too many crickets?

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confucious

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I know very little about what I am doing. It took me awhile to even figure out what the poor thing was called as I thought my step son had called it a "baby dragon" and that was what I was googling. hahaha! Come to find out it's a "baby dinosaur". And from what I have read I guess it's a tiger salamander.

This poor thing has been so neglected and I am surprised it even survived. They must be pretty tough.

My 17 year old step son got the salamander over a year ago. Then it's been living in the garage for most of that time. And now I feel rather bad when I read about how to care for them. You might read this and think "why in the world did they even let him get it?". To be honest, I think we wondered that more than a dozen times.

It survived the hot summer. Then it survived the cold winter, although, it went into hibernation once and my husband thought it was dead. Then he forgot to remove him and came back the next day and it was alive. It was pretty cold out so I am sure that it was hibernating.

We have had some very nice weather lately.

Every once in awhile I feel sorry for it, add the water, and throw in some pellets. But last night it dawned on me that I never see it eat the pellets, ever. And it looked a little thin, maybe. I don't know what a fat salamander is supposed to look like. Possibly it's been living off an ocassional bug that has wandered in there. It has a wire mesh lid on the tank though. I was on a mission today to buy some crickets. And well....the crickets are history. I am little surprised it could move that fast.

I think the sphagnum that is in there is sufficient for now. And besides it being in the garage in extreme tempratures, it's been thriving. We can change the temperature situation by bringing it in when it's cold or too warm.

My main question is this:

Since it may or may not have been eating the pellets. And since it's not ever had crickets before. And since it's not used to probably eating much. Is it going to react to over eating since it could have been starving? Will it eating too many crickets kill it?
 
How many is too many? I read that the crickets can bite it.
 
I have never seen my tigers over eat, just put ten large crickets in its tank at a time and whatever he doesnt eat after a couple of hours i would take out and try again the next day because you dont want the crickets to start chewing on him or you can add a small carrot to keep the crickets busy. If you want to keep him in a better place I would put him in a sweaterbox with some moist topsoil and a water bowl with some hiding places and put the box under your bed.
 
When you say sweaterbox, do you mean the plastic tubs with a lid?

Thank you for your help.
 
confucious said:
When you say sweaterbox, do you mean the plastic tubs with a lid?

Thank you for your help.
Click to expand...

Yes, I think he does.

I keep mine in my backroom (alongside numerous other tanks) in a 15 gallon glass aquarium. I use a mix of sphagnum moss, soaked dead leaves, and some sticks and such as substrate. He has a water dish that he soaks in nightly,and a corkbark pile on the side that he has created a burrow from the entrance of the pile , under the water dish, and out a secret "back door". He readily eats 10-12 crickets in a 2 day span. He also loves large earthworms, waxworms (occassionally, though..too fatty!), and decapitated "superworms", which are giant meal worms. He has been exposed to wintering temps for a few years and always comes out vibrant, and hungry!

I hope this will help you see how much fun to observe these creatures are. The personality shines sooo bright when they learn "YOU" are feeding them! I hope you enjoy it for years to come (life expectancy: 15-20+ years!)!

-jbherpin_
 
You'll need to dust the crickets with a calcium suplement with added vitamin D3.
 
confucious said:
I know very little about what I am doing. It took me awhile to even figure out what the poor thing was called as I thought my step son had called it a "baby dragon" and that was what I was googling. hahaha! Come to find out it's a "baby dinosaur". And from what I have read I guess it's a tiger salamander.

This poor thing has been so neglected and I am surprised it even survived. They must be pretty tough.

My 17 year old step son got the salamander over a year ago. Then it's been living in the garage for most of that time. And now I feel rather bad when I read about how to care for them. You might read this and think "why in the world did they even let him get it?". To be honest, I think we wondered that more than a dozen times.

It survived the hot summer. Then it survived the cold winter, although, it went into hibernation once and my husband thought it was dead. Then he forgot to remove him and came back the next day and it was alive. It was pretty cold out so I am sure that it was hibernating.

We have had some very nice weather lately.

Every once in awhile I feel sorry for it, add the water, and throw in some pellets. But last night it dawned on me that I never see it eat the pellets, ever. And it looked a little thin, maybe. I don't know what a fat salamander is supposed to look like. Possibly it's been living off an ocassional bug that has wandered in there. It has a wire mesh lid on the tank though. I was on a mission today to buy some crickets. And well....the crickets are history. I am little surprised it could move that fast.

I think the sphagnum that is in there is sufficient for now. And besides it being in the garage in extreme tempratures, it's been thriving. We can change the temperature situation by bringing it in when it's cold or too warm.

My main question is this:

Since it may or may not have been eating the pellets. And since it's not ever had crickets before. And since it's not used to probably eating much. Is it going to react to over eating since it could have been starving? Will it eating too many crickets kill it?
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome to the forum. Let's start here: http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Ambystoma/A_tigrinum.shtml

Please read this caresheet as it will offer many answers to care questions that you may have. Regarding the crickets....I would go slowly. The animal is in an apparent state of starvation - I would feed 2-3 large crickets every other day and monitor the situation. If he is feeding well, then increase food intake. Tigers are carnivorous predators, eat live prey and would not be attracted to pelleted food. As others have suggested, worms are a great food source and should be offered. A diet of crickets alone will require dusting with calcium/vit D3 and vitamins.

Regarding housing, a tank with a mesh lid is appropriate for 1 adult if it is 10 gallon or larger. You must have ventilation. If you go the sweater box route assure that the top has many drilled holes. A substrate of top soil mixed with coco-fiber (e.g., Bed A Beast blocks) provides adequate moisture retention - tigers must have a moist environment. If your substrate is sphagnum peat moss - I wouldn't use it as this substance can be very acidic.

Regarding temperatures - anything between 60 and 72F is optimal. Tigers can tolerate lower temps, but higher temps for extended times can be fatal in a captive animal. In nature they can escape the heat by burrowing deeply. Tigers do not hibernate.

Are they tough little creatures - yes. But improper care will lead to morbidity and eventual mortality.
With proper care they can have a long and healthy life....and can be quite entertaining. Someone (Kaysie?) once described them as 'slimy puppies'....once they become accustomed to people (especially when hand fed).....they can 'beg' for food worse than any dog.

Thanks for asking the questions and joining the forum....you've come to the right place for answers. Good luck.
 
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