California giant turned black?

E

Elpresidente

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Total salamander noob here. I have 2 salamanders given to me by a friend. My best Google guess is they are California giant salamanders. Over a year old each. A couple of weeks ago one unburied itself after spending the last couple of weeks underground. It is now black and looks/feels leathery. The other looks the same as when I received it. Is this an issue? Here are pics of the two.
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Right clicking on the pictures I could see one lovely healthy looking Tiger salamander and one that does look very unwell.
Could you maybe add some more photo's? I personally would remove the sickly one from the current set up and place in a lidded container with damp kitchen paper towel and place somewhere cool and dark. I suspect you may need to look for a vet to treat this one.
Could you pleas give us some more information on how you are keeping them and what you are feeding them as well
 
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I agree with Julia - it would be best to consult with a vet knowledgeable in caudates, but those can be few and far between. We do need more information if we are going to be able to help you, like at what temperatures you have been keeping the animals, how wet is the substrate as well as what type of substrate you are using. I also agree with Julia in that the animal should be housed in a separate container right now, in a cool, dark location.

Best of luck,

HJ
 
The substrate is mulch. About 6 inches, kept very wet there are red worms living there as well. They were in this when I received them. My understanding is they have lived in this for over a year. Feeding is weekly a dozen large crickets between the two of them. They both seem to eat well. The ill one likes to spend time in the shallow pool in the enclosure. It is cleaned regularly (rinsed out in the sink. No soap.) and filled with water that has sat out to dechlorinate. Temp is room temp in the house. Currently 70 degrees. Any other info needed? Visit what would you like from more pictures?
 
Well, good news even though I never got a chance to move the ill salamander it seems to be recovering. The black skin is peeling away and it's beautiful color is coming back. I fed them each a night crawler the other day. I wonder if something was missing from their diet having only been fed crickets. It has lost a lot of weight since I've had them (they were over fed before and quite large before). Could the diet have caused this?

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