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Land vs water

king

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Jun 9, 2010
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Hey everyone I hope you're all doing well..
I was curious what your views are on land/water for tigers, what the balance should be, and also where your tigers spend most of their time, given equal land/water outlets (I sure wouldn't want to spend my day in a bath tub, so I don't think water bowl set-ups are relevant here).
In my current arrangement, I have about a 50:50 land:water ratio; and, like in my previous set-ups which had different ratios, he still spends most of his time in the water end (deep end is only about 2"). He loves paddling around through it, feeding in it, chilling in it, and doing just about everything else in there.
This all conflicts with much of what I have read, and what many seem to strongly believe, being that tigers are nearly entirely land dwellers. In my experience, they seem to appreciate the shoreline more than anything. Or, at least mine does. Also, based on the behaviour I've witnessed, it appears that they may use the water as a flight route in the presence of predators. So, what do you guys think? I would love to hear some opinions, or errr, read them :p
 
In the wild, adult tiger salamanders are strictly terrestrial except during breeding season. They have been known to drown when kept in areas with large bodies of water.

That being said, if your water level isn't very deep, and has A LOT of haul outs, and your land area is adequate (right substrate, right depth, good hides, etc.), then there's little harm in having a set up like that.
 
I would be curious as to what your land set-up entails. Do you have a substrate that is suitable for burrowing and at a good depth (e.g., coco-fiber/soil at at least a 4-5 inch depth), moist and clean? Is the environment maintained at a cooler temp e.g., < 72F? Tigers will retreat to water if their environnment/substrate is unsuitable or fouled. So, before commenting on your particular observation, I would want to understand these variables.

With regards to your comment, "This all conflicts with much of what I have read, and what many seem to strongly believe, being that tigers are nearly entirely land dwellers". This is not a 'belief' - it is the nature of the beast. Tigers are fossorial animals, live in burrows either dug by themselves or they co-opt burrows from other burrowing animals....and why they are also known as mole salamanders.

To discuss your observation, can you describe your set-up?
 
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