Firebelly newt won't eat

[Yevgeniy matsay]

I bought one Chinese firebelly newt and he hasn't eaten ever since and never swam. I keep him in a tank with floating plants and rest water. In the pet store he swam always. I tried feeding really small earth worms chopped and blood worms. He would move his head away and run to another plant. He is a juvenile and you can see his bones

 

[Azhael]

If it´s pet-shops bought, which sounds like it, it´s not a juvenile, it´s an adult. These animals are captured and imported in terrible conditions and those that survive are usually exposed to further neglect at the shops. By the time you buy them they are extremely stressed and vulnerable and often already ill.
Your newt is not going into the water or eating because it is hugely stressed.
Try waxworms, maybe they will get a feeding response. Don´t further stress the animal, don´t insist constantly with food and make sure that all conditions are optimal. Water parametres should be ideal for the animal to have any chance of going aquatic.

 

[Yevgeniy matsay]

Im sorry i forgot to mention it has been 3 months since he didn't eats when I got him i didn't touch him and he is a juvenile because he's under 3 inches

 

[stanleyc]

Im sorry i forgot to mention it has been 3 months since he didn't eats when I got him i didn't touch him and he is a juvenile because he's under 3 inches

Something like 2 and a half inches would usually already be considered an adult I believe, at the very least, a subadult. I don't know if it's even possible for him to survive 3 months without eating. How are you trying to feed him? With tweezers? Are you leaving some food in there with him?

 

[Azhael]

Just because it is smaller than 3 inches it doesn´t make it a juvenile, males for example can be fully mature at 2 inches. Pet shops don´t sell juveniles, they sell WC adults, even if they look small.

 

[Yevgeniy matsay]

Oh ok then hes an adult but i tried feeding with tweezers and just leaving the food when i use tweezers i sometimes tease him with the food and wiggle it in front hose nose and mouth but he gets scared and runs away.

 

[Jennewt]

I would suggest making him a flat resting place - a floating piece of plastic or flat rock at the surface of the water. Then you can try these foods:
pinhead crickets
worm tips (get Canandian Nightcrawlers and just cut off the tip of the tail end, just big enough for the newt to eat - this tip piece will continue to wiggle for a long time - leave the tip piece on the island with the newt).

Alternatively, you can try to force the newt into water and offer live blackworms or live daphnia.

 

[Yevgeniy matsay]

Thanks man. My firebelly newt is still not eating But he whent into the water! I made a flat island like you told me. Thnx again. I just need to know how to get the night crawlers for cheap and where. Im on a budget right now thnx

 

[Asevernnnn]

Most wal-marts and bait stores should have nightcrawlers

 

[Jbradybvb]

During the summer, I thought my newts were going to die because they didn't eat for months and were all bones. I made so many pages asking people for help but nothing I tried worked. Now they're laying eggs and eating everytime I feed them. The only thing that changed was the temperature. As summer ended and fall started, their tank got cooler and they started to eat.

Maybe that could be one of the problems in your tank? Try to bring it down to the 60s if it isn't already

 

[Yevgeniy matsay]

I just made a tank change and its winter down here in nyc its really cold i sleep under three sheets of blanket i tried the newts water it was cold. I know they like coldness but he still isent eating. The nearest walmart is a 5 hour drive which i dont have a car. Maybe someone knows a website of cheap night crawlers and free shipping ? Thnx guys and btw my newt is getting more active! I'll let him settle him in his new tank with the platform. Hes more active in a 2 gallon tank but still wont eat! Guys give me suggestions plz thnx!

 

[Asevernnnn]

If you just moved him into a new tank you might wanna let him settle for a while. And as far as I know the minimum water volume is 10 gallons heavily planted(correct me if im wrong). You can probably order nightcrawlers from an online bait company or something but I dont know about free shipping.

 

[Chinadog]

Yes, 2 gallons is nowhere near enough, The water quality and temperature will be all over the place.

 

[Jennewt]

If you can't get nightcrawlers, keep trying with tweezer feeding. You have frozen bloodworms (not dried)? Most pet shops sell frozen cubes. If the newt is in the water, you may be able to get him to eat frozen bloodworms, just be sure that there aren't any leftover bloodworms in the tank, as they will foul the water quickly.

 

[Yevgeniy matsay]

Ok so i went to the pet store bought a five gallon tank. I heard people use five gallon tanks all the time. In it is a diy newt dock, and a a plant a pump. I'll let hime settle but for now guys just in case can you tell me how to force feed a newt,JUST in case, so i know if anything happens

 

[Yevgeniy matsay]

Im sorry for my grammer and spelling i came to America 2 years ago and I'm only 14 so sorry if the wrong spelling

 

[Chinadog]

Please don't try force feeding it! It won't help at all and will probably make things worse. The only way to help it is to provide it with optimal conditions and hope it will be able to recover from the importation and begin feeding on it's own. Trying to force feed an already stressed/sick newt, especially one as small as H. orientalis will just add to it's misery.

 

[Asevernnnn]

Remember firebellies like lots and lots and lots of live plants in their water Mine refused water until i put them in lol
How much water are you using in your tank?

 

[sde]

Hey fellow 14 year old .

So, I agree with others, you should try to get earthworms or night crawlers. They are available at most pet stores, WalMart, bait shops etc.. If you have a yard, woods, or a local park you could maybe find some there. But make sure that there is no pesticides or weed killers used there, as these may harm your newt. You can find worms under surface debris, logs, rocks, leaves, or you can dig them.

I hope this helps! -Seth

 

[Yevgeniy matsay]

Ok thanks for suggestions guys the water in the five gallon tank is 4.9 gallons and the rest is a dock and a lid. I have 3 tanks of fish with lots of plants so I'll put that into the newt tank. My guppy population is exploding i even dont heave time to separate the females.:smile: I'll try the plants and ill post soon thnx guys:lick: