Morphing Tiger Salamander nearing completion. **NEWB**

Dkober101

Dkober101

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Hello all!!!

My name is Derek, and I am a greenhorn when it comes taking care of salamanders.

I recently bought a "Baby Dinosaur" from a guy at our local mall. There was a care sheet given that vaguely stated how to take care of said "Baby Dinosaur." Like many other beginners I assumed I had purchased an Axolotl and prepared my self to give him a comfortable home. I began my prep by purchasing things like sand for my substrate, a low flowing filter, a nice test kit to test my waters Ph, Nitrite, Nitrate, ect. and a 20 gallon tank for him to swim around in. So the first 2-3 weeks "Noodle" was very happy and content in his tank feasting on earth worms and rosy red minnows. Now here comes week 4 and I began to notice he his gills were beginning to shrink and spotted pattern began to develop along his whole body. After doing my research here I realized I had indeed purchased a Tiger Salamander Larva and he was in the beginning stages of metamorphosis.

Now fast forward to today, I have his tank at about 80% land (still using the sand a substrate until I can make it to Petsmart tonight) and 20% water. Most of his time is being spent with his body fully submerged with this head out of the water breathing air, as his gills are nearly fully absorbed. He has been showing this behavior for a little over 3 days now. I have also found him completely out of the water a few times, but the majority of his time is still spent up to his shoulders in the water. I should also mention there has been no change in his appetite and gets half of an earth worm every day since he has started to morph.

So here are my questions:

Do you believe he is now ready for a fully terrestrial set up yet? If not, when will I know?

What is the best set up for a substrate? (In my readings I have seen many people suggest coco fiber and topsoil.)

Would I layer these in any specific order? Should I do a mixture of both?

Any other suggestions are also welcomed, so please feel free to share your knowledge!!

I will also try to post some pictures of his transformation once I get home from work.

-Dkober101
 
Hey Derek!
Sounds like he's ready to come on out of the water. You can mix the coco/soil all together, you want it damp but by no means soaking wet. You can usually find T-Rex Jungle Bedding which at chain stores which is already pre-mixed. I also provide a water dish big enough for them to completely fit into (they usually burrow under it) and a half log hide so they have multiple options for hiding places. I use about 4 inches of substrate so they are allowed to burrow.

Personally I'd lay off the minnows permanently and stick to earthworms as fish are vectors for disease generally speaking.

Glad to see you doing your research for your tiger! You should upload some pictures and we can help identify what subspecies of tiger it is.

Not sure if you've seen this yet but here's some reading:
Tiger Salamander Care

Welcome to caudata.
 
Here are the pictures as requested. Let me know what you guys think!!! :D

**Please note, these pictures are about a week old. He does not have any of his gills left as of today**
 

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Nice work. Looks like a diaboli, just like mine.
 
Sounds like he is ready for a full terrestrial set-up. Coco-fiber alone or mixed with organic topsoil is a good substrate. I use reconstituted coco-fiber blocks (e.g., Bed-a-beast, Eco-earth). Here is some additional information you may find helpful:

Caudata Culture Articles - Tiger Salamander 101
 
I think we must have purchased from the same person. I too purchased a "Baby Dinosaur" from a man at a mall in Louisiana. I admit, I should have questioned him more, but it was just so cute. I purchased then began researching to see what I had. Anyway, gills disappeared and I thought for sure my Axolotl was dying. I found this site and was able to get some information and I called the number that was on my care sheet. The man explained to me that what was going on was normal, asked what it looked like as far as coloring, and then told me I have a Tiger. I have still been researching to be sure he is correct. Information he gave me does not match anything else I have found. Anyway, I completed the terrestrial set up today. He immediately burrowed, so I am guessing he's happy.

Anyway, I was happy to read your story as it was my story too.
 
kfar said:
I think we must have purchased from the same person. I too purchased a "Baby Dinosaur" from a man at a mall in Louisiana. I admit, I should have questioned him more, but it was just so cute. I purchased then began researching to see what I had. Anyway, gills disappeared and I thought for sure my Axolotl was dying. I found this site and was able to get some information and I called the number that was on my care sheet. The man explained to me that what was going on was normal, asked what it looked like as far as coloring, and then told me I have a Tiger. I have still been researching to be sure he is correct. Information he gave me does not match anything else I have found. Anyway, I completed the terrestrial set up today. He immediately burrowed, so I am guessing he's happy.

Anyway, I was happy to read your story as it was my story too.
Click to expand...

Small world is it not? Haha! :D

The mall I purchased mine from was in Houma La. The guy was a small round man with very thick glasses and white hair lol!


BTW: Could you possibly post some pictures of your salamander? I am curious to see what he looks like!
 
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Wow it is a small world, because I purchased "Little Foot" at the mall in Houma. I am originally from Houma and was there at Mardi Gras visiting my daughter. We were in the mall and saw them and I just thought it was so cute. I asked a lot of questions, but did not get the information I really needed. As I found out a few weeks later..... Anyway I have pictures below. I have now changed his habitat to land with a water bowl. He has burrowed in and I haven't really seen much of him, every now an then I see his head poke out. I have 2 cats and they enjoy watching him too.

here are the pictures I have.. The 2nd one was taken last weekend.
 

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Hi kfar
Just an observation - you should consider removing the gravel from the enclosure. While lunging at food, the salamander could swallow one of these stones. Should that occur, it could lead to intestinal obstruction and impaction...a serious and potentially life-threatening condition.

What type of substrate are you using - it looks like sand. If that is the case, you should consider changing it to top-soil or coco-fiber or mix of both.

You may want to have a look at the 2 articles referenced in prior posts to this thread... for care tips.
 
Pre-morph shot,
IMG_20120305_221806.jpg


I'd have to wait until tonight to get a shot him now that he's morphed.

Note the Super Gill branch. ;]
 
Jan said:
Hi kfar
Just an observation - you should consider removing the gravel from the enclosure. While lunging at food, the salamander could swallow one of these stones. Should that occur, it could lead to intestinal obstruction and impaction...a serious and potentially life-threatening condition.

What type of substrate are you using - it looks like sand. If that is the case, you should consider changing it to top-soil or coco-fiber or mix of both.

You may want to have a look at the 2 articles referenced in prior posts to this thread... for care tips.
Click to expand...
These pictures were taken before I changed his habitat. The 1st picture is how he was purchased. The aquarium gravel was in his little tank. Anyway - I am using eco-earth substrate. I haven't put anything else with that - I was wondering if I should use some additional moss. He seems happy, he has burrowed in. I have checked it and the soil and it is moist. I mist it 1 time a day. I do have a question about feeding. I have tried some crickets, but he hasn't eaten one. I did put a mealworm in, he didn't jump at it, he was in his log, I held it out to see if he would come, but it fell off of the forcepts at the opening of the log - when I checked a few minutes later, the worm was gone. He doesn't seem to be eating much - he had a couple of salamander bites Friday night, that was when he was still in mostly water environment. So any suggestions will be helpful. Thanks
 
kfar said:
These pictures were taken before I changed his habitat. The 1st picture is how he was purchased. The aquarium gravel was in his little tank. Anyway - I am using eco-earth substrate. I haven't put anything else with that - I was wondering if I should use some additional moss. He seems happy, he has burrowed in. I have checked it and the soil and it is moist. I mist it 1 time a day. I do have a question about feeding. I have tried some crickets, but he hasn't eaten one. I did put a mealworm in, he didn't jump at it, he was in his log, I held it out to see if he would come, but it fell off of the forcepts at the opening of the log - when I checked a few minutes later, the worm was gone. He doesn't seem to be eating much - he had a couple of salamander bites Friday night, that was when he was still in mostly water environment. So any suggestions will be helpful. Thanks
Click to expand...

Mine has also not been eating much. Yesterday it took maybe 15 mins for him to finally eat a worm out of my hand. He kept snapping at it but never could seem to get it into his mouth. I think it may be that they are still used to "gulping" at their food as if it were still suspended in water. I’m sure they will eventually get the hang of it.
 
They are the WORST hunters to ever exist. I've had one of my tigers take 14 (I counted) attempts to grab a worm I was holding directly in front of his face. All part of their charm ;]
 
I'd just stick to feeding a nightcrawler cut in half, or whole trout worms. Best nutritionally. Also they say morphing may affect appetite a bit, though I've seen no change in appetite with my larva. If you see him out and about, try offering him a piece of worm. He'll eventually settle in to the new environment and he'll be begging at the glass before long!
 
I REALLY like Trout Worms. It means you don't have to cut anything in half, and they are not as hard to care for as the Nightcrawlers (who need more space and care). They are long lived, and usually the perfect size for feeding.
 
Hi everyone. I also got a "baby dinosaur" I named littlefoot from a guy in the mall in louisiana! I kind of had a clue what I was getting but had no idea he would morph until I did research. I've only had him for two weeks and he's already started to change, His gills are pretty much buds now. At what point do I change his setup completely? He's still in the aquarium with only a few inches of water left. There's a rock he can climb out and lay on if he wants but he only just sticks his head out of the water to breath air for a few minutes then goes back under. He also hasn't eaten the minnows I put in for him, he usually eats them in a few hrs. I don't want to change things up and stress him out if he's not ready..
 
Hey guys, got mine from people dropping them off in my store in baton rouge. They also bought "dinosaur babies" from a man in the mall. I'm the owner of a local fish store. Customer were bringing them in for help and few got left behind. Now I'm taking care of them.
The guy in batons rouge was the same in Houma. I called and talk to him.
I hope we all find our way to these forums, and we should watch how we all do.
 
Sounds like the same guy I got mine from in Baton Rouge. Mine is almost done morphing at the moment. Glad to see others from the area who are interested in taking good care of their tigers, too!
 
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