Is burrowing normal?

S

shonagh

Guest
OK, I'm a natural worrier!

Abe has taken to kind of "burrowing." Is this normal for a mandarin salamander? I figure he's probably foraging for food.(I stick earthworms in and they get into the soil every now and again.)Is he just acting as he would in the wild, and I'm panicking over nothing?
 
It is perfectly normal for it to do that. Do you have many hiding places in his exhibit. My Northern Slimy Salamanders spend most of the daytime under the dirt in their container. No worries.
 
Yep, he has four hides, that he is under the majority of the time!

Thanks for answering so quickly!
happy.gif
 
Shonagh, how old is Abe? My mandarin is completely aquatic.
 
Now I'm curious.. A fully aquatic mandarin, as in tylototriton shanjing? Year round?
 
What kind of substrate do you use, Shonagh? Mine never burrowed, but they had fairly firm soil. Burrowing is a normal behavior for terrestrial sals, though I've never heard of this species doing it.
 
Kaysie, i thought you had Verrucosus?....i've never seen an aquatic Shanjing...
And i wouldn't say it was perfectly normal for Shanjing to burrow at all, but i doubt it's anything to worry about. I have 8 and none of mine do it.
Is the bottom of the substrate damper than the top?(or vice versa)...perhaps the animal is looking for a more moist spot? Is the animal in a bright position?... could it be trying to find a darker hiding area?
 
Andy, he has four hides, so I don't think he's looking for a darker spot. His home is also misted daily, although the soil used does dry fairly quickly.

Jennifer, I use potting compost(I think! It's early!)as that's what I was advised to use.

Thanks for your advice, guys!
happy.gif


PS: Andy, don't suppose you have a mandarin sal you'd be prepared to sell to someone to keep her lonely boy company?!
wink.gif
 
T.shanjing like drier conditions than some terrestrial sals/newts. If you are misting daily he may be searching for a dry spot by digging down to the dry substrate. Try creating a moisture gradient in his enclosure - moist one side, dry the other. Give him the choice and he may stop the digging.
 
Would one side having terrarium moss be a good idea to retain moisture better?
 
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