Hi everyone,
I inherited a tiger salamander about a year ago an am having some problems.
I have already dug through old posts on similar topics but would appreciate some more advice.
The immediate problem is that my salamander stopped eating about two weeks ago and has drastically lost weight. I'm worried that he may starve to death. I believe he could be impacted from swallowing substrate/improper food. I read somewhere that refrigeration could help them pass impacted food/substrate. Does anyone have experience with this? He is currently in a small tank with just damp paper towels in my fridge, but is there anything else I can do to help him or stimulate his appetite?
Some extra background: When I inherited him, he was being kept in a mostly aquatic tank. He developed black spots and dark skin. I treated him for this, induced shedding and he seemed all better. I changed his tank set up to be more terrestrial with coconut fiber and moss. I now know the moss may be problematic, so don't worry, the tank set-up will be changed again. Also I've learned that I may have been feeding him too many meal worms as this was all his previous owner fed. I will be trying to offer him nightcrawlers instead if I can get him to eat at all.
Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!
I inherited a tiger salamander about a year ago an am having some problems.
I have already dug through old posts on similar topics but would appreciate some more advice.
The immediate problem is that my salamander stopped eating about two weeks ago and has drastically lost weight. I'm worried that he may starve to death. I believe he could be impacted from swallowing substrate/improper food. I read somewhere that refrigeration could help them pass impacted food/substrate. Does anyone have experience with this? He is currently in a small tank with just damp paper towels in my fridge, but is there anything else I can do to help him or stimulate his appetite?
Some extra background: When I inherited him, he was being kept in a mostly aquatic tank. He developed black spots and dark skin. I treated him for this, induced shedding and he seemed all better. I changed his tank set up to be more terrestrial with coconut fiber and moss. I now know the moss may be problematic, so don't worry, the tank set-up will be changed again. Also I've learned that I may have been feeding him too many meal worms as this was all his previous owner fed. I will be trying to offer him nightcrawlers instead if I can get him to eat at all.
Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!