Question: Is Momo morphing? And if he is, is that okay?

K

karamar88

New member
Joined
Feb 10, 2011
Messages
5
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Location
Green Bay, WI
Country
United States
We've had Momo for about a month and a half. He seems to be very happy. He has a healthy appetite (feeder goldfish, bloodworms, brine shrimp) and is very mobile in his tank. We noticed, though, that he's been changing. The fin on his back used to go all the way from his neck to the end of his tail. Now, the fin on his back has disappeared completely. It's only on his tail now and his gills seem to be shorter. I know nothing has been picking on him, because he only has a few feeder goldfish in his tank that are terrified of him. Also, maybe I'm being crazy, but his eyes seem a bit bulgier and his nostrils seem slightly bigger than when he first came home with us. The only thing we've changed is we moved him to a tank with sand substrate instead of stones, in fear that he would swallow them and his new tank doesn't have real plants. He still hangs out on the bottom of his tank and swims up once and a while for a gulp of air. This morning, I woke up to find him standing on top of the rocks in his tank with his head out of the water. Should I be concerned about this behavior? Other than that, everything else seems normal. I have attached pictures of him before and current.

*The first 2 pictures are older when he still had his whole fin and gills. The last 3 are within the past few days. Don't his nostrils looks bigger in the 4th picture?? The last one was from this morning, when I found him with his head out of the water :eek: *

Any insight would be helpful! I'm worried about him... :(
(Actually, we've been assuming he's a boy, but I'd be lying if I said I was certain...)

-Kara
 

Attachments

  • IMG_3947.jpg
    IMG_3947.jpg
    118.9 KB · Views: 320
  • IMG_3950.jpg
    IMG_3950.jpg
    81.7 KB · Views: 253
  • IMG_4424.jpg
    IMG_4424.jpg
    87.1 KB · Views: 257
  • IMG_4375.jpg
    IMG_4375.jpg
    109.5 KB · Views: 241
  • IMG_4421.jpg
    IMG_4421.jpg
    204.7 KB · Views: 254
Yeah I'm pretty sure you've been sold a salamander :eek:.. that link we be helpful
 
Oh my gosh, really? We actually weren't sure what he was for sure because my boyfriend found him at his workplace (bait shop) when it was stuck in a shipment of bait fish (see my profile for full story). I'll definitely check out that link! Thanks! :happy:
-K
 
He's certainly a tiger salamander. Looks like he'll be a really pretty one! You'll have to change his set up to a terrestrial setup though, or you run the risk of having him drown.
 
congratulations on your new little mate!

I would love to own a terrestrial salamander, but they are illegal to keep in my country unfortunately.
 
that's a gorgeous salamander right there! give him some land space, to crawl out on, when you're fully sure he's morphed change his tank to a nice terrestrial one x) - he hasn't reached sexual maturity, but it's easier to just assign a gender rather than saying (he or she).

The species entry rob posted should keep you well informed.
 
What a surprise!

He looks wicked!

I had a look for the story on your profile, but couldn't see it... you found him in a bait shipment?!
 
Thanks for all the comments, everyone! Wow, I've never been part of such a friendly online community where everyone has such good advice. He actually is a LOT different since I took those pictures. We made his tank only half water a few days ago and he walked right out onto the land and hung out there. Now he's shrunk quite a bit and has no gills left. We've changed his tank today to moist sand with peat moss and huge flat rocks underneath the moss (it was pretty). There's also a little pool in there just big enough for him to lay in and a chunk of driftwood. When we finish it tomorrow I'll add pictures. He seems to like it so far :happy:

Oh, and I added the story about how we stumbled upon Momo on my profile.
 
I can't wait to see pictures! I'd read this thread when you first posted, but had to leave for work immediately after so I didn't get a chance to comment. Definitely didn't look like a lotl in the first place. :p But his coloration is so wicked, he's going to be an extremely handsome salamander!
 
You'll probably want a better substrate than sand/peat moss. I use organic topsoil mixed with coconut fiber (usually around 1:1). This will be much better for your salamander's burrowing nature than sand will be.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • Shane douglas:
    with axolotls would I basically have to keep buying and buying new axolotls to prevent inbred breeding which costs a lot of money??
     +1
    Unlike
  • Thorninmyside:
    Not necessarily but if you’re wanting to continue to grow your breeding capacity then yes. Breeding axolotls isn’t a cheap hobby nor is it a get rich quick scheme. It costs a lot of money and time and deditcation
     +1
    Unlike
  • stanleyc:
    @Thorninmyside, I Lauren chen
     +1
    Unlike
  • Clareclare:
    Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus Japanese . I'm raising them and have abandoned the terrarium at about 5 months old and switched to the aquatic setups you describe. I'm wondering if I could do this as soon as they morph?
     +1
    Unlike
    Clareclare: Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus... +1
    Back
    Top