Hello!!!! New here

[Malvinsmommy]

Hi im Zoie, and this is Melvin, my southern two lined water salamander!!!! And my user name is supposed to be Melvinsmommy, but, it got messed up, but this is Melvin

that is him when I first got him and this is him now, and he just shed his tail!!!!

but I just thought I would introduce myself, and Melvin

 

[Jacquie]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Kaysie]

Are you sure it's a southern two-lined salamander? These are indistinguishable from northerns except by locality.

And salamanders don't 'shed their tails'. Something caused it to drop tail: stress, injury, handling. It isn't normal for them to lose their tail.

 

[ferret_corner]

HI & Welcome! I'm sorry about your newts tail..

 

[Malvinsmommy]

Thank You
Oh and I've never picked him up by his tail , there's nothing in his tank that he could have got caught under. I cant remember where, but it said salamanders shed their tails, I couldn't think of what else it could have been from. But what else could it have been from?
Oh and I did mean northern sorry for the mix up

 

[Azhael]

They shed their tails as a defensive meassure against predators, just like some lizards.
As Kaysie said, something caused the drop of the tail...stress, injury...

 

[ferret_corner]

OK I found this site http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/deptmpl.asp?url=/content/dep/herps/Newts.asp which makes it sound like sals can shed their tails at will....

I also found this site http://www.asknature.org/strategy/09349a8a2dd3a9a86e9bd7c004ec010e which makes it clear a salamander "sheds" its tail for the sole purpose of escaping a predator.

and just about every other site debates the ease with which a salamander can shed its tail and to the completeness it can regenerate one.

But most say the same thing - a predator has to threaten the salamander for the tail to fall off. It didn't just drop off because the salamander didn't want it any more.

Some thing scared it and the tail fell off or it had an injury and it rotted off.

None of those sites are what I would call definitive and for most I did not see the author site where they had gotten their information. But THIS SITE will have the definitive answer. And if one of the experts steps up to answer - I'll take their word over every site on the 'net - practically!

 

[Malvinsmommy]

ok thanx for the sites, but yea, cuz thats all it could be, unless,before i got him sumin happened, but just now fell off?? maybe:s

 

[Malvinsmommy]

I think I know what has been happening. I was looking for him in his tank, and I discovered a giant pincher beetle, and Melvin's tail was shorter today, so iI think it was recently shortened by the bug,, but I killed the bug, and now Melvin is safe. I'm glad I caught it or, I might have eventually lost Melvin, but problem solved!!!