Fire salamander losing its' colour and looking dry and dirty

[ViRus23]

Hi guys my fire salamander looks dry, dirty and faded, its' tank is moist, it eats, it's moving, but it is looking like it's about to shed skin or something.. it's been more than a week and it looks like it's getting worse... what should I do?

 

[frank beard]

I had a similar experience with ~9 fire salamanders and every single one of them got progressively worse and died. Ultimately they got very dry and very dirty looking. They did eat right up to a day or two before dying but they were much slower and more clumsy than they had been previously. I do not know what caused it but I have heard various ideas including Vitamin A deficiencies, exposure to waste and chytrid.

 

[ViRus23]

Is there anything I can try?.. I want to save him

 

[frogenjoyer]

Is there anything I can try?.. I want to save him

The same thing happened to me with marbled newts. I would take them to an exotics vet ASAP or see some of the treatment guides for sick newts on this website. What kind of setup are they in? Is there anything that could be causing an infection?

 

[frank beard]

Is there anything I can try?.. I want to save him

It would depend on which of the causes (and it could be other things). If it is chytrid there are treatments.

 

[ViRus23]

He is brand new!!! I let him soak in rosemary tea + 1 drop of betadine over night, he was finally able to shed skin. I've never thought I'd be proud of this little guy, he's a warrior!!!

 

[frogenjoyer]

He is brand new!!! I let him soak in rosemary tea + 1 drop of betadine over night, he was finally able to shed skin. I've never thought I'd be proud of this little guy, he's a warrior!!!

everywhere there are cathedrals for those with eyes to see. may you and this beautiful salamander remain healthy and happy.

 

[Creekratt]

He is brand new!!! I let him soak in rosemary tea + 1 drop of betadine over night, he was finally able to shed skin. I've never thought I'd be proud of this little guy, he's a warrior!!!

Could you keep us updated on his progress?? I keep fires and have never heard of this before and am very curious to see how he will be doing a few weeks down the road.

 

[ViRus23]

Could you keep us updated on his progress?? I keep fires and have never heard of this before and am very curious to see how he will be doing a few weeks down the road.

Update: he eats, he is active as usual, his skin is looking shiny, but I still put a drop of betadine in his water bowl when i change it, he doesn't notice it, as he takes baths without noticing

 

[frank beard]

Can you describe how you made the rosemary tea? Also what is the approximate volume of water you are putting the drop of betadine in?

 

[ViRus23]

Can you describe how you made the rosemary tea? Also what is the approximate volume of water you are putting the drop of betadine in?

You just infuse dried rosemary, you find it in every naturist pharmacy or supermarket, you leave it 10-15 mins and then you wait for the concoction to get very cold, maybe store it in fridge for about an hour, also I added 1 drop of betadine in about 250-300 ml of water, it's important to notice that betadine doesn't affect salamamder skin in any way, as it got into it's recipient willingly,if you have any concerns, add a drop of betadine and water mix to its' tail and see how it reacts to it, if it doesn't react, fill the quarantine tank with that mixture, add your sick salamander in and let it sink for about 12-24 hrs, make sure you don't add too much, as it will drown, just enough to make it float a bit, add a rock that he can climb in case he wants to, if possible, add drops of water on places where the water can't reach, like its' head, try not to put it into its' eyes

 

[frank beard]

Thanks, can you provide information about the amount of dried rosemary and the volume of water you added it to?