Bloated Fire Salamanders?

[grapeape]

I have two young fire salamanders and they appear to be bloated. They are healthy and eating well. They are active every night. Here are some pictures of them and their enclosure.

 

[Jennewt]

I am not convinced that they are bloated. Perhaps just very well fed.

 

[grapeape]

Oh that's good news. The one with the red blotching is fatter and his mid section bulges out. I Tried giving them a salt bath but took them out after about a minute of watching them panic and try to get out, I felt bad for them

 

[JoshBA]

I notice you're keeping them on pine needles and wood from a pine tree. I would think that the oils (gives them the scent) from the pine needles as well as the acidity (that keeps plants from growing under pine trees) would be harmful to most salamanders. Take a look at the Caudata Culture safe wood article. So, if the salamanders are in fact bloated, it could be because of the acidity of the pine needles causing the salamanders to release ions and electrolytes.

 

[grapeape]

Ill checkout the article and change the leaf litter right now. I noticed the problem before I changed their tank to this setup though.

 

[JoshBA]

Yeah instead of pine needles just dead leaves (from deciduous trees) would work very well as a ground cover.

 

[tekishi13]

What does a salt bath do??