bioteach
New member
Hello there! I am a new sally owner looking for the advice of the pros. I have a LOT of questions but I would happy to get any answers at all. First some background information:
I am a high school biology teacher and last April one of my students gave me his 5 year old tiger salamander, Sally. (I know, wonderfully original name). Since then I have gradually improved her habitat and I have included pictures. The substrate is cypress mulch (recommended by an exotic pet store owner) and I have some kind of moss that I collected on the border of a region of a state park that is heavily environmentally protected. I have a plexiglass barrier between the land and water portion and a filter. The wood is driftwood from petsmart and the plant is a fake.
The main challenge here is of course budget and the BIG one: I have to be able to disassemble the habitat and move it twice a year (winter break and summer break). So here are my questions/concerns:
1. The drainage. I tried sealing the plexiglass to the tank using aquarium sealant but I must have done and poor job because although I gave it proper time to dry (3 days) it held up for about a week and then leaked into the land portion. I had anticipated this so the bottom portion of the land is gravel, but it has soaked into the cypress. Although the cypress isn’t drenched with puddles, it is soaked and I know that can’t be good. Is there a better drainage system for me to use besides gravel? Any other construction tips?
2. The moss. Right now I just have a basic grow light on the tank (it doesn’t get too hot so Sally won’t overheat). I am hesitant to spray the moss regularly because the drainage problem means the base is always moist. I put the moss in mid June and it hasn’t totally died but it definitely isn’t as pretty as it was. How do I make it healthier?
3. The driftwood. The driftwood I got from petsmart is growing some kind of mold. It’s not out of control, but it is still worrying me. I don’t know what is a healthy amount of decomposition for my mini ecosystem and what is harmful. It is kind of a sage green color. I read that it could be lack of ventilation but I already have only a screen cover on the top so I don’t know how I can help that. Should I be concerned about this?
4. Shedding. I have read that it is normal for salamanders to shed, but I just want to be sure that this much shedding is normal. In the almost 5 months that I’ve had her I have seen her shed at least four times that I saw. I read that I wasn’t supposed to clean it because it has bacteria and she will eat it anyways, so I didn’t, expect once when it all came off it one piece (I am an educator and I had to show that off). Her previous owner had her in a much less suitable habitat from what I understand, and it was much smaller, and he said he never noticed her shed. I just wanted to be sure this shedding is okay.
Those are my main questions. Answer one or more and you will be my hero! REMEMBER: any solutions have to be easy enough to disassemble twice a year. Thank you so much in advance for helping a new salamander owner! (sorry it's so long...)
I am a high school biology teacher and last April one of my students gave me his 5 year old tiger salamander, Sally. (I know, wonderfully original name). Since then I have gradually improved her habitat and I have included pictures. The substrate is cypress mulch (recommended by an exotic pet store owner) and I have some kind of moss that I collected on the border of a region of a state park that is heavily environmentally protected. I have a plexiglass barrier between the land and water portion and a filter. The wood is driftwood from petsmart and the plant is a fake.
The main challenge here is of course budget and the BIG one: I have to be able to disassemble the habitat and move it twice a year (winter break and summer break). So here are my questions/concerns:
1. The drainage. I tried sealing the plexiglass to the tank using aquarium sealant but I must have done and poor job because although I gave it proper time to dry (3 days) it held up for about a week and then leaked into the land portion. I had anticipated this so the bottom portion of the land is gravel, but it has soaked into the cypress. Although the cypress isn’t drenched with puddles, it is soaked and I know that can’t be good. Is there a better drainage system for me to use besides gravel? Any other construction tips?
2. The moss. Right now I just have a basic grow light on the tank (it doesn’t get too hot so Sally won’t overheat). I am hesitant to spray the moss regularly because the drainage problem means the base is always moist. I put the moss in mid June and it hasn’t totally died but it definitely isn’t as pretty as it was. How do I make it healthier?
3. The driftwood. The driftwood I got from petsmart is growing some kind of mold. It’s not out of control, but it is still worrying me. I don’t know what is a healthy amount of decomposition for my mini ecosystem and what is harmful. It is kind of a sage green color. I read that it could be lack of ventilation but I already have only a screen cover on the top so I don’t know how I can help that. Should I be concerned about this?
4. Shedding. I have read that it is normal for salamanders to shed, but I just want to be sure that this much shedding is normal. In the almost 5 months that I’ve had her I have seen her shed at least four times that I saw. I read that I wasn’t supposed to clean it because it has bacteria and she will eat it anyways, so I didn’t, expect once when it all came off it one piece (I am an educator and I had to show that off). Her previous owner had her in a much less suitable habitat from what I understand, and it was much smaller, and he said he never noticed her shed. I just wanted to be sure this shedding is okay.
Those are my main questions. Answer one or more and you will be my hero! REMEMBER: any solutions have to be easy enough to disassemble twice a year. Thank you so much in advance for helping a new salamander owner! (sorry it's so long...)
