Hi everyone,
About two months ago, I got two Chinese Fire Bellies, Lenny and Squiggy, as a gift. Lenny seemed older (larger and lumpier) than Squiggy. Anyway, problems developed when Squiggy began chasing and biting Lenny and stealing his food. I rearranged the tank, which is plenty large for two newts, so that each would have his own distinct space and separate feeding area, and for a while things seemed better: both ate just fine and Squiggy more or less left Lenny alone. But lately Squiggy has been finding ways to crawl into Lenny's area or just peer into it to give Lenny a scare, and Lenny has stopped eating altogether. In fact, he seems outright afraid of me whenever I try to feed him his old favorite -- nightcrawler bits (though he may still be dipping into the live blackworms when I'm not looking). So, my question is whether Lenny refuses to eat because of psychological stress, or is he ill, or just old? And any suggestions on what I can do to reestablish harmony and health to my herps? Many thanks, Tony
About two months ago, I got two Chinese Fire Bellies, Lenny and Squiggy, as a gift. Lenny seemed older (larger and lumpier) than Squiggy. Anyway, problems developed when Squiggy began chasing and biting Lenny and stealing his food. I rearranged the tank, which is plenty large for two newts, so that each would have his own distinct space and separate feeding area, and for a while things seemed better: both ate just fine and Squiggy more or less left Lenny alone. But lately Squiggy has been finding ways to crawl into Lenny's area or just peer into it to give Lenny a scare, and Lenny has stopped eating altogether. In fact, he seems outright afraid of me whenever I try to feed him his old favorite -- nightcrawler bits (though he may still be dipping into the live blackworms when I'm not looking). So, my question is whether Lenny refuses to eat because of psychological stress, or is he ill, or just old? And any suggestions on what I can do to reestablish harmony and health to my herps? Many thanks, Tony