New arrivals - Tiger Salamanders!

[Cooper]

I just acquired two Blotched Tiger Salamanders(ambystoma mavortium melanostictum) brought in from Alberta. Needless to say I am thrilled! Any general hints people may have picked up for these guys?


Smiiiile

 

[zonbonzovi]

I have had an A. m. diaboli for a few years and they are actually pretty easy & entertaining. Give them a fair amount of space and substrate: I keep one in a 20 gal. long with at least 4" of substrate. A large tupperware container and bark ramp serve as the "pond" area...about 1/3 of the enclosure. Keeping the pond at least half full is crucial. They will adjust temp by burrowing in the warmer months next to and under it(and will burrow other times, as well). I also pour water directly into the substrate as needed. He spends a lot of time on the ramp. Keep the enclosure out of direct sunlight. His dietary staples are 2 adult dubia or an adult hisser every 7-10 days but do keep an eye on overfeeding. He is about a foot long, so adjust accordingly. I prefer to hand feed to avoid impaction, just watch your fingers. They will "beg" even when fat. caudata.org is a great source of information.

 

[stingray]

Blotched tigers / tiger bars are my favorite. Congrats on your new critters!

 

[Cooper]

Thank you for the tips! They sure are cool.

 

[Entomancer]

Not a bad enclosure, but you need to be careful with lighting; salamanders do not like much heat, at all.

I have 9 A. macrodactylus (long story) and 3 E. escholtzi, and they all stay in the high 60's. Much higher than 70 degrees and it starts becoming detrimental to their health, and it stresses them out a lot. If I were you, I would find a way to keep an eye on the temp in there. Good call on the Prayer plant though; the large leaves will help shade the enclosure.

Salamanders also like things like dead leaves. You could probably go find quite a few fallen leaves this time of year, and maple and oak leaves make great groundcover for salamander tanks, and are attractive to them as places to burrow into. The rest of the substrate should probably be organic potting soil (no perlite) mixed with coco fiber and other additives (mainly for texture and water retention). I mix potting soil with coco fiber, T-rex "Jungle Bed", and then a little bit of sand and/or clay-rich soil from outside (preferably dry clay from a place without exposure to pesticides, etc.). This way the soil has a more realistic texture and tends to work better for burrowing animals when it is moist. It will also be far more nutritious for plants, which are very beneficial to amphibians when grown in the enclosure.

 

[Cooper]

Thanks for the advice! The lights were there for picture taking purposes only

 

[Gaherp]

Very nice, Tigers are one my favorites. That enclosure is perfect, and honestly I did not see much of mine that whole time I had them. They did great just did not see much of them. I love that first pic of that bug eyed beaut. Only things I can tell you is have plenty of worms, and other insects for these guys. The other thing I ran into a problem with is temps. I am in Georgia(USA) so needless to say I kept them in my office room at a temperature range of 68 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep us posted as they start really settling in.

 

[Furret]

How precious!