New owner of a newt.

[Rhyss]

Hi, I have gotten my self a young newt.
I am a bit worried about his eating.
I got him from my work a few days ago as he was giving to us. I took him in not really knowing much about them, at first I had him in 90% water tank and now have him in more land that water. A bit like a paludarium, i have only ever seen him eat once (frozen bloodworm) and that was when he first came into the shop. Never seen him eat again, my question is how often do they eat? And what should I buy him to eat? I have some axolotl food that was recommended to me l, some frozen brine shrimp and frozen bloodworm. Someone please help me here i don't want him to be starving as he is such a ace character and my fist water pet.
Thank you!

 

[MnGuy]

Is it wild caught? If so, it could have parasites or just be in bad shape.

How long has it not eaten?

I have alpine newts that would eat nearly every day if possible. I feed them pretty much every day during the summer and every other day during the winter.

I'd suggest trying very small earthworms or live daphnia. If your newt is wild caught, it may need to transition to frozen food.

I also feed my newts frozen blood worms (sparingly), newt pellets, bug bites fish food (they LOVE it) and occasionally other frozen fish food. Mine aren't overly fond of brine shrimp or msysis shrimp.

To find small earthworms, lay a thick piece of cardboard or a solid piece of non-transparent plastic in a shady spot in your yard. Water it and the area thoroughly. Check underneath in a few days and there will likely be small worms at the surface of the dirt. I see them all the time under plastic flower pots, etc. in my yard.

Good luck!

 

[Rhyss]

Thank you for the advice, im not sure if he is wild caught or captive from birth and I don't think I will ever find out as he was just passed over to us with no information. Ill try the worm trick and see if he eats them. And i will definitely try the bug bites. Thank you again

 

[Rhyss]

I just got home from work and pulled this out of his tank. Its like a lumpy slimes substance, he hasn't moved since yesterday and just balls up in the corner is that normal?

 

[MnGuy]

I just got home from work and pulled this out of his tank. Its like a lumpy slimes substance, he hasn't moved since yesterday and just balls up in the corner is that normal?

That slime is not normal. I've never seen any of my newts produce that in the 6(?) years I've had them. Their poop looks basically like fish poop. I think your newt came in very sick.

-Is there a vet you can take it to? That's my first suggestion.
-Is the temperature appropriate for the species?
-What is the species? It's important to know this so you can provide it adequate care.
-When he was in a 90% water setup did he have a log or land to haul out on? How long was he in this setup? You say now that he's almost always on the land. If he is a terrestrial species and was forced to live in water for awhile that could be impacting his health now. (Maybe he took in too much water?)
-Have you tested the water for nitrites, nitrates and ammonia using a reliable test kit (not the paper strips)?
-Does he live alone or with other animals (fish, newts, frogs, etc.) that could be stressing him out?
-Do you handle him? (If you do, don't.)
-You said he came into the shop. Was he part of a shipment that came into a pet shop you work at? If so, there should be some information about where he came from (breeder, wild collected, etc.). Use that to figure out his origins and care. Or, did some stranger bring him into a shop you work at that is NOT a pet store?

Post a full picture of the setup and more photos of him if possible.

Good luck.

 

[Rhyss]

I dont work in pet shop but I have a pet shop inside my store (individually owned) he is believed to be a manx newt, i am from the isle of man. There isn't much information about him and his species if he's even a manx newt. So when he came in he was put in with two axolotl full water tank no decore or anything, so he used to sit on top of the filter and one day he escaped. The next day we found him on the floor running around and he was put in with gold fish where he couldn't escape. He then had live plants to live on top of fast forward a few weeks i then took home, and but him in a similar tank full of water and plants (25l tank) but he seemed unhappy and was eratically swimming i read this means stress so it turns out he didn't like the pump/filter so we turned that off for 1 hr and he seemed much more settled. 2 days later after much more research it seemed like a good idea to turn his full water tank to 50/50 land and water, room temp water and no pump, he seems to be just chilling now. Not really moving looks like sleeping (eyes open) not eating and havnt seen him eat for a long long time. I have not tested any water as I dont have a kit or anything I have only handled him once, and he lives alone. I know this is probably all over the place but I am rushed while typing as I'm out for a family do.

 

[Rhyss]

 

[MnGuy]

I dont work in pet shop but I have a pet shop inside my store (individually owned) he is believed to be a manx newt, i am from the isle of man. There isn't much information about him and his species if he's even a manx newt. So when he came in he was put in with two axolotl full water tank no decore or anything, so he used to sit on top of the filter and one day he escaped. The next day we found him on the floor running around and he was put in with gold fish where he couldn't escape. He then had live plants to live on top of fast forward a few weeks i then took home, and but him in a similar tank full of water and plants (25l tank) but he seemed unhappy and was eratically swimming i read this means stress so it turns out he didn't like the pump/filter so we turned that off for 1 hr and he seemed much more settled. 2 days later after much more research it seemed like a good idea to turn his full water tank to 50/50 land and water, room temp water and no pump, he seems to be just chilling now. Not really moving looks like sleeping (eyes open) not eating and havnt seen him eat for a long long time. I have not tested any water as I dont have a kit or anything I have only handled him once, and he lives alone. I know this is probably all over the place but I am rushed while typing as I'm out for a family do.

I looked up newt species in your area, and there appear to be two main ones -- the smooth newt and palmate newt. He looks like he could be a smooth newt. Here's the bad news -- both of of those species are terrestrial (they live on land) and only enter the water to breed.

https://www.wildlifewatch.org.uk/explore-wildlife/animals/amphibians/smooth-newt

Palmate newt | Manx Wildlife Trust

The palmate newt looks similar to the smooth newt, but favours shallow pools on acidic soils like heathlands. During the breeding season, males grow distinctive black webbing on their hind feet.

www.mwt.im

How many days was he in the fully aquatic setups? I think the root of your issue is the newt was basically drowning the entire time it was in the aquatic setups. It was taking in too much water through its skin, it was struggling with the filter and exhausted from trying to stay afloat.

I think you need to completely revamp the setup you have pictured. The newt is staying as far away as possible from the water.

Fill the tank with a few inches of clean topsoil mixed with play sand and sphagnum moss. Throw in a bunch of dried leaves and a piece of cork wood for the newt to hide under. Put in some live moss and plants if you can. Mist it daily so it's damp BUT NOT dripping wet.

For water, just use a VERY SHALLOW water dish placed in one corner. Make sure there's always water in the dish. I would not use a deep-sided bowl at all. The dish should be big enough for newt to completely soak in it if he wants, but doesn't need to be huge. I'd place a flat rock that emerges from the water surface in the corner of the dish so the newt can climb out.

The tank should be 80-90% land and 20-10% water.

Looks like these types of newts eat woodland invertebrates (insects) so atop of earthworms, try appropriately sized crickets (TONG FEED OR WATCH HIM EAT THEM; DO NOT LEAVE CRICKETS ALONE IN THE TANK OR THEY CAN ATTACK AND EAT YOUR NEWT), isopods and other insects.

Good luck.

 

[Rhyss]

Thank you so so much. I'll action this as much as I can tomorrow!

 

[Rhyss]

He was in the water only for a short while (few days) he always used to sit on the pump. when he was caught after running he was placed into a goldfish tank where he lived on live plants for about 2 weeks. Will this be to much damage for him? I'm really hoping he will be okay because my kids love him also.

 

[Rhyss]

He seems happier already. Moving around more now!

 

[MnGuy]

He seems happier already. Moving around more now!

Great to hear! Nice setup! Does he have a soaking dish? I can't see/tell. Good luck.

 

[Rhyss]

Yes he does. And now live plants to help the terrarium. Still havbt seen him eat yet, and no food has been touched, i dangled a live worm infrastructure of him and he went for it then turned his nose, so i left him. Ill try again when I can harvest some more.

 

[Rhyss]

Anymore advice im missing would greatly be appreciated.