Question: Mold on cork

[sammiethes]

Hello.

On Saturday I returned a previously sick tiger salamander to his tank. I put a newly acquired piece of bark in the tank for him to hide behind. When I came to work this morning I notice a small area of mold on the bark. Typical looking grey mold. Eight hours later it is almost twice as big in area although still relatively small.

Just wondering if anyone can tell me if the mold or it's spores could be a health risk to the salamander. Is it that big of a big deal as long as it doesn't spread? They must encounter it all the time in the wild but maybe it's a potential problem in a confined space.

Many thanks in advance.

S

 

[Otterwoman]

I would get rid of it. They might be exposed in the wild, but not in such a small inescapable environment. Creatures (animals and humans) are endangered by even normal flora can become dangerous when there is too much of it.

 

[sammiethes]

When I looked yesterday most of the bark had a little bit of mold on it. When I looked again this morning the area I was concerned about is significantly smaller. It seems to be dying back. The mold on the rest of the bark appears to be diminished too. I left the cover off the tank on Monday night and that may have helped.

I'll see what it looks like tomorrow. If it's any better I'll leave it and wait. The same or worse and I'll remove it.

Many thanks for the reply.

S.