Floating Newt

[alex]

I have a California Newt.

Unfortunately, while I went away for Christmas, the newt sitter let the tank get really gross.
My newt, who still eats well and stays mostly in the water, floats, spins and dives with more difficulty than usual.

Is there anything I can do to treat this condition or to ensure that it does not worsen?

Many Thanks

 

[alex]

PS. I have already cleaned the aquarium.

 

[rodrigo]

i´ve been told that they float because they retain gas in their bodies. I guess there may be other reasons but maybe it´s just that...too many gases in the water.
Also i read somewhere about pseudomonas...this bacteria produce gases and it can a cause of floating too.
good luck.

 

[ester]

Maybe the change in water quality has made it want to leave the water for a bit. Does it have a proper hiding place on land? Should it decide to stay on land for a while, it will like wax moth larvae and maybe earth worms.

 

[alex]

I think I should clarify.

My California newt seems, in the main, healthy. Except, that he/she is floating, flipping, and having some troubles diving. I was wondering how bad this is.

Oh, and yes, the newt has a place to hide on the land.

 

[mary]

I have been keeping t.grans, and when this happened to me, it was a sign of dehydration. McGloop died ultimately from bloat. He got sick during the heat wave last summer. He had difficulty submerging and then started having bad sheds. He then developed bloat and died the day I was supposed to take him to the vet. Then McGooey. She came to me with a pretty nasty bacterial infection. She also started out with signs of illness by floating and having difficulty submerging and swimming. Started having bad sheds, and I did not waste any time with her. I got her to the vet. She wound up dying ultimately. But the vet did tell me that the floating and swimming difficulty was a sign of dehydration and a symptom of something being wrong. You may want to put your guy in a hospital tank for a few days. A critter keeper with soaked paper towels on the bottom and see how he does. But if he were mine, I'd try to take him to an exotics vet. There is a list of such vets somewhere on this site, but I'm not sure where.
Take care,
Mary.

 

[alex]

Hello everyone,

I think I may have be feeding my California newt too much --
also a kinda stiff pellet may have been an issue--not to mention recovering from the Christmas debacle.

However, I cut back on feedings and my newt has trimmed down a bit. Swimming a lot better now. Constipation maybe?

Thanks for all of your help.
A