NEWT is lame and will not eat. New from store. Hasent eaten in 1 1/2 weeks at least?

[colin]

Hes being a lamo!! DONT DIE LITTLE BUddY! My Chinese Firebelly Newt wont eat. He sits up half in half out of the water on a plant all day every day and? He wont eat. I put bloodworms right next to him. He has not eaten in about 1 1/2 weeks. Im not sure what to do at this point. I dont want to let him just die. My aquarium is not new. Its cycled and all that. I do water changes every week 20%. The other fish in the tank are community fish and pose no threat. The water is 70* I believe..Cant go any lower than that. When I put the blood worms in the tank for the other fish he doesnt even flinch. Rarely Moves. I just got him about 1 1/2 weeks ago and like i said he has not eaten the entire time. Cant stand to let the little guy die, already lost a crab a couple days ago because i lowered the water temp FOR the newt so he better not die.

 

[ester]

Fish, crab? The best company for newts is other newts (of the same kind). A fish that likes eating blood worms is capable of nipping at a newt toe/leg too.

 

[coen]

Hi Colin,

I suggest you place him in a seperate tank. To what temperature did you lower? Newts usually don't require heating. Mixing them with other specie can be very stressfull for the newts, and could be the cause of your problem.

Have a look around the articles on www.caudata.org/cc

 

[jennifer]

Try feeding him the bloodworms, or pieces of earthworm, with a tweezers. Does he have an island to get out of the water on?

 

[colin]

OK update. Put him in a different tank all by himself and the water is room temp about 60-62. Bought him live bloodworms and earthworms. Still refuses to eat, although in the cooler water he will submerge. He looks to have some kind of white slimy stuff coming off him. I almost know for sure hes a gonner, maybe I should just put him out? Ah local fish stores tell you hes fine with 80* water and can handle and fish let alone CRABS! Wow are they stupid, least some people can maybe steer me in the right direction. Help with slimy stuff, think hes sick? No info on google search.

 

[samuel]

you can give him salt baths

 

[colin]

HELP????

 

[abrahm]

The slimy stuff may just be a shed skin. Newts shed their skin and then usually eat it. It maybe just this that you are seeing. Also, after a newt has been out of the water for a time when they submerge they tend to take on a silvery sheen from little bubbles held by their rough skin. Could this be what you are seeing?

I wouldn't euthanize your newt quite yet. They can last a long time without food. Give him a few days in his new habitat and conditions by himself. Offer him food in the evening and cleanup any eaten food after half an hour or so. Eventually he should eat up.

 

[jonathan]

If you are worried about the health of the newt, try to take pictures of the symptoms and describe them in detail. People here are very helpful if they understand the situation well. "white slimy stuff" is a good start, but more info is needed.

 

[gord]

Cooler temps,low light and quiet are always good for C. Orientalis. I've found they prefer rather still water as well.

I'd try feeding them anything that wiggles..phoenix worms...fruit fly larvae..small earthworms. C.Orientalis are much more delicate than most pet stores let on...and they do not thrive in tanks with crabs!