Photo: Abnormal body parts in Newt

[Ars]

Hello, I have been trying to get answers from the internet but havent got any luck.

I recently received a sword tail newt (Cynops ensicouda). I believed he is around 3 years old captive bred. However I noticed that his tail has a "limb" sticking out.

Any ideas on how this might happen? And would it b preferable to do surgery to remove it?

Thank you in advance!

 

[wolfen]

unless it is causing difficulties it is safer just to let it be, newts have a certain amount of regenerative ability but sometimes the repair system can go awry and additional limbs develop, this can happen due to injury or when the newt was developing.

 

[Ars]

unless it is causing difficulties it is safer just to let it be, newts have a certain amount of regenerative ability but sometimes the repair system can go awry and additional limbs develop, this can happen due to injury or when the newt was developing.

I see. Thank you! I was worried that it would have difficulties when molting. But I guess I can observe for a little longer.

 

[NKmememachine]

I'd also recommend just letting it be. Attempting a surgical removal would likely be much more dangerous than leaving it attached to the animal. You may want to contact the person who sold it to you and see if they know what exactly it is and how long it's been like that. If the newt hatched like that then It probably isn't anything to worry about since it made it this far like that. You could also take it to a veterinarian to see what it is if you are really concerned or notice strange behavior, however I doubt it's a tumor or anything life threatening. More likely it's just a defect from regeneration or development as wolfen said. And it should molt normally.

Based on where it's located it is probably an extension of the tail rather than an extra limb but it's hard to say without closer examination. It's hard to say why exactly it happened without knowing when it happened but amphibians tend to be a lot more exposed to environmental factors when undergoing development than most other animals since they have simple eggs and continue developing outside their eggs too.

Regardless, good luck with your new pet! I hope it does well!

 

[Ars]

I'd also recommend just letting it be. Attempting a surgical removal would likely be much more dangerous than leaving it attached to the animal. You may want to contact the person who sold it to you and see if they know what exactly it is and how long it's been like that. If the newt hatched like that then It probably isn't anything to worry about since it made it this far like that. You could also take it to a veterinarian to see what it is if you are really concerned or notice strange behavior, however I doubt it's a tumor or anything life threatening. More likely it's just a defect from regeneration or development as wolfen said. And it should molt normally.

Based on where it's located it is probably an extension of the tail rather than an extra limb but it's hard to say without closer examination. It's hard to say why exactly it happened without knowing when it happened but amphibians tend to be a lot more exposed to environmental factors when undergoing development than most other animals since they have simple eggs and continue developing outside their eggs too.

Regardless, good luck with your new pet! I hope it does well!

Thank you for your reply.

I doubt the seller know since they raised their newts in a common garden pond instead of an aquarium. At the moment he seems to be doing just fine.

I do hope that he can get adjusted to pellets eventually though.

Anyway, thanks again! On the bright side got a cool name idea for him!