"Water Dog" questions

Hello,

I just got two "water dogs" last weekend. I since then I have been looking for some information on how to care for them in their larval state. I have seen a ton here on what to do once they become tiger salamanders but not much for right now. Maybe I have over looked it? My couple of questions.

As far as their diet goes I have been feeding them about the same as I feed my African Clawed frogs. A little repto-min, some Bio-gold Cichlid pellets and some red worms. Not all at once but rotating every feeding. Is this ok for now? They really seemed to love it. They were a little thin when I brought them home so I have fed them a small bit every day until today. Now I have a couple of fatties so I am going to start feeding them every other day from here on out.

Next question, I have heard that heat will speed up their changing process. I have also heard that heat is not good for them. Which is correct? I don't heat my African clawed frog tank so I was intending to do the same here but if I need to I certainly will.

Thank you for being patient with me. If I have asked something that is already on here I apologize. I've been looking through the site but haven't found what I was looking for just yet.

Gina

The care for the larvae should be the same as for axolotls. So if you browse the axolotl section and axolotl.org, then you'll know how to care for them. I would not heat the water, this will likely stress them out and is dangerous. You will just have to wait for them to morph at their own time.

Pete is correct. Heating them will just probally prove to be fatal. Just leave them at room temp or lower. They normally transform in about 6 months or less. I've had them transform anywhere between 4 and 8 inches so you can't go by size either. The food you are useing is fine. A varied diet is always best. Good luck with them.

This sheet does have some specifics about care during the larval and transitional periods:
Caudata Culture Species Entry - Tiger salamander
But it sounds like you are doing the right things. Watch out for water quality issues, as they tend to be big eaters/poopers.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction guys. I got my two set up in their 20 gallon tank with room temp water. So far so good. I had a trace of ammonia dispite my efforts to seed the tank. I did a 50% water change and then added more seeded bio media. It seems to be doing well now. They are eating just fine and have started to dig down into the sand in their tank. They have also already worked their magic on my fiance. He grimaced at them when he first saw them but now is fascinated by their cuteness. No names yet, I think I want to wait until they are old enough to tell the sex before we brand them for life.:happy:

One thing I have noticed is that they tend to rest on the plant near the surface after eating. Is this common? Should I put more plants or taller objects in for them to rest on? Do they breathe air as well at this stage?

Sorry for all the questions, and thank you for your patience.

Gina

mine just hangs out in the plants because he CAN! silly salamander. IMO they just like to 'hang out'.
mine will come up and take huge gulps of air from time to time. its my favorite thing to watch- and he does it more when he is swimming like crazy.
i got them hides that had plants ( all fake of course) already on them and he seemed to like that.

HTH