Question: Can you mix A. Tigrinium and A. M. Mavortium in a vivarium.

[madeve]

I have made a forum search and noticed that a few people have kept those species together. I know that the odds of them breeding in an indoor vivarium are slim to none.

I wanted to know how well this mix has worked for other.

Also with proper quarantine, tank size and given the animals are close in size if this would work and if the animals could thrive or if it would just stress them.

 

[oregon newt]

I wouldn't do it. Tigers can get large enough that I would expect a spotted salamander could be attacked or eaten.

 

[madeve]

Those are both types of tiger salamanders: A. Tigrinium is the eastern tiger salamander and A. M. Mavortium is the barred tiger salamander.

Spotted salamanders are A. Maculatum.

 

[oregon newt]

Whoops! I guess I read it to fast. To be honest, I'm not sure about housing Barreds and Easterns.

 

[John]

I think this is more an issue of geographic separation and therefore pathogens/parasites. In and of themselves, these two species can be housed together.

 

[caudatadude28]

I wonder with all the transporting and relocating of tigers via fishermen, petrade, and other people if A. Tigrinum and A. Mavortium occur in the same area in some places now?

 

[kwksand]

They occur together in more than a few places. In California and Arizona, introduced eastern tiger salamanders are hybridizing with native subspecies, and depleting the populations of their original genetic diversity.

 

[Neotenic_Jaymes]

I've kept A. Tigrinum and A. Mavortium together before. I ended up seperating the different species because of how aggressively different they were. I don't know if this is a genereal thing but my A. Tigrinum were alot more aggressive than A. Mavortium. The more aggressive salamanders reacted faster to live food movement, so they ended up eating more and growing alot faster. I found myself literally hand feeding the less aggressive A. Mavotium, which took alot of time. Never has my A. Mavortium ever bit my finger, they get spooked and dunk low when they see me or notice me reach in the tank. My A. Tigrinum have oftenly bit my finger or hand thinking it was food when I would reach for the water bowl. Eventfully I seperated the 2 species and everything works out alot better for the salamanders. So you can mix them together but personally I'd rather not.

 

[madeve]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I hope to hear from other members who have attempted to keep the two species together and see if they had a similar experience.
My A. Tigrinium are not aggressive at all, I've let my 2 year old feed them and hold them a few times. They have never tried to take a nip at me but it may be because I used feeder tongs to feed them, they will however take a nip at the tongs even if there is no food.

I've kept A. Tigrinum and A. Mavortium together before. I ended up seperating the different species because of how aggressively different they were. I don't know if this is a genereal thing but my A. Tigrinum were alot more aggressive than A. Mavortium. The more aggressive salamanders reacted faster to live food movement, so they ended up eating more and growing alot faster. I found myself literally hand feeding the less aggressive A. Mavotium, which took alot of time. Never has my A. Mavortium ever bit my finger, they get spooked and dunk low when they see me or notice me reach in the tank. My A. Tigrinum have oftenly bit my finger or hand thinking it was food when I would reach for the water bowl. Eventfully I seperated the 2 species and everything works out alot better for the salamanders. So you can mix them together but personally I'd rather not.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

I wonder with all the transporting and relocating of tigers via fishermen, pet trade, and other people if A. tigrinum and A. mavortium occur in the same area in some places now?

There have been reports of introduced A. tigrinum adversely affecting populations of A. mavortum, A. texanum, A. laterale and triploid hybrids. Turns out larval survival rates drop on the other species quite drastically due to hungry A. t. tigrinum. (Wilbur 1972) according to Petranka.

Interestingly enough however, here in Nebraska, the A. mavortum sold as bait have been blamed in part for the believed extinction of A. t. tigrinum and the reduction of A. texanum in the eastern part of the state. (Although I have not been able to provide substantiated personal proof of any of them being around here...)

I am planning a trip to the bait shops here that carry them to get a positive identity on which species is actually being used for bait here.