Two questions regarding Eastern Newts

[DeCypher]

Two of my newts (Notophthalmus Viridescens) are having problems. Not necessarily emergencies, but they concern me.

Newt #1-This one may or may not have a skin issue. I see her in the water thrashing and clawing at her stomach. Thic happens for short periods of time a couple times a day. It looks like something (on her right side between her front and back legs) is really annoying her.

Newt #2-This one may have a cloaca issue. She is a juvenile, recently got out of her eft stage. Her cloaca is fairly large. Not REALLY huge, but certainly not its normal size.
The environment is very good. Tank is clean, planted, and water quality is very nice.
*I doubt this is the cause, but I recently put in a new filter (Duetto 50) and some non-toxic sand.

 

[Greatwtehunter]

How long have you had newt #1 and are you sure newt #2 is a she and not a he?

 

[RobM]

Newt #1-This one may or may not have a skin issue. I see her in the water thrashing and clawing at her stomach. Thic happens for short periods of time a couple times a day. It looks like something (on her right side between her front and back legs) is really annoying her.

Newt #2-This one may have a cloaca issue. She is a juvenile, recently got out of her eft stage. Her cloaca is fairly large. Not REALLY huge, but certainly not its normal size.
The environment is very good. Tank is clean, planted, and water quality is very nice.
*I doubt this is the cause, but I recently put in a new filter (Duetto 50) and some non-toxic sand.

Do you have any pictures? it could be really helpful.

 

[DeCypher]

Terribly sorry, I have no pictures. Nothing is visually wrong with newt #1. I am 99.9% sure that they are both females. No nuptial pads, back legs are not thick and large. They are also quite fat. I don't know their ages exactly. I estimate they are young, because they are not full-size.

 

[RobM]

Im not really sure about newt#1 how long has this been going on for?

This is a good thread on how to sex N.viridescens:http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...56224-sexing-notophthalmus-viridescens-2.html
Perhaps it can help you be 100% and maybe help you see what is normal for the cloaca region.

 

[Azhael]

Nuptial pads are only visible during the breeding season in fully mature males. The thickness of the hind legs is also less noticiable outside of the breeding season.
If newt number 2 has recently come out of the eft stage then it is either a sub-adult or a very young adult in which case secondary sexual characteristics may still be very subtle. In time, they will become more pronounced and when breeding season arrives, they will become blatantly obvious.
I too think number 2 is likely to be male by the sound of it.

 

[DeCypher]

I think #2 is indeed a male, after reading some threads on sexing N. Viridescens. But what about newt #1?

 

[DeCypher]

Newt #1 still has her strange clawing behavior. It looks like it's getting slightly better, but it still concerns me. Does anybody have ideas on what this may be? If so, how to treat this?

 

[RobM]

I can only guess that its because the ammonia level is too high or its an infection. It could be totally harmless it is hard to know.
In another thread you claimed these are wild caught, it could be something they brought from the wild, however you also say you have had them for nearly a year, has the itchy occurred for this length of time? or is it something that has developed fairly recently?
If it has occurred fairly recently it is more likely to be an environmental change that has brought the itching on. If you can check the levels of the tank (such as PH) and post the results here, maybe someone could tell you more.

 

[DeCypher]

The clawing is a recent thing. I did, however, change the environment. I got a nice filter (the Duetto 50), some sand, and some Peacock Ferns. I have also been being a little busy lately and only feeding them frozen bloodworms....would this have anything to do with it?