together with the new newt, and that wouldn't be a bad idea.

Bear in mind that a scavenger (snail, shrimp, whatever) just converts one form of waste into another, they don't really make it disappear. Removal of uneaten food should still be your responsibility. The scavenger won't reduce your work any.