Illness/Sickness: Treating 'The Shine' and fridging newts.

[VoodooJackal]

I'm fairly sure one of my rough-skinned newts has developed the shine. He's spending all his time on land and while plump, his hips, ribs and backbone are starting to show. The temperature and water quality seem fine and his tank-mate is still happy as can be.

So specific advise with dealing with 'The Shine' would be appreciated. Also the thought of fridging him for a bit has crossed my mind. Unfortunately while there seems to be numerous references on how to fridge an Axie on the forums, I am having trouble locating specific proceedures or reccomendations on how to or whether is it appropriate for newts such as the rough-skinned.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Jennewt]

It is possible to fridge newts. Use a secure container with a few small holes, lined with wet paper towels. Be VERY careful that your fridge temp is accurate and there is no risk of freezing. Don't put the container right in front of the cold air outlet. Don't put too many holes in the container, as drying out could happen.

Fridging should be tolerated by Taricha, although I don't have any idea if it's appropriate. Unfortunately, I don't have any advice about treating shine. It's a symptom and I don't think any of us know what the underlying cause is.

 

[froggy]

I treated a Tylototriton verrucosus with 'shine'-like symptoms by moving it to a terrestrial tank. The fact that they try to leave the water suggests that drying out may be a natural response to whatever skin ailment causes the symptoms. I put the animal onto a substrate of compost, coir and topsoil, compactyed down so it didn't stick to the animal and made just damp enough to stay compacted. I provided a cork bark hide and some moss and kept the tank in a cool, but not cold position (about 16-18C). The animal started eating again within a day and muscle tone and skin texture returned within about a week.

As Jen says, there are probably many different pathogens/etiologies leading to these symptoms, so what worked for me may not work for you. It will also depend on the species of newt and the severity of the problem.

I do think that taking hints from the newt's behavioural attempts to remedy the problem can help.

Check the water quality VERY thoroughly in the main tank and make sure that the tank is well ventillated. With my verrucosus, I lost one animal to the same symptoms while away (when I cam e home it was basically dead), but caught the animal I cured in time. I modified the normal aquarium hood to have a lot of ventillation and the problem went away. I think that the newts couldn't dry out effectively when they crawled out of the water.

Good luck with your Taricha

C