LyeLovesHerps
New member
Today I preformed a routine water change on my community of 4 Psuedotriton Ruber salamanders. I did everything exactly as usual. The water has a pH of 8, is chlorine free, and was cool and clear. There was nothing noticeably different about it, yet when I returned from eating diner all but one salamander was dead. The surviving animal I found nearly dried out on the floor after it apparently escaped the enclosure. I was quite surprised to see it as the tank is glass, has nothing to climb on, and has a heavy lid. It's pretty amazing that it got out. I have had these salamanders for quite a while and none of them have ever once escaped, so I have to believe that it was associated with whatever was wrong. The other salamanders I found laying on their backs in the water, very dead. I wasn't away for very long, so whatever caused this killed them in less than an hour. I tested the water multiple times with aquarium test strips, but everything appears to be normal. The only thing I can think of is that I live in California where there is a bad drought, so maybe something toxic was stirred up in the bottom of the reservoir. Other than that, I know of nothing else that would have caused this. If you have any ideas, I would be very grateful as I don't know what to look for. I'm concerned about getting water for my other animals as well as the safety of drinking it myself.