Is my Tiger Salamander larvae morphing?

Nute

Nute

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Here is a pic. Is he morphing? I just got him and his tank mate 2 days ago, and they ave already eaten 4 earthworms each. Also here is a pic of they're aquarium. IMAG0096.jpg IMAG0093.jpg IMAG0094.jpg :confused:
 
It doesn't seem like its morphing just yet. Some of the 1st signs of morphing is a decline in dorsal crest/top fin and bulging eyes. Then the gills start to diminish. Then toes start to compress and become less webbed and less suited for swimming. Depending on stress, water quality, temperature, and like 100 other things it can start to morph at anytime. Mostly all Tiger Salamander larvae are bound to morph in captivity. Good luck!
 
Thank you Sir. Once they start how long should it take?

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Patience, Nute. Please don't post the same questions in another part of the forum.

Metamorphosis takes a couple of weeks in total. Be sure your sals have a secure island of some kind to climb up on, and be sure the tank lid is escape-proof.

I would suggest feeding them roughly every-other day, and give them as much as they can eat in 10-15 minutes. There is no "set" amount that anyone can tell you is right, it really depends on their appetites. Remove all uneaten food promptly.
 
Ok! his gills are starting to shrink a little more everyday, and his tail fin is almost gone. He is also developing spots on his tail. Yup, he is morphing. Would anyone like me to upload pics of this in the morning when I get home?
 
That would be nice yes :happy:
 
I haven't forgot about you guys. I just had to get a new phone today because my old one bit the dust and I have working a little more here lately. Pics are coming soon!!!

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Here are the pictures i promised. Nick (Tiger Salamander in question), has almost completly lost His tail fin, and his head is more rounded. Also his eyes are poked out more. I noticed today he was a bit more difficult to feed, because his mouth has taken on a different shape, and he seems to have not adapted new mouth/eye coordinations. Well here are the pics, There will be more coming soon! I want to help others by showing a step, by step metamorphosis, since i could not find one myself. I hope this helps. Thank you all for your help as well! IMAG0001.jpg IMAG0003.jpg IMAG0122.jpg
 
Nute said:
Here are the pictures i promised. Nick (Tiger Salamander in question), has almost completly lost His tail fin, and his head is more rounded. Also his eyes are poked out more. I noticed today he was a bit more difficult to feed, because his mouth has taken on a different shape, and he seems to have not adapted new mouth/eye coordinations. Well here are the pics, There will be more coming soon! I want to help others by showing a step, by step metamorphosis, since i could not find one myself. I hope this helps. Thank you all for your help as well! View attachment 16288 View attachment 16289 View attachment 16290
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Hmm, I'm wondering if your 'he' is actually a 'she', judging from the length of the tail in that one picture it looks like Nick might actually be female. My tiger salamander is a male and his tail is about twice as long. Although I don't have a lot of experience with salamanders I I guess if yours isn't full grown then perhaps the tail may grow longer as it ages, I dunno. Guess we'll see what other more knowledgeable members have to say.
 
Lol, I honestly know nothing about sexing them at all. That was definitely something for me to think about tho. I will try to post more pictures tomorrow if I can (I've been working 7 days a week 12 hours a day, and still trying to document "Nick/Nicole's" metamorphosis). I do appreciate that. It's definitely something for me to consider. Thank you.

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Here's a picture of my handsome boy for tail comparison lol. The picture is taken by my cellphone so its not the best but its not horrible either.

But like I said before, perhaps Nick/Nicole's tail might grow as he/she ages so it might be too early to tell the gender. Though my Maynard's tail was always long compared to his body ever since I first got him. He was already morphed when I got him, though he was still growing. He was only about 8 inches when I got him and now he's about 10 to 12 inches, I haven' t measured him officially however.
 

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He is absolutely gorgeous! I would have never thought his tail could be that long. How old is he btw? Also I took more pictures today on my way out the door.

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Nute said:
He is absolutely gorgeous! I would have never thought his tail could be that long. How old is he btw? Also I took more pictures today on my way out the door.

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Lol thanks. Yes he is a very pretty boy, when he's not covered in dirt from tunneling lol. I'm actually unsure of how old he is, he was found in my brother's yard on the outskirts of the city they live in. My brother caught him in fear that he'd end up squashed on the road or eaten by a bird or something and I took him in. At that time we hadn't any idea that tiger's were native to our province, we thought he a was someone's pet that had gotten out or was released. We didn't find out until I'd had him for a while that they are native to that area and he was probably a wild salamander. But since we got him when he was still growing, I'd probably say he was maybe a year old or perhaps even freshly morphed which would make him less then a year at that time. And I've had him for two years so he may be somewhere between 2 and 3 years.

Can't wait to see some more pictures and I especially can't wait till Nick/Nicole is fully morphed to see what pattern he/she'll have. ^.^
 
I get off work in 3 hours, and will have the day off so there will be more pictures to day for sure! I hope Nick/Nicole is as detailed as yours. I believe they are native here, tho i have never had the opportunity to observe them in the wild myself. That would be such a privlage.

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Here are the pictures I promised. Metamorphosis is almost done. He/She has almost no fin left on its tail at all, and his/her gills are just about all the way absorbed. unfortunately, I had to seperate him/her from his/her tank mate yesterday, because the tank mate has become very aggressive towards him/her :mad: . He/she is now in a 10 gallon tank, instead of his/her original 20 gallon long. He/She still does not want to come out of the water on to the land I've provided. His/Her water level is now only 6 inches, instead of the normal 10 inches. BTW, I thing the tank mate may be neotenic :eek: ! What do you all think?
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What is the land you've provided? They're less inclined to leave the water if the land available isn't appropriate. The best thing to do is once it has lost its gill-nubs, move it to a terrestrial tank with a water dish.

Neoteny is when an animal that would normally go through metamorphosis becomes sexually mature while still in a larval or pseudo-larval form. These animals are not old enough to be sexually mature.
 
Great pics :D looks like he/she may have some nice markings once he/she's fully morphed and terrestrial. Seeing your pics makes me want a little larva of my own to watch morph in front of my eyes. Unfortunately they are very hard to find in my area.

Hopefully your other larva will start morphing soon too, that one may be just taking its time lol
 
Kaysie said:
What is the land you've provided? They're less inclined to leave the water if the land available isn't appropriate. The best thing to do is once it has lost its gill-nubs, move it to a terrestrial tank with a water dish.

Neoteny is when an animal that would normally go through metamorphosis becomes sexually mature while still in a larval or pseudo-larval form. These animals are not old enough to be sexually mature.
Click to expand...

It has a large hide that flattens out and sticks out of the water alot. It doesn't even attempt to so much as poke its head out the water. Idk Mabey it has stage fright lol.

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