HELP!!! MOLD/Fungus in salamander habbitat

[asally101]

Hello! I would like to get some advice on how to take care of my salamander. I bought it a few weeks ago and it has been doing fine until I changed the soil and the moss. I noticed today when I came home from school that there was mold growing on the moss but not on the dirt. I used beaked moss from petco and the soil was sold in a brick shaped form. The salamander, Sally is 3 months old, less than 2 inches.

I spoke with the guy and he gave me advice on how to take care of the problem temporarily. but when I got off the phone, I realized that I did not have an extra glass container to put my salamander in. So I had to reuse the same one. I knew it would be infected with mold, so I read something online to boil the container to get rid of the bacteria. Once I did that, I took a moist paper towl and dry moss and the sally seemed happier, she went underneath the moss. I would have used dirt but I didnt want to do anything until I went to the petshop and got the right materials.

I think this happened because my soil was already wet and i sprayed water on the moss and it got too moist!!! :errr: I had to use a paper towel bc I didnt have an extra clean sponge. This happend about 10pm and all the stores are closed. Sally ate on Sunday, I tried to feed it tonight but didnt pay any attention to the earthworm. Hopefully sally will make it! Thanks for the help

 

[MRIGUY]

The mold is a normal part of the terratium aging process and will not harm your salimander. It is the same thing you see in an aquarium when the Ammonia, Notrites, and Nitrates rise before normalizing once the tank is cycled. If it bothers you it an be wiped off to a certain degree but the spores are all but impossible to remove. In a few weeks time it will simply go away. If, down the road, you add a new piece of wood or other natural mterial you may see it again but the same thing applies.

 

[JWERNER]

+1 This is true.

 

[Jennewt]

I agree, don't panic. Mold is not a big problem. Sterilizing the tank was not necessary. Set the tank back up with the coco-fiber (the "brick" stuff). Don't use the moss if it tends to get moldy. The substrate should be slightly damp, not wet. You can use other things as "hiding places" for your sal, such as branches or bark or stacked rocks.

Don't leave your sal in dry moss. If the sal dries out, that's bad news! Better to keep it on moist paper towels until you get a proper setup again.

 

[Jennewt]

One other thing... what kind of lid does your tank have? Good ventilation will help prevent mold.

 

[Mike Gent]

Dont Panic

As with other comments, the main thing is not to panic.

Quite often these things will happen within the first few weeks of setting up a new habitat (If you build an outdoor pond and fill it with normal water it will definately go cloudy and green as it hasnt had chance to build a good ECO structure. Once life has had time to become established it will gradually clear).

If you still have mold problems after the viv/terrarium has been established over a year or so then it may be worth reducing some of the moisture and get better ventilation. But for now, DONT PANIC.

One of the main things to bear in mind is the stress that the animal would suffer if you continue to fuss over it. Allow it (And the enclosure) to settle down and with time both the animal and the habitat will become established and comfortable.

Good luck...and try not to worry.

Mike