missing limbs in firebelly newts

Question
Help!  We purchased 2 firebelly newts{Chinese we think), from a pet store and they appeared healthy at the time.  The next day we noticed pieces of toe missing on one and almost a whole hand on the other!  We thought they were fighting or bit one another. We never saw this happen though. We purchased them a week ago and one has already died.  My son is pretty upset and it is such a freaky thing!  The one remaining now has almost no arm on one side and half on the other.  We separated them  soon after purchase as we didn't know if they were attacking each other.  We called the pet shop owner and he seemed to know nothing of such a thing and wasn't any help.  We are now sure this must be a disease as only one newt is left and limbs are still disappearing(front only so far)).  We are certain this newt will die also but are concerned  about what is going on here as we also have a wild caught salamander and newt-very healthy and eat well.  We are very careful to wash hands and keep sick newt well away from others. We were trying to keep water cool and feeding newt pellets(as directed by pet shop owner), but we also tried feeding small earth worms and never saw newts eat.  Any info or experience you can share would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

Answer
Josh,  I love these guys .....There are a few reasons this could be happening. A big mistake is that people put lighting and heat in the tank and this stresses them. Theses guys like all newts like it about 68- to 72 degrees. Tell you what the next time you go to the shop ask them to feed them....a hungry newts is usually a healthy newt! They are pretty easy to keep. The perfect habitat for them is maybe a twenty long tank for three or four. This ambit of work but you want to tank a piece of Plexiglass and aquarium silicone separate it and make the glass about 7 inches high. Use a nice river rock too large for them them to swallow and remember they will eat whatever fits in its mouth which is bigger than you think....lol I would go with a medium to large size not a gravel. You can put about an inch or two depending on the size you go. The large stone probably a good cover and a couple extra here and there. put the rest on the other side...it needs to come up to the your 7 inches. In your water you can if you want out live plants give it that natural look fir them ( like banana plants anything hardy) no anacharis to messy. You can of course also put the fake in too or alone. Make sure at the bigger petshops you can in the reptile section find moss and bark....you can aslo add nice rocks from outside and build them a cave they like them with the moss inside. Make sure to boil the rocks if from outside for at east 30 minutes. This will ensure you are not introducing any kind of parasite to the tank. some plants around that area fake or real give them a sense of territory. The bark or u can get the floating lilly pads are so they can get out of the water and dry when they need too.....put nice hardy thick plant in the middle or build rock levy so that they can get to the terrarium side for eating,resting. You of course can buy kits at the petshop for terrariums.....but they don't have that personal touch. Lighting for your plants a simple florescent bulb. You can go to pet shop and get bulbs made specifically for plant growth would be better. These guys need 12 hours light and 12 night. Just get a syphon to agitate the rocks and syphon of their water and put clean dechlorinated water every couple weeks......Now their limbs.....go get a thermometer for your tank. If the other lives the limbs will regenerate over a few months. I am going to send you site I love about them ....  http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/salamanders/a/firebelliednewt_2.htm   Good Luck , Josh