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Fading Ambystoma opacum - is this normal?

igor

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Mar 12, 2012
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Winchester, VA
Hi everyone, I have seven adult salamanders (three spotted salamanders, two Jeffersons, and two marbled). We found a young female marbled, Inga, back in March. This is from the day we found her; you can tell her pattern is still "growing in":

igor-albums-my-salamanders-picture23071-babyinga1.jpg


As time went on, she developed a lovely silver marbling:

igor-albums-my-salamanders-picture23073-babyinga3.jpg


igor-albums-my-salamanders-picture23074-babyinga4.jpg


Showing off with her friends Chip (young adult male spotted salamander) and Igor (adult female Jefferson salamander)

In the last month, however, we've noticed that her pattern has faded a great deal. Her behavior is fine: she's alert and eats, though her appetite isn't quite at the level it was in March/April/May, when it was colder in the house. Our other marbled salamander, an adult female, has not faded, and we aren't sure why Inga is. The pictures tell the story:

igor-albums-my-salamanders-picture23076-babyinga6.jpg


igor-albums-my-salamanders-picture23075-babyinga5.jpg


igor-albums-my-salamanders-picture23077-babyinga7.jpg


Does anyone know what is going on here and if this is normal?

Thanks in advance for your input!
 

stanleyc

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Apr 9, 2009
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I'm not completely sure, but if he/she looks healthy otherwise and is eating well, it should be fine. But, although I'm not familiar with Ambystoma species, it's usually a bad idea to keep different species together in the same enclosure, so I'd try to get separate enclosures for them, unless you were only putting them together for the photo.
 
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