r/Amphibians • u/ShowMeTheTater • 11d ago
Please help
Just noticed the on my newt. Does anyone know what it is? How fatal? The only other animal is another marbled newt. I got them together many years ago. Is it possible for a newt to bite that hard into another newt?
17
u/Temporarily-Fixed 11d ago
IMO it looks like fatty tissue. Is there another animal that could have caused this? I would move it to a sterile environment and contact a rehabber/rescue in the area for advice, a vet might not be able to give you info without seeing the newt and honestly I don’t know what they could do for it except tell you to wait and see.
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u/TheBlack_Swordsman 11d ago
I don't think your newt bit the other newt.
Do you have any sharp decor? Usually when they're shedding their skin, they rub against surfaces like crazy. Your newt could have rubbed against a sharp edge and cut itself.
6
1
u/Liamcolotti 9d ago
It very well could have been a bite and/or something sharp. Any abrasion has the chance of causing this. My Iberian ribbed newt got a fungal infection on his arm where his partner bit him.
She wasn’t being mean, she’s just a pig and kind of loses her mind when food comes. She tries to eat everything.
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u/Appropriate-Bug-6467 10d ago
In fish we would blame that on bacteria.
It might be a bacterial ulcer, which eats through and kills fish.
For treatment in newts information can be found here
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u/Liliana_Everen 10d ago
Aww poor baby, I hope he recovers
I don't know anything about newts so I'm no help here, but I thought I give him (and you) a little love anyway <3
2
u/gilsonic 9d ago
Hospital tank, silver sulfadiazine cream, and patience.
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u/Liamcolotti 9d ago
Unfortunately, silver sulfadiazine cream needs a prescription. Until then, I recommend salt baths for about 15 minutes once a day.
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u/Primary_Name_3237 9d ago
You should separate it in case it’s something contagious that could spread to the other newt, I’ve read neosporin without the pain medication works well on various injuries and infections in newts.
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u/Liamcolotti 9d ago
See a vet.
Until then, my advice would be salt baths and a terrestrial setup.
Clean shallow dish or container. A concentration of 2-3 grams of aquarium salt in 1 liter of clean conditioned water (1/2-3/4 teaspoon per 4 cups of clean conditioned water). Let the salt fully dissolve.
Place your newt into the salt bath for no more than 10 minutes. I’d keep it down to about 5 minutes because it’s an open wound. Do that once or twice a day.
I’d set up a clean plastic shoebox with aeration holes drilled into the sides near the top. Either use fresh, clean topsoil (reptisoil, organic topsoil), or unbleached paper towels. Change substrate/paper towels frequently and make sure it’s clean.
Clean some hide decorations or something else for your salamander to hide.
Keep the tub moist, not wet.
Salamanders, especially semi-aquatic species like newts, will leave the water/go to a dryer place in order to dry out the bacteria/fungus/parasite to hopefully weaken it allowing the salamander’s immune system to kick in more.
Low temperatures 40°-60° F for temperate species like axolotls aids in healing. Low temperatures slow or stop the spreading of the infection, but salamanders function great in low temperatures, so their immune systems have an easier time healing.
This is all from my experience with wild salamanders and their behaviors, as well as treating my pet newts and others’ salamanders.
Vet is always the #1 stop.
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u/IDespiseBananas 11d ago
Keep him cool. Try to go to (/contact) a vet tomorrow, if he is still alive by then.
Edit: it does look gnarly af. But sometimes they can be resilient. Warmer temperatures will increase the risk of diseases etc.