Grey thumbs on my C. orientalis

So my firebelly newt originally had orange on her thumbs and forefingers. This orange has now turned a cloudy grey (I'll post a picture when I get a hold of a way to transfer pics from my camera to my computer). Has this ever happened to anybody else either with C. orientalis or other newt/salamander? Other than that, she's doing pretty well. She eats regularly and enjoys the water, only coming out once every other day or so for 5 minutes. I am pretty sure that she was WC, so I'm trying to keep them alive, and, so far, she is the healthiest of the bunch. Also, I was thinking of introducing another C. orientalis soon, but the healthy newt is a little nippy. Should this be a problem? I'd appreciate any advice on either of my two questions.

I know color changes are normal, but I'm not sure about it being isolated to the thumbs. I wouldn't worry if she seems otherwise healthy and I'm sure the others will correct me if I'm wrong in this advice.

As for introducing another, I guess you ought to post your dimensions on her tank, etc. How many are in there at the moment, etc. I currently have 25-30 larva and I'm very worried about the upcoming metamorph in more ways than one...what if none of them makes it? What if a lot of them make it? Will they fight - how many containers will I need, etc...Seems like I heard that males would fight. I was told my pair wouldn't breed in captivity - what a laugh that is! Wish I'd found this site before...

Good luck,
Dana

I have heard of color changes. Nobody really knows why they do that. It may be due to their diet. Just make sure that it does not start spreading or give you the idea that it might be unhealthy. If it is due to fungus or something, it would look like it is turning cottony. You should probably check the areas on the different types of skin diseases just to make sure she does not match any of those descriptions.

As far as introducing another, read up on the tank size and how many you can support in the tank size you have.

You should quarantine (separate) a new one from the main tank for 30 days generally, before adding the new one to your tank. This prevents the new one from spreading an unknown and unforeseeable disease throughout your tank and possibly killing off the others. It is always best to buy from someone who has raised captive bred newts to help prevent the diseases and adjustment issues that wild caught newts often have. Often times they are treated terribly in shipping once they are caught and their conditions are such that diseases are easy to pass around in their weakened and stressed state before they get to the pet store. Sometimes the symptoms do not start showing up for a month or more after they were caught. Oftentimes pet stores are not set up to properly care for them once they arrive, and they are sometimes put in with other species that further stress them out or may even eat them!

If they are captive bred, all of this can be avoided. If they are shipped, it is not in a mass quantity, and it is in the best of conditions, and they arrive healthy and well-adjusted to captivity.:happy: