Hi folks,
Yesterday I found a palmate newt floating upside down in my pond. It is quite bloated and can't submerge itself (it very much wants to head for water but as soon as its belly gets in the water it bobs about like a buoy and gets flipped over onto its back). Is there anything I can do to help the poor fella?
The population of wild newts (smooth and palmate) in the garden is generally healthy and has been for 15+ years.
There are goldfish in two of our three ponds, we have recently changed their food but the new pellets are causing bloating and buoyancy issues in the smaller fish so we are now switching back to the old pellets - I mention this in case stealing a fish pellet could cause the same issues for a newt?
A few weeks ago we dosed the pond with Tetra Medifin as some of the fish have been unwell but things are looking much better now. We installed new pumps and filters at the time and the pond and water quality is in generally good condition.
The rest of the newts in the garden seem healthy and are happily spawning. We've kept the bloated newt in an open basket in the shallows of the pond so it can keep cool and hydrated and stand without floating about, it's been there overnight but isn't looking any better this afternoon.
Would appreciate any thoughts, advice or wisdom you can offer us! Many thanks.
Yesterday I found a palmate newt floating upside down in my pond. It is quite bloated and can't submerge itself (it very much wants to head for water but as soon as its belly gets in the water it bobs about like a buoy and gets flipped over onto its back). Is there anything I can do to help the poor fella?
The population of wild newts (smooth and palmate) in the garden is generally healthy and has been for 15+ years.
There are goldfish in two of our three ponds, we have recently changed their food but the new pellets are causing bloating and buoyancy issues in the smaller fish so we are now switching back to the old pellets - I mention this in case stealing a fish pellet could cause the same issues for a newt?
A few weeks ago we dosed the pond with Tetra Medifin as some of the fish have been unwell but things are looking much better now. We installed new pumps and filters at the time and the pond and water quality is in generally good condition.
The rest of the newts in the garden seem healthy and are happily spawning. We've kept the bloated newt in an open basket in the shallows of the pond so it can keep cool and hydrated and stand without floating about, it's been there overnight but isn't looking any better this afternoon.
Would appreciate any thoughts, advice or wisdom you can offer us! Many thanks.