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Illness/Sickness: What's wrong with my new tiger salamander???

AsiaNicole

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Hi,

I am very new to this so please help me out!

I just got a tiger salamander yesterday and I'm worried about him. He's pretty small/thin but that might just be because he's young, I'm not sure. But when he (attempts to) walk around the tank, it's like he can't even gather enough strength to do so. His arms/legs move but he can't even push his body forward. So most of the time he just lays there, and he looks lifeless =/. I moved him from his hide out into the open (after washing my hands & spraying them with his water) and I tried to feed him a nightcrawler but it just seems to freak him out and he tried to get away...

So I'm not sure what to do. His tank is a 20 gallon long and it has between 4-6 inches of damp eco earth and a small layer of sphagnum moss (that I soaked and rinsed multiple times with safe water) on the top. And he has 2 hides on either side of the tank, and a shallow water bowl in the middle. I'm pretty sure his tank is fine so it might be the place I got him from, but what should I do now? And what do you guys think is wrong with him?

-Asia
 

michael

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Do you have a picture of it? I'd go back where I purchased it and ask for a refund. Usually tiger salamanders are robust.
 

AsiaNicole

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Sadly, he passed away :(. I'm really sad... but I now know to be extremely careful about where I buy animals from in the future. I've wanted a salamander for years and for my first one turn out like this is extremely disappointing.
 

lotty

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Hi, Sorry for the loss of your first sal. Take it back and get a refund. Dont let this episode dishearten you. Take it as a learning curve and look for another one, but from a breeder. You will find posts in this forum about pet shop bought are captured from the wild and are not looked after at all. They are stored in the shops and are stressed out and do not eat.
 

michael

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Sadly, he passed away :(. I'm really sad... but I now know to be extremely careful about where I buy animals from in the future. I've wanted a salamander for years and for my first one turn out like this is extremely disappointing.

Where did you purchase it?
 

Emily83

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So sorry for your loss, I hope you don't blame yourself. This sounds like an unfortunate circumstance and possibly an irresponsible pet store.
 

AsiaNicole

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I got him from a reptile store in east Michigan. They had about 5-6 tiger salamanders in this small 10-gallon tank, so idk if that had anything to do with it. But the place actually let me come get a new one for free and he is doing a lot better than the first one. I think the first one was just sick or something. It still sucks but I'm glad my new one is doing well :)
 
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