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Sick tiger? *cries*

allegoriest

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(been gone a while)

I have a little tiger salamander, my precious Edvhard. He's probably 3 or so years old by now, and he's been acting weird this week. He has seemed fatter lately, and I've been assuming he was just filling out. (He's been kinda scrawny.)

Usually, he's always at the front of the tank, watching me on the computer and stuff. The last week he hasn't been around, and has been really determined to hide under a log. He hasn't eaten in a week, and I'm kinda worried.

We DO have house mosquitos, and its been a bit warm in here, but nothing he isn't used to. I bought him some red wrigglers, and I'm about to completely clean out his cage. He's currently in a small box thing with a moist paper towel and a few worms. Please help my widdle baby. ;__;
 

allegoriest

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He's sitting in his dish of water in my bathroom, and appears to be shedding. Is this how shedding normally goes? (I've... never really noticed him do it before.)
 

Bellabelloo

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Hi,
What do you normally feed your tiger? Would you be able to post a picture of him so we can see? What was his housing like ?
 

allegoriest

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He usually eats crickets and red wrigglers. I don't have a pic atm, but he doesn't seem to have anything visually off about him. He has a small pool, some large-ish rocks, a few logs to hide under, and several inches of coconut based soil. He previously had some ...ecoearth? soil in there too, but I didn't have any when I changed yesterday, so its pretty much only coconut atm. I DID find a few tiny, whiteish moving bug type things scrurrying around in the dirt, but they were ridiculously tiny, so pics were kinda impossible. (I could barely see them.)
 

RPM

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It's rather normal for tigers to hide and not unusual to go off food once in a while for a week or so. I have a few that bury themselves for 2-4 weeks at a time even in warrmer weather. Not sure why he apears fatter than before other than weight gain from overfeeding. Ones I've had that are ill become lethargic and their skin lack the luster of a normal animal. Shedding is a good sign of a healthy animal.
Keep us posted.
 

allegoriest

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I have some worms in the dirt in his cage, should I add more you think, and hope he fishes them out on his own? D:
He's really worrying meee. ;__;
I'm gonna try to re sanitize his logs tomorrow, and pour boiling water over them.
 

allegoriest

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Today he was moving around a bit more. He's still scurrying away if I expose him, and seemed to be following the worms a little bit. (previously he was paying NO attention to them.) When I said he feels more solid, its like, his skin has no give. (if that makes sense.) Before it felt a little loose on his body. I've been putting a bag of ice on top of the metal mesh above his cage, dunno if its really helping. I still don't have any pics, but he really does look the same. Doesn't seem to have any rashes or lacerations of any type, still seems to have the same colouration. I've been doing my best to keep the lights off as much as I can. Still not eating though. ;___;
 

Jan

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You said it was warm ....but how warm? Temps shouldn't be above the low 70sF for any extended period of time. Be sure to keep the coco-fiber moist (not wet). If the temps are excessive, you can also try using cooling packs under his enclosure. Regarding shedding, it's not something you will often see as most will eat their shed. I have found tiger sheds in water dishes and on land. It appears as a piece of plastic wrap in the shape of the animal.
 

allegoriest

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Jan: It's about the mid 70's in there. I dunno what happened to his shedding, I saw it sorta coming off of him, but dunno what happened to it. Right now he's hiding under a broken terra cotta pot, covered in dirt. I actually have trouble keeping it moist in there, so the dirt is never really wet. *I usually have to spray it obsessively*

He was kinda peeling unevenly. He's never done it all at once before, but I really don't know what happens to it, since he tracks so much dirt into his water everyday, it gets murky fast.
 

allegoriest

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I've been thinking about this way too long and hard. (I think I've literally made myself sick over it.) I've thought about if he had an intestinal blockage, but I'm pretty sure there was nothing in there he could fit in his mouth except the coconut dirt. I've thought parasites, but have no idea how to tell or why I'd think that. I've also considered that maybe he's gone blind, though he is reacting when I place worms down, but I dunno of he sees or feels them moving nearby. :/ He's always been pretty bad at catching dinner.

He's sorta hiding near the front now, under a broken terracotta pot. He DOES seem to be 'blinking' a bit more than usual, but he has been hiding in the dirt more.
 

Jan

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From what you have written in this thread, I don't see anything to be overly concerned about. Your temps and housing seem fine - 'dark and cool rule', but the substrate really needs to be kept moist. If spraying isn't working, then try pouring a larger quantity of water on the substrate. If you are using water daily, use treated (remove chlorine and chloramines) water.

Going underground is very natural for tigers. They are fossorial animals and why they are called mole salamanders. Behaviors periodically change as well. They often will go for days to a few weeks (or more) without eating, even tho their usual routine is to feed every few days. Next time you try to feed, use crickets instead of red wigglers. I always hand feed rather than leaving prey in the enclosures...that way I know exactly what is being consumed and it avoids ingestion of substrate.

If (s)he did ingest a small amount of coco-fiber (like from Bed-a-Beast compressed blocks), it shouldn't be a problem as it seems to pass thru the GI tract.

The only thing that you have said that sounds abnormal is shedding in pieces - shed normally comes off in one piece in the shape of the animal....again, when it is seen.
 

allegoriest

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I hope so. I generally try to keep it moist, and when spraying doesn't seem to do it, I take the same treated water that I put in his little pool, and pour it over the dirt. He's usually kinda lazy about digging, and will make a hole, and just stay there. I usually feed him with chopsticks, and each night I've been hovering over him for like 20 minutes all DO IT. And he gives me that NO :mad: face. I'm mostly worried because he went from really social to NO GO AWAY, and he's never relaly done that. He's just being out of character I guess.
 

Mark

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I think 75F is a little on the warm side for a salamander and may envoke some stress behaviours such as untypical digging or non-feeding. Jan's suggestion of ice packs under the enclosure is a good one. Bloating could either mean it's overfed (which explains the lack of interest in food) or it's sick. Is it still bloated?
 
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