Question: Red eft questions...

Orange Juice

Orange Juice

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Um, hi. this is my first ever post. Anyways, i am not new to this red eft buissness. I need to know these things, is my red eft healthy?,are apple trees poisonous in pic.?, and how to improve my aquarium.:confused:

Also my lizard is shedding in pic. That is why he looks a little weird.;)
 

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Hi and welcome to the forum!
Well, first things first, it´s not a lizard, newts are amphibians just like frogs and toads.
I would recommend increasing the layer of soil a good few centimetres, then adding a layer of leaf litter. Bark and twigs will help create cover and hiding places, wich there should be several of.
By the looks of the old skin of your newt and the substrate, i´d say you really need to increase the humidty of the tank. Remember, they are amphibians which means they need relatively moist skins.

Also, take a good read of this caresheet:
Caudata Culture Species Entry - Notophthalmus viridescens - Eastern Newt

Good luck.
 
Thank you! So he is healthy other than the humidity right? do you have any ideas on how to increase the humidity? all i have is a spray bottle and a tight budget. I know about the soil though i will improve that.:happy:
Also to everyone else who may read this, any suggestion is appreciated!
 
The eft looks healthy (assuming that the skin was being shed off normally, not stuck there for days). The tank looks fine. Your eft might like to have more hiding places. What apple trees are you referring to? A spray bottle is quite sufficient to increase the humidity. Just spray daily.
 
Ok, the apple trees were grown from apple seeds. I do not have any of the seeds in his tank, only the plant. Oh yeah, and he shedded yesterday and it is still there please help!! Sorry about the small print. :uhoh: :eek:
 
You might as well take the apple tree out now, it will out grow the tank in a few months at best.

As for the shed, soak the eft in a container of water. Make sure the water only comes half up the newts body to prevent drowning.
 
To help hold humidity in, you can try putting a nonporous layer (i.e. plastic wrap) over the (I presume) screen lid. Don't cover the whole thing - 40-70% should be plenty.
 
Ok, he went in his water dish, and hid under his bark after I tried to get the skin off with tweezers. The places with the unshedded skin are the back toes, and tail. As for the plastic wrap I will give it a try thanks, keep posting!!!:eek:
 
Add water to the substrate, there are parts that are completely dry and that´s not right. Make sure all the substrate is moist, but not wet.
Adding a good layer of leaf litter will also help greatly in providing humidity for the newt.
 
Eastern newt efts are fairly easy to take care of, given the proper housing and feeding.

As far as humidity goes, misting once a day is good. I mist my efts typically once in the morning and once in the evening. Also I see that more than half of your aquarium is filled with 100% coco-fiber. Coco fiber doesnt hold moisture well. I would mix it with top soil which retains moisture better. I cover 60% of the top of my efts cage with a plastic walmart bag which holds humidity well.

What are you feeding your eft?
 
I have his tank screen covered with plastic wrap. I feed him worms with calcium/vitamin powder and "spikes" Aka bluebottle fly larvae! All i'm really concerned about is the dead skin coming off!!! Please please please help with this I'm extremly worried. :sad::sad::sad:
 
Also where I'm from it is winter so I have to feed him "spikes" and there is no leaf litter on the ground. My top to do list is to get rid of his old skin this is an S.O.S for my lizard this is the first time I have had this happen to me and I don't know what to expect reply as quickly as you can!
 
Again it's a newt not a lizard. The skin should molt correctly and be aided by the correct humidity levels. If he's having difficulty, you can put him in a shallow dish of water (as Greatwtehunter suggested) and that should help loosen it up for him.
 
I've seen an eft with the shedding skin stuck for a day or two. It eventually came off and all was well. Don't panic, and don't try to remove it manually - you could do more harm than good.
 
hey first of all i know it is not a lizard ok?:mad::mad::mad:
So it will eventually come off? i wasn't so sure.:confused:
 
We're glad you know it's not a lizard, but please understand it does no good to refer to your newt as a lizard, because doing so is misinformation. One of the main reasons for the existence of this website and forum is to provide correct information on everything caudate, from captive care to preservation in the wild. There is a lot of bad advise/information out there, and we don't want it brought into this website.

So please, don't get mad when we correct you. By calling it a lizard because people identify with lizards easier than they do newts, you're only contributing to misinformation and confusion. Food for thought.
 
Here some Valium for thought for you, this is not why i posted this problem. I have the right of freedom of speech and i can call it a cat if i want even though i know it isn't true. Ok i see where you are coming from with confusion but, everyone knows this isn't a lizard its on a newt site! There's your valium!;)
 
Orange Juice said:
I have the right of freedom of speech and i can call it a cat if i want even though i know it isn't true.
Click to expand...
The free speech stick annoys me and is inaccurate. This is actually my web site, not the street outside your window. Think of it like this - I've let you into my house and you've decided to spray graffiti on my living room wall :p.

Having said that, I think we've be-laboured this "lizard" business - I think OJ has gotten the point.
 
Orange Juice, we are happy to have you here to learn, but please, make an effort to learn. If you are going to claim "free speech" as your justification for calling a newt a lizard, then tmarmoratus is within his rights to exercise free speech and call you on it. It is an important distinction, though it may not seem so for you. If people confuse reptiles and amphibians in speech, it becomes easier to confuse them in care, and the care of reptiles and amphibians are far apart. In general, reptiles require heat and dryness and amphibians require coolness and moistness. Moreover, confusing these terms grates on the ear and eye of people who are passionate about salamanders. You are (hopefully) here to hone your knowledge about salamanders, and completely understanding the difference between reptiles and amphibians should become second nature to an amphibian (or reptile) keeper.
Again, no one is trying to persecute you, we want to share our knowledge, so please do not get offended when we do just that.
 
ok sorry i deserved that.:(
... (edited by otterwoman)
Excuse me is was just getting a little frusterated im ok now!:D
 
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