Last night, i noticed my 7 year old tiger salamander dragging his hind feet for the first time ever. He was interested in me and he did eat a cricket no problem, but his legs were just dragging the ground as he moved around the enclosure. Today when i got home, i noticed this same behavior and that the legs looked to be a bit swollen. I picked him up and looked for any stuck shed around these legs, but couldn't find anything too significant (there were a few small pieces which is unusual for him).I am beginning to really worry here. He's still fairly active, but his legs just aren't working.
To give you some background:
I keep him in a 30 x 12" tank with coconut fiber changed every 4 months or so. I feed flukers freeze dried crickets which i dust every other week. He has a full bowl of water big enough to completely submerge himself which i change every few days or whenever he gets it dirty. No light on this tank. No heating or cooling equipment so he stays at room temperature which is around 73 Fahrenheit. I mist him about once a day (all water is dechlorinated).
I have to say that i have noticed that he is not quite as exuberantly interested in his food the past few weeks. I also noticed that about a month ago, he had a black spot on his tail. I was hoping that it was either stuck poop or shed. After dabbing it with 100% Neosporin for a week, it seemed to decline. But today when i looked at him, it was back in full force. I am thinking that this could be related to his mobility issues. I have already applied the Neosporin which makes the actual "scab" (or whatever it actually is) harder to see.
Please i am looking for help. I have been frantically searching old threads and i am getting very worried. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
To give you some background:
I keep him in a 30 x 12" tank with coconut fiber changed every 4 months or so. I feed flukers freeze dried crickets which i dust every other week. He has a full bowl of water big enough to completely submerge himself which i change every few days or whenever he gets it dirty. No light on this tank. No heating or cooling equipment so he stays at room temperature which is around 73 Fahrenheit. I mist him about once a day (all water is dechlorinated).
I have to say that i have noticed that he is not quite as exuberantly interested in his food the past few weeks. I also noticed that about a month ago, he had a black spot on his tail. I was hoping that it was either stuck poop or shed. After dabbing it with 100% Neosporin for a week, it seemed to decline. But today when i looked at him, it was back in full force. I am thinking that this could be related to his mobility issues. I have already applied the Neosporin which makes the actual "scab" (or whatever it actually is) harder to see.
Please i am looking for help. I have been frantically searching old threads and i am getting very worried. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
