Do I have a Tiger Salamander?

M

mathew

Guest
I recently bought a salamander from a local pet store it wasn't being kept in the right conditions, they were feeding it fish! and keeping it in a tank more suitable for frogs, (nothing to dig). I bought it as soon as I saw it, but after reading in the forum I realised that maybe its illegal to own it....(I live in Australia)
Basically I will post some pictures as soon as I can. Although I am pretty sure that it is a tiger salamander, I would like to check it isn't a metamorphosed axolotl.
 
73116.jpg


73117.jpg
I don't usualy handle him/her I just did for this one picture, so I wasn't trying to be cruel! Oh and this is the old tank, in the new tank she/he's on the coconut fibre with some hidey holes no water except for a very shallow plastic lid, filled with water.

(Message edited by adomielas on November 09, 2006)

(Message edited by Ed on November 13, 2006)
 
It looks like a tiger to me, but is a very interesting color, one that I have never seen. This could just be that it is freshly morphed and has yet to get it's adult coloration.
 
I will be moving this later..

It is a metamorphed axolotl. Some populations of axolotls are descended from a hybrid with a tiger salamander and if it is descended from that line then the pattern could be in part due to the tiger salamander genes.

There will probably be significant health issues with it in the coming months as without hormone therapy it will be unable to shed its skin.

Ed
 
What hormones do I need and are they readily available?
 
Just for the record....
My morphed axie is the healthiest, most bulletproof salamander i have. Never had any problems with it in almost two years.
 
Hi Mike,

I can look for the references but in short thyroxine is required for the proper development of adult skin from larval skin (normal skin in an axolotl) as well as the proper renewal and replacent of that skin.

As A. tigrinum was crossed into the research
axolotl population there maybe some metamorphs that do well but in general without thyroxine injections the long term prognosis is poor.

Ed
 
I was guessing that axolotls that are induced to transform have more problems than ones that transform without being forced to transform.
 
Hi Michael,

True spontaneous transformations would indicate that there is some form of exposure to thyroxine (hence my comment above about the transgenic work with A. tigrinum) which may be sufficient to sustain the axolotl for a significant period of time.

Ed
 
Andy, did you hatch this one yourself, or did you get it as a juvenile?
 
So ok its an Axolotl(sorta) Um any suggestions for names?
I'm not so good at giving my pets names.....
 
Alfredo/a Goldust.

The big grin strikes me as an Alfredo (or Alfreda), and the last is self-explanatory.

He's a beauty!
 
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