A few Tiger Salamander questions.

Hi all, i'm making final preparations before I bring home my first Eastern Tiger Salamander and I have a few questions.

Firstly, I tested the PH of the topsoil I am using. I can't entirely make out the exact color but the ph seems to fall between 6.8 and 7.5. Is this acceptable? I am paranoid about the situation and will only be keeping him in the soil for a week until I get paid and am able to purchase eco-earth.

Secondly, I have a box of night crawlers that are going to be his food. How should I keep these and how do I raise them? I was thinking get a container filled with soil and add leaves and such? Also, would it be good for the soil/okay to leave 2/3 night crawlers in the aquarium soil? I'm new to all of this and any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks guys!

Good for you to be so prepared prior to bringing home your new addition - if only more people did this.

Your pH sounds fine - its pretty close to neutral and will be safe for your salamander. And I would recommend mixing the topsoil with the eco earth, as this gives a very nice substrate for digging that also breaks down waste pretty well. It is what I use for both of my Ambystoma species.

If the worms are indeed nightcrawlers they should be kept in box they came in, in the fridge. If you do find the container they came in to be unacceptable for any reason, then use your topsoil, dampened enough to be able to form a ball but not dripping, in an opaque container with a tight fitting lid. Night crawlers are very difficult to culture so it will be hard to actually raise them as they need deep substrate (at least 18 inches) cool temperatures in the low 50sF, and lots of patience on the end of the culterist as they take a long time to mature and reproduce. There are, however, more appropriate worm species that are easy to culture, but that is a whole other thread Take a look in the Foods section of the forum and you will learn quite a lot about this.

It will probably be OK to leave some worms in the soil, but if your salamander is a poor hunter it may not be of any benefit. Also, there is the possibility the worms will die and foul your substrate, so it may be best to keep the worms in their container and only add enough to be eaten immediately.

Best of luck with your new addition!

HJ