Identification Help

Hello! I am new to the forum, and a first time salamander owner. I bought Henry about a month ago from a kiosk at the mall, under the belief he was an axolotl. Two weeks after buying him, I noticed his gills and tail shrinking. I was worried, but my friend had bought a female from the same kiosk a week before and hers was undergoing the same changes as mine. Henry has now lost his gills, shrunken his tail, grown lungs, and his eyeballs have popped out a little. He couldn't possibly be an axolotl, could he? I searched the internet and saw tiger salamanders, but he didn't and doesn't look anything like them. Could someone identify him?

I've included some photos of when I first got him and now. I was horribly ignorant regarding his care when I first got him, and put him with a few fish in a gravel tank. (I now realize it could have killed him.) Henry has developed an aversion to water in his metamorphosis and now stays in a different 10 gallon tank filled with sphagnum moss, a few plants, and a fake hollow log shown in one of the attached pictures. There used to be a water bowl included, but he just flung dirt in it and never used it. I now mist several times a day, though he is normally underground most of the time.

If you would like a few better photos or a video of him now, since I realize mine aren't the best, I can provide them. I'd just like to provide my guy the care he deserves, and I feel this forum can help me.

Henry is a tiger salamander. Unfortunately, this 'baby dinosaur'/mall axolotl issue is far too common.

Have a read through this article on tiger care, and the caresheet. Those should get you started!

Welcome to the forum! You're in good company here.

Oh okay! I'm glad he is, because I've been treating him as one since his change. I must have bought him later on in his juvenile stage, because he didn't look much like the pictures I had found of juvenile tiger salamanders.

I've been feeding him big, slow worms, because he is very slow in eating. He'll miss the worm when he goes to bite, many times, even if the worm is crawling in front of him. I have to place him and the worm in a separate container to give him any chance to eat it. Once he gets a bite he'll thrash and show some reaction and eat the whole worm, but is it normal for them to be so slow to feed? He is alert and active when I pick him up.

They're not the speediest at eating. Mine sometimes take 3 or 4 tries before they get a worm. Part of their charm, right? The bulldog reaction is completely normal.

Try not to handle him too much. Salamanders have sensitive skin that can be damaged easily. If you need to move him, wash your hands well (rinse twice!), and handle him with bare, moist hands. Skip the towel.

Is it bad I found the whole thrashing about adorable?

Would using a pair of tweezers to feed in tank be a better solution to taking him out every time? I hate to just put the worm in because they scurry off before he gets a chance to eat.

Also, how does he stand weight wise? I feel he might be on the skinny side. If he is, is there anything I could do? I offer a worm everyday, and if he doesn't eat it after 30 minutes I just take it out. He's eating about every three days this way.

I use a pair of blunt tipped forceps and dangle the worm in front of him. I also have 10” long forceps used for transferring them. He’ll eat it if he is hungry. You don’t have to try to feed him everyday. I usually feed mine twice a week, but one or two eat every 10-14 days. They tend to burrow for periods of time, one to two weeks is not uncommon, so if you do not see him for a while, don't worry. He will gain weight over time by feeding twice a week.

I use 10" tongs to feed mine. It's better than losing a finger!

Thrashing is awesome. I love it. One time my big tiger flung a pinkie mouse all the way across the tank. It thunked the wall. lol

I agree with Richard. He just morphed, and that takes a lot of reserves. I would try to get him to eat in the tank, rather than removing him for feeding.

Thank you all for the help you've given me! I thought you guys might like an update.

Henry is doing better than ever and has reached a healthier weight. I ordered 200 worms online and dumped them into his enclosure for him to 'hunt'. I have found no dead ones, so I assume they are all living. I've dug him up twice since I last posted for check ups, and have fed him worms both times, just to make sure. The first time I took him out he ate several, and the second time only one. That, coupled with the weight gain, make me believe he is doing just fine.

He very rarely surfaces, but I believe he hides in his log when he does come up and I just don't see him. He has a tunnel system.

I included some photos for fun~

Also, I thought I should add that my friend's salamander died. She would not take my advice on moving her out of the aquarium and into a dirt enclosure. She even called the man we bought them from and he advised to keep them in aquariums, but I wouldn't trust a mall vendor. She was very upset, so I didn't mention anything about her salamander not being in the correct environment.

Yes, he is a tiger salamander.
I've heard Spaghum Moss isn't an ideal substrate for these guys(acidic or disease transferred to humans, I've heard both) I would change it to coconut fiber(Eco Earth) and maybe a mix with 100% Organic Top Soil(no pesticides or peat moss, etc) or just coco-fiber, Give at least 4 inches of the coco fiber for burrowing, provide hides, Feed worms or others, Live food though(unless a pinkie mouse every few months i don't advice it though), Make sure he has a water dish of dechlorinated water(keep it clean and about an inch in depth). I clean mine every other day. A secure lid, If Handling only when its ABSOLUTELY necessary, if you have to put dechlorinated tap water on your hands first and wash them before that. I Feed with tongs but hand feeding works too. Yeah, don't take advice from the mall guy you bought him from, they are inexperienced don't know much about what their selling.

I also have a tiger named Henry. Ha! Good luck with him!

Glad he's doing well! Thanks for the update!