HELP!!! something wrong with tiger's eye

[RLHam3]

Hey everybody. I have an 8 in tiger salamander in a 10 gal with a coconut fiber substrate. He is fed mainly crickets and kept at around 100% humidity at all times. He has a water dish that he can fully submerse himself in.

Today I noticed that my tiger salamander's left eye has a whitish colored something covering it. I checked it out and it looks like something hardened over it. I'm not sure exactly what it is though. I think it might either be stuck shed, an injury (i don't know where he would have got this from), or maybe even something stuck on the outside of his eye? I didn't want to hurt him, so I didn't mess with his eye. I'm really worried because I have no idea what to do and this is my first amphibian!

I'll try to post pics as soon as possible.

 

[Jennewt]

I've been through two incidents involving tiger salamanders and a bad eye. I blame it on mealworms (I was not in charge of their feeding when the problems arose), but it could have been other causes. I would recommend moving the sal to a quarantine setup: a plastic tub with holes and a layer of damp paper toweling and a hide of some kind.

Is taking it to a vet an option? If not, there's probably not much you can do but to keep the animal on paper towels and see how it goes.

 

[Jan]

As Jen says, I would place the animal in a hospital set-up and if you have the means and access, I would take it to an exotic vet.

I have seen tigers with cloudy eyes due to injury and infection. Conjunctivitis (eye infection) appears like what you are describing and can be treated with sterile topical ophthalmic antibiotics but must be prescribed by a vet.

Two other thoughts come to mind. Are you using a UV light or is the enclosure in direct sun light? Diffuse corneal opacity has been suspected to be associated with use of UV emitting lights in some amphibians.

You state that the humidity is at 100%. Is the tank well ventilated, i.e. is the top a wire mesh lid? Overly moist conditions and stagnant air can lead to skin and other infections. Humidity is not that important. Good ventilation and keeping the substrate moist, not wet, is important.

It probably wouldn't be helpful, but if it were my animal, I might try to flush the affected eye with ophthalmic normal saline drops without preservatives. Best bet is to visit a vet for a proper diagnosis.