Illness/Sickness: Sore on Newt's Mouth

Hello out there,

I have an eleven year old Chinese Fire Bellied Newt who appears to have some sort of white sore on its mouth region. Its buddy died not that long ago so I took a risk and bought another, which I immediately put in with the newt. It did not have any signs of illness that were visible, and although it died a few days later I believe it was from stress since it looked like an older newt. However I observed a short fight breakout once when my newt displayed courtship behavior. In spite of the short length of this behavior, the large newt that I bought bit my little guy. My guess- mind you it is only a guess- is that he developed the sore this way.

Since the sore did not appear for a few days and my newt seemed fine, I bought another one, which again looks to be a female, but I have not put them together as yet. I have a couple of questions, but let me describe what is going on with my newt.

Rocky is eating quite happily yet it seems to be the only part of his day that provides him with energy. He rests quite a lot and is in laymen's terms lethargic. The sore has grown larger and his activity rapidly decreasing. Since my tank is primarily aquatic I don't even think he's coming up often enough for air. The is white yet does not stick out but appears to be more like a cut.

Therefore, what I want to know is if anyone can hazard me with an educated guess, is first of all how should I treat him? I use a couple of small tablespoons of salt and dissolve it in his water everytime I change it. The water conditions now are excellent and the temperature is extremely cool, as I moved him to the basement in hopes that the colder environment would help. Can anyone say as to whether this kind of manifestation is contagious? I have separated my two newts, but for the sake of convenience and his great sociability, I eventually want to combine them. However I fear because the new one is female they may nip again, my consolation being that the one I just bought recently is very small, probably a baby. Well, I have been as detailed as I can. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks so much.

By putting newly bought animals in with your established animal, you've probably introduced some disease or infection, which is quite common in newly imported animals.

Have a look at this article on treatment options.

And in the future, quarantine all new animals for at least 30 days before introduction into an established tank.

I agree with Kaysie. Sores are common in new imports, and whatever causes it tends to be contagious. If you are willing to see a vet, some people have had good results with silvadene cream. You could also try Neosporin w/o pain killer and a terrestrial quarantine setup (wet paper towels, secure ventilated container).

I'm wondering if the new newts you are buying might be a different species. The amount of aggressive behavior you describe sounds unusual for CFB. See:
Caudata Culture Articles - Firebelly

Thanks to all those that have replied. I have thought of taking him to a vet., however this poses a problem, as the closest one is about thirty-forty minutes away. I am afraid that the stressed imposed by the trip might make him sicker. The neosporin is a possibility- do you know anyone who has had success by this method? And how much I should apply and when? I'm assuming its not harmful to the little fella in the case that he swallows any. And yes, he is currently quarantined.

Come to think of it the newt that I purchased and put in with my current newt was actually quite large- at first I was wary about placing them together, for fear they would fight. The markings on its orange belly were a bit different as well. Yet, I read about Japanese Fire Bellies and upon comparison, the newt did not have many of their other features. Courtship behavior manifests itself in biting frequently, and, since my current newt and the one I had before I purchased the large one bit each other typically during meal times, I was not overly concerned at this display of behavior. What do you all think of using fish fungal remedies? Although I'm not sure what the infection is I don't think changing the enivronment in order to use a cream is such a great idea, due to the fact that Rocky has always been aquatic.

Hello,

I have observed a new behavior in the newt which I thought someone could help me with. He seemed to be having some sort of mild seizures the other night, which I heard tell may be caused by deficiencies in calcium and potassium. Does anyone know where I can attain these supplements? They will need to be dissolvable since my newt is aquatic. Can anyone tell me which products are safe? Thanks

In order to update, note that I took my newt to a vet. who informed me that Rocky most likely has a tumor. I will continue to research based on this information. Thanks.

Do you have any way to take and upload a picture?

Sorry it took me a couple of days to get these pictures together. As you can clearly see from the photos, whatever is eating away his face is going clear up into his nasal passages. He's stopped eating by this time because it is so uncomfortable. The tumor grows worse by the day. Thanks for the glance!

Here are the pictures in attachment form, in case my copied images do not open.

I have also noticed that he doesn't appear to be breathing, showing any signs of it that is.