parasite or just plain old?

i have a female taricha granulosa that ive had for 20 years now , the last 12 months she's been steadily losing weight and is a little bag of bones now , i cant decide wheather i should treat her for worms or not as the other newts in the tank dont show any sign of parasites , im really looking for advice from other experienced herpers, i think this is more of a moral decision ... its very possible imo that if i treat her with anything , infact if i disturb her too much that the stess might finish her off?

she is still feeding fine , she just doesnt seem to properly digest her food any more , ive tried high fat foods like waxmoth catterpillers , and she ears them..... they just dont really seem to digest

anybody have any thoughts on this, please no newbie keepers, no offence but this newt means a hell of a lot to me
craig

Hi Craig,

I would suggest that you get your newt, with initially a faeces sample, to a vet for examination/analysis. Faecal analysis, though not infallible especially with certain parasites, should pick up any parasite burden that should be treated, which would at least indicate whether that is likely to be the problem. Other diagnostics such as radiography are also possible to help in trying to diagnose the cause, although with a newt it is often very difficult to get a specific diagnosis.

Hope you can get her sorted out.

Bruce.

I'd try different staples for the diet. Is she more aquatic, or land-based? If one food item isn't "cutting it" anymore maybe you should diverse? Wait and see if weight becomes more stable, or if she'll feed on different prey at all. Sometimes appetites need variety to revitalize. I hope she comes around well for you, it sounds as though she is an important "family" member. Good luck, keep us posted.

20 years is a heck of a run for a newt. Sadly, everything deteriorates as it ages. After 20 years, I suspect this may be a contributing factor. Best of luck with her though.

yeah i'd agree with kaysie. 20 years is a damn long time. especially for such a smallish newt. good luck with keeping her going.

thanks everybody , she is still feeding and loving the regular bloodworm, both live and frozen , live waxmoth caterpillers (although if i try to dust the waxmoth , she spits them out !), im certainly not letting her cool down this winter , im going to try and get her fat again

i think the secret to her still being alive is that she , and her tankmates have never been subject to a heated tank! and i never handle my newts unless compleatly necessary! and believe me if you annoy a taricha and forget to wash your hands you'll know about it
will keep her progress posted thanks again
this is her in 2002, ill take some of her now and up them soon
cheers craig

id like to add that i also had a male cynops orientalis that sadly passed away early this year , he was 21 years old , i think that could possibly be close to a record! RIP the don

well poor old bo just passed away in my hand, i looked in on her this morning and she was looking bad, i just found her drowning , and thought she was already dead , but i got her out of the water and she gave a couple of little gulps and then peacefully passed away.
im compleatly gutted but i know she has lived a good life , for an extraordinarily long time, still , it feels like ive just lost an old friend.
has anybody else ever noticed that newts that know they are dying always head to water ? even when they have been terresterial and ill? ive never once found a dead newt on a land section (except tank escapees) , it seems to me as though they were born of water , they have an urge to return there to die .
thanks for your support folks , hopefully the rest of my pets will have as good a life as big old BO
RIP

spoons said:

id like to add that i also had a male cynops orientalis that sadly passed away early this year , he was 21 years old , i think that could possibly be close to a record! RIP the don

Click to expand...

That is the oldest C. orientalis I've ever heard of. I've heard many reports of C. pyrrhogaster over 20 years old, but it's more unusual for orientalis it appears.

Sorry to hear about Bo.