What should I do with this newt?
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Category: General
Forum Name: UK Reptiles and Amphibians
Forum Description: A forum for general questions and answers relating to wild reptiles and amphibians in the UK
URL: http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5121
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Topic: What should I do with this newt?
Posted By: andy29
Subject: What should I do with this newt?
Date Posted: 23 Jan 2017 at 4:13am
Hi
there, I wondered if you could help me... I took a newt out of our pond a few days ago because it was
floating around on the top of the water, on its back, and very bloated around
its back half. I think it is a female smooth newt? I came across some advice given to somebody else about making a temporary home from damp moss, and that's what I've done. The bloating has now gone thankfully, but it's still not very active and only moves in bursts. It does hide away from sunlight okay. It can submerge in water now but only seems to swim with its front legs (the back ones do move when it walks) and only sort of uses its tail. It gets swept along with any movement of the water very easily. The poor thing does have a point on its back which does not look good :( I nearly released it but then the freezing weather came along and I wasn't sure of the least cruel thing to do. I don't want to keep it out of its environment any longer than I have to but I feel stuck. I've tried feeding it a tiny mealworm since that's all I have, but it isn't interested at all. Other than that I'm just leaving it alone and letting it hide away. |
Replies:
Posted By: Hawley
Date Posted: 24 Jan 2017 at 10:40am
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I don't know anything about newts, but this might help https://www.arc-trust.org/newts-faqs" rel="nofollow - https://www.arc-trust.org/newts-faqs |
Posted By: Caleb
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2017 at 10:08am
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If you still have it, the best thing to do would be to keep it moist and cool (ideally 5-10C) until you can release it. It won't need feeding at this temperature. I'd recommend releasing on land when the weather warms up a little bit. It does look like it's had a spinal injury, but newts can recover from these. It'll probably always have a kinked spine if it does survive.
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