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Gills are shriveling

K9skennel

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and it makes me sad :( his gills were so pretty. his color is more pronounced and he'll be a very pretty tiger when he morphs. His eyes are already starting to get buggy :(

my question is, since we can see the changes in him ( too soon in my book) will it be long before he is totally terrestrial? should i get his coconut fibre substrate and his giant bowl ( for his water and to swim in if he chooses) this week or can it wait- and how long?
we love him being aquatic, but the way his gills look, i dont think it will be long.
so i defer to the experts.

thanks

K9
 

SludgeMunkey

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A picture other than the one on your avatar would be greatly helpful. That picture is far to small to make a proper analysis.

Also, the SVL of the animal, estimated age, and the water chemistry results are beneficial in a post such as this.
 

K9skennel

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i am trying to get pictures, but they all come out blurry. have to find a way to shoot so it doesnt bounce off the glass. I need one to show how his markings have changed, too. When i get a decent, non blurry, picture i will be glad to post it.

i'm guessing he is around 4mo old, we were told 3 when we got him - but we were also told many other things that turned out to be not true.

what is SVL?

i just changed his water and his pH, alkalinity hardness, nitrates and nitrites are just about perfect.
Nitrate was <10 ppm
Nitrite was ~1ppm
Hardness was 180 ppm we have rediculously hard water - the water treatment stuff reduces it by quite a bit.
Alkilinity was between 50-100 ppm
pH was 6.8
water temp is 21C right now... usually about 22C- just where he likes it ;)

.
 

Nathan050793

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what is SVL?

SVL, as recently added to the C.org glossary, is the abbreviation for "Snout-Vent Length," which is the approximate length of the animal from the tip of its snout to its cloaca. This is as opposed to TL or "Total Length" which is from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail.
 

K9skennel

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Here are the pictures i was able to get tonight. sorry they are somewhat blurry, they are the best i could do. The second one isnt the best, and he has them down, but you get an idea of how pitiful his gills now are :cry:

i'm sad he is morphing already. i do think he'll be very pretty, i'm no expert, but i think he has great markings.

thanks for all your expertise.

K9
 

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K9skennel

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i'll get his substrate tomorrow.
his gills look WORSE today and we can see changes in his tail. :cry:
i'm just sad it happened so soon and so fast.
 

SludgeMunkey

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The age you describe is about right for it to transition to terrestrial phase. His currently coloration is the biggest sign though.

A large piece of cork bark floating in his tank is ideal for the first week or so. Until his gills are completely absorbed, he may tend to spend time in the water. If he is still eating for you, stuff him full of food. They will often refuse food for a week or two after the transition while the remainder of the gills are absorbed.
Be patient and give him time to make the transition. Gradually lowering the water level, in addition to adding an island, will greatly increase his chances for surviving this stressful transitional phase.

Now is also the time to get a terrestrial enclosure put together for it. Tigers spend almost all of their terrestrial time buried in a burrow. He will need both hides above the substrate surface and a substrate that facilitates his natural urge to dig burrows and tunnels. I use a mix of soil and coir for mine. They love it!

I asked for SVL as with many caudates, Ambystomids in particular, tail length can vary greatly between individuals of the same age. SVL tends to be a bit more reliable for judging the size of the specimen.
 

K9skennel

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stressful for him or me? i'm sure you meant him ;)

he eats when we offer it to him, good to know about stuffing him. he likes worms, and the boys like feeding him, so we'll keep giving them to him.

he has a stump and a giant rock he can climb on and get out of the water. he has shown no interest in using them, even tho he barely has gills at all ( he doesnt have internal ones, right? only external then lungs?) will he start breathing air more once they are completely absorbed? they look almost gone to me ( he's changed a TON even since those pics)

he's not completely done with changing his colors yet is he?

SVL would also be useful since even his tail has changed! i didnt know it would happen near this fast! i'm surprised how fast he morphed out!

we've taken out about half of his water, take out even more? how much do we leave in?

i plan on using the coconut fibre substrate, so he can dig, hide, burrow, and still be
moist enough.

i'll also leave his stump in there, so he can climb on it, if he so desires, and hide under it. he'll also have a giant water bowl so he can swim if he chooses to and keep his skin wet.

thanks for all your expertise.

K9
 

SludgeMunkey

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stressful for him or me? i'm sure you meant him ;)

he eats when we offer it to him, good to know about stuffing him. he likes worms, and the boys like feeding him, so we'll keep giving them to him.

he has a stump and a giant rock he can climb on and get out of the water. he has shown no interest in using them, even tho he barely has gills at all ( he doesnt have internal ones, right? only external then lungs?) will he start breathing air more once they are completely absorbed? they look almost gone to me ( he's changed a TON even since those pics)

he's not completely done with changing his colors yet is he?

SVL would also be useful since even his tail has changed! i didnt know it would happen near this fast! i'm surprised how fast he morphed out!

we've taken out about half of his water, take out even more? how much do we leave in?

i plan on using the coconut fibre substrate, so he can dig, hide, burrow, and still be
moist enough.

i'll also leave his stump in there, so he can climb on it, if he so desires, and hide under it. he'll also have a giant water bowl so he can swim if he chooses to and keep his skin wet.

thanks for all your expertise.

K9

Nope, in fact I meant stressful to you! :D
Believe me when I say I know how this goes. Right now I have various species morphing to land, morphing back into the water, hatching AND new larvae eating me out of house and home. Also, I have a wife and teenage kids. And pugs. Ever seen a kid feeding a pug crickets?:p

Good luck to you and your pet. It looks to be a very brightly colored specimen. We would all love to see pictures as it develops fully!
 

K9skennel

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please tell me he's smart enough to get out of the water! he has no visible gills left and NO interest in getting out of the water.
i dont want to switch him over to terrestrial too soon- and since i dont have his bowl yet ( and wont til weds) he wont even have a water option. but i dont want to wait too long either....urgh.

now i know what you mean by stressful!

K9
 

Bellabelloo

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You sound like you are managing this really well.
You have areas he can crawl on to when he is ready. How deep is his water now? I suspect as long as he can submerge him self he will be fine, just make sure he has at least one good spot he can haul himself onto when ready.
 

K9skennel

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right now he has about 4 inches of water- is that too much? he's in a 10 gallon tank.
if i take more out will that encourage him to climb out?
he has several places he can crawl onto- or swim if he so desires ;)

Hubby also wants to know if we move him to terrestrial before he shows interest in climbing out, will it damage him?
i would think yes, and dont want to risk it. he wants to ask the experts.
I also like having an aquatic salamander, so i'm in no hurry.
thanks again for all your help!
K9
 
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