Strange death

[paris]

i have an 8 year old p waltl male who just climbed out of water yesterday-this usually means something is up. i thought perhaps he had over eaten or was temporarily ill. i checked him over and his reactions were fine(for a fat old lazy newt). but this morning i found him off the land section floating sideways-he was just dead, not swollen yet. i pulled him out and attempted to revive him but then i noticed BLOOD leaking from his vent when i palpated his abdomen and massaged his chest. right now i dont have time for a necropsy (hes in the freezer), but has anyone seen this before? any ideas on what i should look for (obviously im going to concentrate on the GI tract). i am thinking a mechanical injury of some kind but does any pathogen or parasite cause this type of symptom?

 

[gord]

Paris...I had both my waltl die within 6 months this past year. The first one I put down to heat stress. We had a real heat wave while my family was on a summer vacation and when we came back the largest one was on land..and looking bloated. It passed soon after.

Then a couple months ago the second one - which had been thriving until that point - stopped eating, and went directly on land. Bloat started and that was it. It was a puzzle as I'd understood P waltl to be extra hardy. Both animals had been in great health for three years + . But I wonder if there was something I passed to them from my other newts. Cross contamination can happen so easily.

Gord

 

[paris]

i dont know he history on these other than their years in captivity, i bought them a few months ago.