Tiger Doesn't Look Right

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sammy4tbts

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Hi,

My Barred Tiger is not looking right. He is a darker color all over, not his pretty green & black bars, and he also looks kinda wrinkly. He's been burrowed for a few days and came out this evening looking this way.:eek:

HELP! What could be wrong?:(
 
Color changes are not something, in general to be alarmed about. My observation has been with Eastern tigers that the older they become, their coloration changes. I have seen bright yellow spots change to olive color spots and then progress over a number of years to basically an all over olive coloration with a few dark narrow bands/spots.

I'm unsure of what 'wrinkly' means. Tigers have costal gooves on their sides which can appear 'wrinkly' and is normal.
 
I agree with Jan. Color change doesn't normally indicate an issue- and if he came out ready to feed, all is well.
 
Wrinkly is usually a sign of dehydration. How moist do you keep the tank?
 
Any chance for a picture? This may help identify any potential issues, including dehydration as suggested by Kaysie.
 
Sammy in only about four years old. He's always had bright coloration and smooth skin. Last evening when he emerged, his color was gone, very dark all over and wrinkly, like maybe dehydrated. The tank is moist and he hasn't gotten into his water dish. This is not a normal color or situation, he usually hangs out in his dish a lot when not burrowed.

This morning, he's in the same spot as last night, but he has turned around. I haven't tried to feed him yet today.

Unfortunately, I don't have a digital camera.
 
Sammy is definitely sick/dying. I just dribbled water on him and he barely moved. I moved things around in the tank and he didn't even move. Usually he would quickly try to get out of the way if I stirred things up in his tank. Now he's barely moving at all.

I don't think there is anything I can do for him. :(

Nobody here has had this happen?
 
The lethargy does seem to indicate a problem, and could be indicative of a wide variety of pathogens- bacterial, fungal, viral. Perhaps some salt baths are in order. If you are concerned about his caloric intake, ARS or Pedialyte (unflavored) baths will help get some calories into him.

http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/illness.shtml
 
Jason, thank you. I looked at the link and its in grams/liters. Dumb me doesn't know the metric system. Can you explain further? I use natural mineral salt ("Real Salt" brand) that comes from the Great Salt Lake. Is that ok?

I don't see any fungus on Sammy, just the very dark color. He didn't want the cricket I offered him and he barely responds when I tap on the glass.

If I can't help him, how long does it take for a salamander to die? Do they suffer?

Info on "Real Salt":
http://www.realsalt.com/
 
You're welcome.

A quick conversion = 1 Tbsp is 14.3 grams, so 6 grams is .42 Tbsp.

1 Liter = 33.8 fluid ounces = 4.225 cups

That should get you started- good luck!
 
Thanks again, Jason. Sorry I need more clarification. I looked at all the illnesses listed and nothing seems to match Sammy's condition, but I'm willing to try the salt water bath.

How deep should the water be? The article mentioned a few different time periods. Should I go with the 10-15 minute period?

This reminds me of the goldfish I had as a child. Had it for a very long time and when I'd find him floating, I'd put him in the bathroom sink and sprinkle salt on him. Don't remember where I got the idea, but it always brought it back to life.

Sadder story, also as a child, I had a chameleon who escaped and was later found dried up under my bed.
 
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