Light eater

Hi,I have three great newts, two Firebellies(Eddie and Fatty) and a California newt (Al).
At feeding time, Fatty and Al eat as fast as they can but Eddie will take a bite, then walk around, then come back for some more...
Unfortunately, sometimes the food is gone by the time Eddie makes his round.
I am worried that he is not eating enough.
I've tried more food, then Al and Fatty still eat most of it.
I've tried feeding Eddie separately, but it drives the other two crazy ('cuz they smell the food), plus it's very awkward separating them and waiting for Eddie to take his sweet.....little.....time.....to eat.....
I feed them frozen bloodworms.
Any suggestions/thoughts?
THANKS!!!

Sound like you are mixing species. I know you know that that is not a good thing to do for your newt. See this post... http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/Mixing_disasters.shtml

As for the light eater. It happens to some newts I got as well. Maybe just a shy individual or maybe weaken in the importation and petstore. I have one passed away due to not eating. And I found that male tend to eat last than female, especially during breeding season.

(Message edited by achiinto on June 23, 2006)

thanks for your reply and concern. We have one species in our 20 gal wide tank that is half filled with water. 2 firebelly newts and 1 california newt. You are referring to mixing species. frog and newt. the three of our newts have been living happily together for several months. They even befriended the small shrimp that were meant to be their meals. The may be eaten someday. Who knows. Our only concern is that one of the firebellies doesn't eat as much as the others.



(Message edited by sonicsky on June 24, 2006)

Have you tried feeding the newt in it's own small container? I had to start feeding one of mine separately because one is slower and the other gets impatient and starts to bite at it because he smells the food...

Are you keeping all 3 of these newts in the same tank? That's NOT a good idea. Mixing species is never a good idea. Taricha are large and agressive, while Cynops are small and can be quite timid. This is beside the fact that both are extremely toxic and are probably poisoning each other.

I would HIGHLY suggest seperating them immediately.

(Message edited by Joan on June 24, 2006)

You can say that after several months and they were doing fine. But you may have to consider that this light eating newt is light eating because you ahve mixed species. And sometime things need a long period to show it side effect.

And yes, Frog and newt is mixed speices. But two different species of Newts mixed together is also considered as mixed species. So I do strongly suggest you to separate them as well.

I keep seeing posts about what might be happening. So far nothing has made me want to change the setting of my tank. The newts are all very healthy in appearance. They all have normal activity level. The only aggression we've ever had to deal with was the first day we introduced the second firebelly, who was kept in a mixed tank at the pet store. His aggression was toward the other firebelly and not the other "species". I've yet to see the smallest sign of aggression from the California newt. My newts must not realise that they are from different families as I often find them huddled together. I care for my pets and they aren't hurting one another, so it would be unfair really for me to suddenly separate them while gentle Al is left on his own, stressing him

out.

<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>Quoting Diana and Sky on Tuesday 27 June 2006 - 23:48 (#POST99620):</font>

so it would be unfair really for me to suddenly separate them while gentle Al is left on his own, stressing him <!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>

Newts do not get stressed out from living in solitude.

Your newts may be fine now but you should heed the advice of experienced keepers. "Gentle Al" will not seem so gentle if he gets the urge to mate and amplexes one of your firebellys who do not mate in this way. I disagree with some people here about mixed species enclosures but the species have to be geographically close and of similar size. I still think it should only be done by experienced keepers and even then poses serious risks. Your newts are from thousands of miles apart and really should not be kept together. If you are worried about your Taricha being lonely, keep an eye on the "for sale, give away, or trade" section of this forum and maybe someone will offer another one.

The newts 'huddling' together could very well be poisoning each other, despite what you 'see'.

<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>Quoting Diana and Sky on Tuesday 27 June 2006 - 23:48 (#POST99620):</font>

So far nothing has made me want to change the setting of my tank<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>

Other than the fact that one's not eating? This is reason enough to separate them, even if they weren't of different species.

Frankly, it's not my choice what you do with your newts. But the people on this board have collectively kept thousands of caudates, hundreds of species, for a long long time. They know what they're talking about. You should not keep these two species together.

Despite what the pet store told you, amature keepers CAN NOT mix species, especially between such toxic animals. Pet stores usually know squat; they're just looking to sell you something. And if it dies, you're going to go back and get a new one, which is more $$$ in their pocket.

(Message edited by Joan on June 28, 2006)

You also do not seem to understand the concept of species. These animals are of the same Family: Caudata. However, they are different species: Cynops orientalis (the firebelly newts), and Taricha granulosa (Roughskinned newt, not 'california' newt).

Feel free to read http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/Mixing_disasters.shtml and hopefully you will realize the gravity of your error. I would also read the 'tankmate' section on http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/catastrophes.shtml and this article on who to trust for caudate care information http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/inform.shtml

Diana and Sky, I understand what you are thinking. I also understand what everyone here is trying to say to you.

I also keep cynops orientalis and taricha granulosa. I DO NOT keep them in the same tanks for several reasons. Taricha granulosa are arguable the most toxic newts. You cannot "see" the problems this can cause.

This is the best newt resource that you will find. You can look at people's profiles on here and see what animals they keep, how long they've been on the forum, and things like that. Most (not all) users on this forum are very well informed in their hobbies.

I don't want you to be scared away from using this forum and gathering the tons of very valuable information that it contains, but if more than one person in a row gives you advice, then I would suggest that you take heed to it. If someone gives out bad advice on this forum, others are quick to correct them so that you do not receive false information.

I hope that you can understand the harm you are putting your newts in and continue to enjoy them and learn about them (as I am certainly still doing).