Yellow Spotted Salamander

Bandida

Bandida

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So i have a yellow spotted salamander that I aquiared from a friend. Idk where he got it but all it does is burrow in the plantation soil I got in the tank. Ive only seen it come out 3 times since ive had it.. Temperature is around 18-23 deg C and humidity is 80 and up all the time. Is it too warm for it? It is very healthy. Always eating I assume cuz it tripled its size since ive had it for about id say for the past 3 months. Am i doing something wrong? The first pic is of it about a month ago and the second pic was taken a week ago in my 15 or 20 gallon and I think it got bigger.
 

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It's a little warm, but I don't think it's excessive. Your humidity is pretty high though. Excessive moisture can cause mold and things in your tank. I don't measure humidity, but I try to keep the soil damp, but not so much that it is physically wet (that is, the salamanders are not wet when they come out of the soil). I do offer a large water dish for dips as desired. Since spotted salamanders are members of the mole salamander family, Ambystomatidae, they spend a lot of their time under ground. I rarely see any of my ambystomatids. In fact, one of my tigers needs to be dug up for feeding time. If it's eating and growing, you're doing things fairly well.
 
Thanks for the reply. The only reason the humidity is up high is because I have an open screen and have to keep uping the usage of my fogger or else it will drop from 90% to 20% in an hour. This is just a "for now" home untill I can complete my 40 gallon breeder tank. :D
 
A good way to trap some humidity without using the fogger (which uses electricity, and makes noise and vibration which could somehow affect your salamander) is to wrap 3/4 of the screen lid with plastic wrap.

What kind of substrate are you using? I use a mix of eco-earth and topsoil and don't have those kinds of drastic humidity changes.
 
I agree with Kaysie. High humidity can lead to all sorts of problems and diseases. If your soil is moist, humidity is not an issue. I would not use a fogger.
 
I use the Plantation Soil that comes in a brick then you soak it. But it does not stay moist very long with a screen lid on top. but Ive heard of this stuff molding easily. This soil is just for now untill I finish its true home that it will stay in for sure. I;m thinking about buying the canopy top and leaving it half open with the screen over top. Should fit that way. :confused: And again everything is trial and error. Still learning the trade.
 
I'm curious though. What diseases could they introduce besides worms? :confused:
 
They can get fungal and bacterial infections, particularly of the skin, from overly damp or humid conditions. I would follow Kaysie's advice and cover half or 3/4 of the screen top with cling-film/piece of plastic/piece of glass ands stop using the fogger. Make sure the soil stays damp, but also make sure it is not saturate and there is no standing water in it. If you grab a handful and squeeze, a few drops of water should come out at the most, rather than a constant stream. If you think how damp leaf litter is under a bush or in wood, that's what you are aiming for (that's where the animals live in the wild).

Good luck with it - have you seen the caresheet here: Caudata Culture Species Entry - Tiger salamander

It's for tiger sals, but the info on 'housing adults' and 'feeding adults' will work well for your animal, too.

Chris
 
Thanks for the link and I will start covering part way of the top and see how it goes. He ventured out of his burrows last night hehe I woke up and all I could was his tail going into the ground. He must of came out for the dew worms I put in there last night ;)
 
How do I test the Ph of the soil? I already threw out the packaging for the Plantation Soil so idk if it said on the package...:confused: I also have sphagnum moss littered on top of the soil. Although once I get his home finished I am going to layer the bottom very little with rocks then have some potting soil I bought at the flower shop and mix part way with the plantation soil and then the moss. I'll have live plants in the enclosure. I plan on putting some PVC pipes cut in half for make-shift burrows ;) Got that from the article stated above! Great idea. I also wanted to put dug out dens before that idea. :eek:
 
Potting soil isn't a good idea. It often has fertilizers and pesticides and vermiculite and other little nasties in it that's is terrible for salamanders. Sphagnum isn't that great either, since it's often fairly acidic, and at best it's variable in acidity. To test the pH of your soil, mix some with water (check the pH of the water first), shake it up really well, and then let it settle for a minute, and test the water again.
 
Yeah I did some reading on the Nitrogen cycle on soil. I saw that potting soil and sphagnum isnt the best idea and my plantation soil, I am worried about because It's known to me that it spoils quickly too.... So. Rethinking my mixture. :dizzy: I know that I am getting leaf litter though I hear thats a good idea? For beneficial bacteria for decomposition. Although it's good to have a stiff leaf. Like Elm and Beech.. Aparently..
 
Leaf litter on top of your soil would definitely help retain moisture as well.
 
Went for a walk in the country and got a bag of leaf litter today ;)
 
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