Illness/Sickness: Tiger salamander stuck skin

CheeseyDean · Nov 27, 2011

Hey all. I have a tiger salamander, and his skin appears to be stuck when it needs to be shed. You know how their skin gets those tiny black specks on it when it's about to be shed? He's had those in certain areas for going on two weeks, and his skin is only coming off in bits and pieces. He's acting normal and eating, but he obviously needs to shed. I've read that you can put them in a container of lukewarm water overnight if they're having shedding problems, but I'd like to see what you guys think I should do.

Thanks.

Kaysie · Nov 28, 2011

Make sure the tank is moist and there are appropriate items to rub up against.

Don't put him in lukewarm water; that's for snakes, not salamanders.

herbaltree · Nov 29, 2011

I've had a tiger for about 2 months now. When i got him i was told that he was starting to shed his skin. I thought it would be a one off thing, but it does seem that he only sheds bits at a time, as i noticed part of his skin shedding today, making this the third time he's shed!
So maybe shedding in pieces is the salamandy thing to do?

Jan · Nov 29, 2011

Tigers generally shed their entire shed at one time - appears like a thin piece of plastic wrap in the shape of the animal. I've have found shed on land and in water bowls. You have to be quick in observing it however, as it often is eaten.

CheeseyDean · Nov 29, 2011

I know he's not shedding when I'm not looking. I can tell this because almost his entire underside has the black specks of skin needing to be shed and it's really dark.

Also, I've always had him on paper towels. What things do you suggest for him to rub up against?

Kaysie · Nov 30, 2011

Why on paper towels and not a burrowing substrate?

Jan · Nov 30, 2011

I've never observed 'black specks of skin needing to be shed' on the underside of tigers.

I would ask the same as Kaysie - why not a burrowing substrate? The paper toweling you have been using...is it moistened with dechlorinated/deammoniated water and changed at least every other day or more frequently if soiled? Paper toweling is fine for a temporary or hospital setup but the nature of the beast is to burrow...hence for long term care a setup that mimics their natural habitat makes sense.

Things for a tiger to 'rub against' would be such things as commercial hides/caves, pieces of wood, water bowl, plants either real or fake, etc.

CheeseyDean · Nov 30, 2011

I've kept him on paper towels because since the day he metamorphosed, since he's been in a 15 gallon tank. In a smaller tank like that, paper towels are just easier. I am getting him a 20 gallon long tank very soon though, and I plan on using cocoa fiber as his new substrate. I moisten the paper towels properly and yes, I've always used a tropical fish dechlorinator on the water. It's worked fine, never had any problems.

The black specks I'm referring to are the skin that needs to be sloughed off. I know this because when I look at his belly, I can see a few areas where the blackish skin has came off and his normal skin is underneath. So, I'm positive that it's old skin. If it still hasn't came off in a few days, what should I do?

CheeseyDean · Nov 30, 2011

Just a little update. I sat him in his water dish, he soaked in there for about an hour, and a few minutes ago he climbed out of it and started shedding more of his skin. It looks like alot of it is gone now.

CheeseyDean · Dec 3, 2011

Okay, bad news. I just checked his underside and it's STILL almost completely black from all the skin stuck there. He's acting normal, but I'm really worried about this. What should I do?

Jan · Dec 3, 2011

CheeseyDean said:
Okay, bad news. I just checked his underside and it's STILL almost completely black from all the skin stuck there. He's acting normal, but I'm really worried about this. What should I do?

You may want to post a picture of the underside. Again, shed usually comes off as one piece and it is clear or with a very light tint.. sort of like plastic wrap, not black....you may have something else going on here.

CheeseyDean · Dec 3, 2011

Here's a picture. Really sorry for the terrible quality, it's the best I could do. If you look closely, you can see darker areas I'm referring to between his stripes. It's too large to post in this thread, here's a link-

http://i.imgur.com/1HGLE.jpg

Jan · Dec 4, 2011

Hmmmm, sorry but I can't distinguish anything in the photo.

CheeseyDean · Dec 6, 2011

I'll try to get a better picture soon, but in the mean time, do you have any idea what it could be? His underside is almost completely covered in these tiny black specks, so is his tail, and whenever he gets in the water, a few tiny pieces of his old skin shed off. His movement seems kinda strained too.

CheeseyDean · Dec 7, 2011

Well, earlier tonight he shed COMPLETELY. All his old skin is gone and he no longer has the black specks.

Jan · Dec 7, 2011

That's good news re complete shed. Hard to say what is going on but I do think a first step is assuring good husbandry and transitioning to a substrate suitable for burrowing.

CheeseyDean · Dec 8, 2011

What kind of setup do you suggest? I'm planning on getting a 20 gallon long tank, but I'm paranoid about doing something wrong with the new setup since he's been in the same paper towel setup for the past four years.

Jan · Dec 8, 2011

A 20-gallon long will make a nice enclosure for the tiger sal. Have a look at these two articles from our Caudata Culture section, I think you will find them helpful:

Caudata Culture Articles - Tiger Salamander 101

Caudata Culture Species Entry - Tiger salamander

CheeseyDean · Dec 8, 2011

He's been on paper towels his entire life, ever since he metamorphosed. Will he take to the coconut fiber substrate right away by instinct, or will it take some getting used to?

Sven · Dec 8, 2011

I have changed the substrate for my tigersalamander 3 times now and she never had any trouble addapting to it. First I used humus but it always sticked to her skin, then I used sphagnum moss but that didn't look natural and was expensive and now I use something called terracoco humus wich is the best: it looks natural, doesn't stick to the skin as much as normal humus and is not expensive. Just make sure they can burrow, they love that.

Illness/Sickness: Tiger salamander stuck skin

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