!!! Vomitting !!!

Hey guys, I need some help. Just about 10 minutes ago I came over to my 2 Taricha granulosas and thought I'd take a peek at them for a moment. I was watching the larger of the two and she up and vomitted most of her bloodworms from yesterday! (about a quarter size) She seems great besides this. The other Taricha is doing fine. I have been keeping a close eye on them as their tank is still cycling (3 weeks). They are in a 10 gallon set up as the "divided tank" proposed by J. Macke with many plants. Their water is crystal clear and they have the land area with moss also a small airstone which they like to sit next to (current isn't too strong). (I realize the 10 gal is pushing their limit..) The temperature of their water is right at 70, no higher, sometimes lower. As for their behavior, both newts spend most of their time in the water (7.5 inch depth) crawling around, sitting on pothos leaves just at the surface of the water sticking their heads up periodically and every few days one of them will walk onto the land area and then crawl right back into the water. It would seem if their water was so terrible they'd be spending all their time on the land and act terrestrial as some Tarichas do.

These newts are my only experience with cold blooded animals. I'm guessing that the water quality/temperature is whats affecting them. Is this correct? There is nothing stressful in their environment and I do not handle them. In every other aspect they are very healthy newts. They are becoming quite friendly and active. They also eat very well, both earthworms and frozen bloodworms. The earthworms are not bringing pesticides to them.

My biggest guess is the water quality, as the tank is almost cycled, meaning the nitrites must be at their peak. They are due for a water change today. I'll get on that shortly. Please help my newts and I out! If photos of tank or the newts are needed, I have a post in the Common Name, Genus, Species Topic under North American Newts and the Thread is named "T. Grans At Last".


I'll move them into the basement if the 70 F is just too high for them. It's in the mid 60's down there which I'm sure will help.

worried,

Lindsay

How often do you feed them? Sometimes a newt will overeat and later throw up some of it. I'd say test the water for ammonia and nitrite, and if those are reasonable, don't worry. Maybe decrease the feeding schedule somewhat.

When I first got them (about 3 weeks ago) I fed them every other day. As work and other things have gotten in the way, I have been feeding them every 3 days. The last time I fed them, yesterday, they hadn't eaten in about 4 or 5 days. I felt terrible but I just wasn't home. Is it possible that they got off their feeding schedule and woofed down the bloodworms too much and too quickly? I'll keep on a better schedule from now on, every other day.

I'll be checking the water quality soon.

Thanks,
Lindsay

Lindsay, I was wondering how you were doing and haven't seen you on chat either. I wonder if they did eat too much especially since they don't seem ill otherwise. Now I know as much or little as you do but this is my hope anyway. Send some new pictures and tell us how it's going. By the way, my little one still likes to eat once a day half a cube of frozen bloodworm and doesn't leave many but I have read how they don't mind going without food for quite a while so I doubt you did anything wrong. Also the water in our tank is staying around 70 and doesn't seem to be a problem. My dad rigged up a little tank top fan, like I had seen in the forums here, but it isn't working so I have to get that rewired, I think. Wish me luck!

hey, thanks. I don't have much time at the moment but it's been a week and she's doing better. The other guy is normal, begging for food. I usually fed them about 1/2 cube every 1 to 3 days or so. I've fed them like once in the past week, just waiting for her to be hungry enough to be interested. Just last night I saw her pawing at the glass for the first time since she vomitted. I was really happy. I put some bloodworms in and she showed interest. The little guy obviously got about all the worms but she at least went over by him and stuck her head in the rocks. That's much better than how she had been doing throughout the past week. I'm thinking she's getting better. We'll see. I got her out yesterday and checked her body, she's thinner but seems very healthy. I got their water down to between 60-64 F. I directed the air conditioner air flow onto the side of the tank and put a pillow case attached to the wall and draped over the screen so that the breeze would also go into the top screen. I think the temp decrease really helped her. They don't sit out of the water anymore, seeming to indicate that their tank has cycled and the water is also a desirable temperature. ~Linz

P.S., I got a doctor's note for an air conditioner for school in the fall, thank goodness. I was worried I wouldn't have one for them and would have to leave them home till fall really kicked in.

yay! She's better. It's been about 1 1/2 weeks and she's a lot better now. She got a lot thinner but she's eating again. I'm really glad. Here's a new picture.