Adopted Ambystoma Tigrinum

So I've made another rescue. This time its a Tiger Salamander. The local petstore by my house didn't have this little guy for sale or on display but I spotted him on a shelf in the fish section in a small bare plastic clamping cage around 6 inches long by 4 inches wide with about a centimeter of water at the bottom. The only information I could get out of them was someone had surrendered him, he was a tiger salamander, and is about 90% finished morphing. I purchased him for $7.00 even. Although now that I think about it I'm not sure if its legal in the state of FL for them to charge me for an animal someone surrendered, or even for them to sell the offspring of their animals, but thats a debate in itself I suppose. It was well worth it anyway! :lol: I placed him in a large plastic storage bin with a little less than a block of coco-fiber and a shallow water dish that is as wide as the container they were keeping him in. He was in the petstore for a "few days" before I picked him up. The girl in the fish section wouldn't even pick him up to place him in the going home container because he looked "slimy". Needless to say he is much happier in his new home, and is already burrowing, taking dips into his water dish, and lunging at crickets. I've been trying to introduce him to earthworms, with no success as of yet. I've had him for about 3 days and every time i bring out the camara he is under the dirt with just his head poking out so I'm waiting for the right moment to take a picture and show you guys.

I've been looking around for cork wood for him to hide under, but haven't come across any. I haven't added anything to his cage but the water dish, some rocks to help him in and out of the water dish and the coco-fiber. Any other ideas for safe things to put in his cage? Am I missing anything? It looks as if he has ate 2 small crickets in 2 days, one I witnessed him eating. I'm going to try again with the worms today to try to fatten him up.

He has a small white spot on his tail. Could this be a bite mark from a fish? I have no idea what type of cage he was in prior to the pet store keeping him in that small plastic one, so I guess it could be anything. Any inquires are appreciated, I want to give this guy the best home I can considering what he has been through!

Pictures coming soon, hopefully. I'd like to find out, if its even possible, which subspecies he or she is. Whether its male or female, and what age it is. I know the coloring takes some time to develop, but this Tiger's coloring is strange. You'll see what I mean when I post pictures. :smile:

I added moist papertowels for hides and moss around the water container to make it easier for him to get in and out. I also added holes into the sides of the plastic container with a heated nail to allow more ventilation. His coloring is blue green with yellow blotches starting to form. Ill get more of his pelvic area, but I didn't want to keep him in the light for longer than needed. Is he too young to tell the sex?

The hides don’t necessarily need to be cork bark. Up-turned flower pots and plastic piping sunk into the soil will work just as well. For a naturalistic look take a trip to your local forest and collect weathered bark pieces, logs and leaf litter.

The white spot on it’s tail could be a sore so it’s best to keep and eye on it. If it’s feeding well and looks otherwise healthy it’s unlikely to become a problem. Animals kept in poor conditions can become stressed and prone to sores. Lack of appetite is normally the first sign of significant illness.

It may be too young to sex. This article provides a useful guide to sexing salamanders: Caudata Culture Articles - Sexing

If you haven’t seen it already here’s a great care sheet for tiger salamanders: Caudata Culture Species Entry - Tiger salamander

Good luck.

Thank you for your help! I really like the forest idea, is it necessary to boil the leaves and other things from outside? He's eating 5, sometimes more, small crickets every day, and the sore doesn't seem to be getting worse so in all I think he's going to be just fine. :happy:

I personally would rinse and then sterilize any collected furnishings in the microwave on high power for a minimum of 7 mins. Sterilized wood often grows fungus shortly afterwards. Once the natural mirco flora/fauna is destroyed funguses and mould tend to be the first re-colonisers. Over time this improves and fungus will diminish. It will not harm your salamander.

If you collect items from an area you’re sure is free from motor traffic, pesticides etc then the risks are very low. Washing/sterilizing therefore isn’t essential but it can prevent accidentally introducing unwanted bugs into the house (moths, fungus gnats, flies etc).

Good news about the sore and appetite :happy:.