Tiger Salamander Question

My husband found a tiger salamander at a relative's property in Missouri and brought it home to my son, who wanted to keep it. we did our research and found out how to care for it properly. We have coconut fiber for him to burrow in and a half log hide out along with a water/bowl big enough for him to soak in. He loves to eat, which we feed him three times a week. we spot clean his cage once a week. We replace the moss and just remove the top layer of his substrate (which we have as sloped, one end higher than the other. about 3 inches on the low end and about 4-5 on the high end. My question is, when a tiger salamander goes poo, does he just poo anywhere? do they go to a corner? I look when I spot clean and all I see is just the coconut fiber. I don't know really what it looks like and how to spot it. I just figured by removing the top layer I would get any droppings he might leave, or do they do their business in the water and/or when they have burrowed?

When they poop they will leave it just about anywhere. Probably not in the water though.

Bridget, the poo looks like a shiny little football. However, if you're using coconut fiber, it probably gets covered in that, so you won't see it.

[Jan]

A tiger's feces is brownish in color and football shaped. Size depends on size of sal...my guys are >10 inches in length, with a poo pellet about 1 inch by 1/2 inch at the widest part. If you feed crickets, you will see nondigested cricket parts (e.g., wing material, heads and occasionally cricket eggs). My sals poop in their burrows underneath their heavy water dishes...where they tend to stay. That is where I spot clean weekly. I have never found their feces on top of the substrate, or in their water.

Best of luck with your new sal.

that's strange. Mine (this little guy on the left) nearly always goes in his water bowl!

What kind of habitat is your salamander in? And, what type of habitat is best for cleanliness?