Mesterious death?

eljorgo

eljorgo

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So I went today check my Plethodontid woodland set-up ( 40x25x25 cm ) and I find my only adult P. cinereus in this shape... Whit no odours or anything else. Actually its pretty intact.
Really sadness me to see my very first Plethodontid I got in the beginning of the year to die this soon and worst of all I don't have the tinniest clue why did it die...
So I'll leave here some macros and crops I did to the poor little corpse in the hope someone helps me finding a cause for it.

I've been keeping separately 3 Pleth. cylindraceus juveniles and 1 aberrant juvenile morph of Pleth. cinereus that came along with the P. cylindraceus from pet trade. This group of 4 have been together for a few months and now, about a week or two, I've put the 3 P.cylindraceus juvies and P. cinereus aberrant juvie with the adult Pleth cinereus.
I really doubt the juveniles could kill it. Still I have no other explainable idea of what might happen. I really hope someone can help me out with a plausible explanation.

Thank you all forum,
Jorge

Pictures:
pleth3.jpg


pleth2.jpg


A Tribute to my beloved salamander:

_MG_6345.jpg
 
Eaten carnivorous insects would do this. Do u have tank supplies from the wild?
 
ah shucks, that sucks - so sorry and my best sympathies...
:(
I have no idea either. It looks as though he secreted huge amounts of slime from - I don't know, his parotid glands? I don't know what would trigger this other than some strong reaction to something he came in contact with - a foreign substance? One of the juvies? Very mysterious indeed.

also, it might be worth cutting him open to see if something is stuck in his throat. He might have eaten something that didn't go down - something about his posture suggests choking to me...
 
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Thats grusome,im so sorry.It was definately insects because you can tell by the little nibbles and bites.
 
Some insects have definitely been munching on that thing!
 
Thank you all for the help and sympathies...
After remove every little thing and turn the set-up into a mess I was able to found a huge caterpillar no idea if from moth or butterfly... Damn that bug...:mad::mad:
At least, mystery solved.:mad:
Cheers,
 
moth or butterfly caterpillars don't eat newts though - they are herbivores. I'm not so sure that was it...
 
Caterpillar could have been poisonous... And he tried to bite it. Then he got munched on after the fact.

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Do you have a picture or description of the insect? Some larvae of butterflies are pretty toxic. Even by amphibian standards
 
very weird. i'd assume some fungus or bacteria?
i've encounered escaped newts that have become petrified with minor skin damage but major loss of moisture and mass.
I've also "fed" my ispod cultures deceased salamanders. they make quick work of a body and it never remains intact with bones making journies from burial site.
 
Yes i allso think it was the caterpillar. You can see the byte shapes on the sides. Just the way they do it allso to leaves. Allso for example, you would say bean beatles would not bite newts.. well i have seen them bite my marmoratus juvs.. they were all over them.. Maby some particular insects like particular thinks about particular newts.

Did you make any picture of that bastard Jorge? i would love to see that criminal.
 
Jeroen; I grabed my heavier sneakers put him on the floor and in ALL CAP RAGE smashed that thing.. There was nothing left besides green / red viscous fluids...
I do also think it was it... The flesh was purely eaten. there is no rotting smells of bacteria and/or fungus. The markings are explicit now..
I actually found a similar caterpillar a few minutes later on a outdoor setup witch i took on a swim in a Isopropyl alcohol 'pool' ^^

regards,
 
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