Behavior of the day

Okay I got a Barred Tiger Salamander, named Sally. She has such a character. She loves to have her back stroked, climbs into my hand when ever I put my hand in to take out her water bowl, she also loves to climb on top of her hideout.
This is where you can post your salamander's behavior that you want to share.

I could watch my Tigers all day, they are so cute. When I bring the cricket tank over to feed them they both come over and stand up against the glass waiting. They like to sit on top of their log and fake rock. They also like to rub their faces together and they sit next to eachother a lot. The smaller one (Otis) always burrows while the bigger one (Milo) is always out in the open or under the log. Otis likes to sit on top of Milo alot too. When I take them out they just sit in my hand. People think I am crazy because I have pet salamanders but they are so much fun and they are adorable.

People think that I am crazy to think that my salamander is cute, I even got picked on for a while, I was the only one out of the whole entire school to have a pet salamander. they said that girls should not be interestedin salamanders. My salamander's name is Sally, she has such character, I have to have her in my room. I plan to sometime find her a buddy; hopefully they will get along.

i think that milo and otis are the cutest names. its my fave movie.
I had a newt, Perri, that would just crawl into my hand from the water. it was cute. unfourtunatley she died last wk. due 2 infection :angel:

BarTigerSal -- I just wanted to chime in to say that you're not alone in having been picked on for being a female who's into herps. I'm sure all of us ladies have been there at some time or another. (My ultimate moment was a 13 year old boy with a brand new pet anaconda lecturing me on what species it was. Yeah. Somehow, I doubt he or his parents had a long-term plan for that snake's housing. I was ~23 at the time. I don't quite know which was more annoying: being lectured by an adolescent I didn't even know, or being the target of a lecture because he assumed that, as I woman, I couldn't possibly know anything about snakes.) Sorry. Off topic, I know, but I just had to add it. I know not all y'all male caudata members make assumptions about the ladies.

My favorite salamander behaviour: Artie, one of my axolotls, has taken to sitting in the foodbowl for hours. I worry a little about food aggression, but he's as likely to do this when the bowl's empty as when it's full; he comes and goes throughout the day, but he'll sit there for an hour or so at a time.

Now that is cute, what I consider strange about my salamander is this, she is so attached to me, she has to be held every day or she will becoame depressed, she will literally sit in the corner of the enclosure that is closest to my bed and sit there for hours until I give her attention, she even refuses food until I do. People just think that I am wierd, especially when I tell them that reptiles and amphibians have character. I plan to buy another salamander, maybe a axie or another tiger. I also want to buy a pet snake; but my mom will not let me get a snake so I am stuck with salamanders.

BarTigerSal said:

Now that is cute, what I consider strange about my salamander is this, she is so attached to me, she has to be held every day or she will becoame depressed, she will literally sit in the corner of the enclosure that is closest to my bed and sit there for hours until I give her attention

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I don't want to come off as callous, as I care a lot about the Caudates I keep, but this is really anthropomorphism. Salamanders don't really get "depressed" and by nature are lethargic and tend to stay in one spot. Most likely, your salamander recognizes you as it's source of food, and so like most tiger salamanders follows you around when you enter the room, begging for more food.

Additionally, handling salamanders should be done as infrequently as possible and only when necessary, as there are many oils, etc. in our skin that can cause them harm. They are more of a "look, but don't touch" kind of pet.

I'm glad to hear you really enjoy your salamander, and I wish I knew some girls who like them as much as you do!

That's no joke! I've been hand feeding my axolotls snacks here and there (mostly to make sure Max is eating, since they're recovering from an unfortunate ammonia spike), and after the third feeding, Artie (the piggie one) was already super psyched about hands-in-tank. Now, when I reach in to syphon water or adjust a plant, he gets all excited and swimmy and gulps water around my finger tips, even though my freshly-washed hands do not smell like food. It would probably bother me more if they had proper teeth. (I just wish I could get Max to be as enthusiastic about food.)

well I do not handle her all the time, but when I do I am wearing wet, non-latex gloves, to avoid damaging her skin. And I do believe that salamanders become attatched to their owners after a certain amount of time.