Feeding a burrowed salamander

herbaltree

herbaltree

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hello!

I am the new owner of a tiger salamander, Mr Sanchez! Yay! He's been left alone for a few days to settle in and today I saw that he's burrowed right down into the corner of his home, which I'm pleased about.

But I'm due to give him his first feed tomorrow and as he hasnt been out and about for the past few days, I'm wondering how to go about doing this. Is there some way to entice him out (I wouldnt want to dig him out) or should I just wait until he gets hungry enough to surface?

Thanks! :)
 
I have very little experience, but what I did the first few days with my own tiger salamander is that I just put crickets in the enclosure. And they quickly disappeared :) she probably got out at night to eat them.
 
He will surface when he's hungry. I go days without seeing my tiger, then all of a sudden he's on the surface or his head is poking out ready for food. After dinner he will often go back underground.
 
Check the tank late at night, use a flashlight with a red lense, you will probably see the tiger. I place earthworms in the enclosure and while salamanders dig, they find them, just like in the wild.
 
I keep my enclosures stocked with worms too. The worms wander around on the surface at the night where they're easy prey for the salamanders, and they keep the substrate from developing anoxic pockets by aerating it with their burrowing activities. If I want to check that a salamander is eating, I drop a few worms just inside the entrance of the burrow, which often results in the salamander dragging one deeper into the burrow to be consumed.
 
Our 2 A.m.mavortiums spent a lot of time above the ground. They've got plenty of substrate though. Our 3 diaboli's spent less time above except one. Guess every animal has it's own preferences.
 
I'm not sure if my local shop sells worms, will have to ask.
His burrow entrance is closed behind him though, so not sure how effective it might be! His previous owner over fed him so he's on a diet, which is why the idea of tong feeding him appeals as I can monitor what he's eating.
I know he's alive and burrowing, but tomorrow will be a week since he last fed. Should I be slightly concerned, or will it be the case of him coming back up when he's hungry? I know he has been above soil and in his water bowl, but he seems to do so whenever I'm not around!
 
You're kidding me! My girlfriend named my tiger sal José Sanchez haha!:D
 
haha no way! he was going to be either Andre or Fernando Sanchez...but we couldnt decide which so just called him Mr instead! :D Jose is a good one!
 
I own two salamanders, and my male salamander is always burrowed underground, sometimes for over a week. When the substrate is dry, I pour water (luke cold) on the subsrate until most of it is wet, and within a ten minutes he will climb his way out. But yes, crickets will find their way into the holes where the salamanders have dug. I hope this helps.
 
he still hasnt been up to feed, but we've had a mini 'heatwave' so i figured he's staying burrowed to keep cool. May try that with the water, thank you!
 
i tried it. heard him shuffle about but that was it. it's been 12 days since he last ate, and over a week since i last saw his little face. is this normal sal behaviour? is he just taking a long time to settle in? i dont want to dig him out and stress him, but i dont know whether to be concerned or not. i do hear him move sometimes, but he hasnt moved much at all this week really...help! (and the crickets are getting big enough to sing now..my housemates may start complaining soon..hehe)
 
I just received an adult barred tiger that wouldn't eat for almost 14 days. He would hunt the worms down.. but just wouldn't bite. I notice whenever I lightly mist the substrate at night he comes right out, and that's when I attempt to feed. He finally ate the other night after almost two weeks.. this is common especially when they've just been transported/re-homed. As long as he's not dropping weight he'll eat when he is ready!

Another tip for finicky eaters is to put them in a bare temporary enclosure and offer food, but you don't want to add extra stress if you don't have to.
 
thanks for your reply! it wasnt that he wouldnt eat things, its just that he never surfaced for me to try feeding him!
I popped back to the exotics shop today and they told me to dig him up and feed him. So i did and he very eagerly ate and seems happy and healthy! panic over! :) (despite the minor panic of an escaping cricket!!)
and i forgot how beautiful he was! :)
 
Make sure you have a temp guage to make sure it is 70 degrees or less.

Say hi to Senor Sanchez for me!

:D
 
Yea i've been keeping an eye on that. we're into typical october weather now so he's cool and happy while i'm wrapped in many layers!
haha will do!
 
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