Picky Tigers like rosie reds

Ill get some of the ecoearth. I'm afraid my tigers might get dry with what I have now.

So only the pet store sells it? Or Walmart also sells it?
 
ba98mgt said:
Thanks a ton on th cricket info, makes my job a lot easier.

I guessill have to see what orks btter, in or out. I'm thinking outside the tank might be best for my scenario but we shall see. So yours come out of hiding when they're hungry?

My tank just got a makeover. I used old long pine needles for the bottom. They seem to like it, they dig in it. The house temp is 76* so ill be putting an ice block in a ziplock bag in the tank to cool it.
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I definitely would not use pine needles as a substrate. The oils in pine can be toxic to salamanders. See this article for further information on types of woods that are and are not suitable: Caudata Culture Articles - Wood in Vivaria.

For a safe, simple substrate, the reconstituted cocofiber blocks either alone or mixed 50/50 with organic topsoil is good.

I personally recommend hand feeding tigers. I do not remove them from their enclosure and avoid any unnecessary handling. Hand feeding reduces the chance of aggressive feeding behaviors resulting in nipping/injuring of tankmate's limbs and tails and assures that you know what is each animal is consuming.
 
Jan said:
I definitely would not use pine needles as a substrate. The oils in pine can be toxic to salamanders. See this article for further information on types of woods that are and are not suitable: Caudata Culture Articles - Wood in Vivaria.

For a safe, simple substrate, the reconstituted cocofiber blocks either alone or mixed 50/50 with organic topsoil is good.

I personally recommend hand feeding tigers. I do not remove them from their enclosure and avoid any unnecessary handling. Hand feeding reduces the chance of aggressive feeding behaviors resulting in nipping/injuring of tankmate's limbs and tails and assures that you know what is each animal is consuming.
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I had no problem hand feeding crickets, but nightcrawlers proved troublesome. To the OP if in doubt, I would go with Jan on advice overmyself. I am quite new to amphibians and the Tigers are the first I ever owned.
 
Tiger Salamanders don't mind slightly dry substrate, as long as you have a water source for them to bathe and soak in. Mine lives in a fine hardwood mulch and she seems perfectly happy with it when it dries out on top. I had bought a couple extra bags of this mulch (40# for about $4.50) to keep on hand for changing substrate.

I've tried a variety of foods for mine, but she prefers earthworms over everything. I pick up the Trout Worms at Walmart, put them in a gray tote bin (about a 10 gallon) with a mix of the worm mulch sold in bait areas, organic garden soil (sold in bags) and some organic bagged compost. I've had the same batch I bought from in April, and they are breeding and doing just fine. You don't necessarily need to keep them in a fridge, but a basement or other area that stays cool is nice. The more substrate they are in, the cooler it stays. The Trout Worms tend to be smaller than Nightcrawlers, and are easier to manage. I just give them to her by hand, or put them in her water dish when I clean it out. They can be nippy though, and my big girl (9.5 inches) will sometimes try to swallow my finger. Plus, the worms tend to be a bit more nutritious if they have a good mix of substrate to feed on.
 
I bought the 3 pack of eco earth, ill be using that instead.

I read that tigers need about 70% humidity. I built a humidifier myself from a walkthrough, but it doesn't seem to do much.
I found a 1 gallon Vicks humidifier for like $13. Would this work? Are there better alternatives for less? I have 2 six inch tigers in a 10 gallon aquarium ill be getting 2 large tigers in a 20 gallon aquarium soon. So maybe if the Vicks is too potent ill split the line to it feeds both tanks.

I appreaciate the help and links to learning sources. I've learned so much and have much more to learn.

Btw, my Tigers love to dig. They remind me of some Cichlids I own, they love to reorganize the tank.
 
I would not be at all concerned with humidity. The ambient humidity in Michigan is more than adequate....no need for a humidifier. Humidity is not that important for tigers...a moist (not wet) substrate, cool temperatures and good ventilation such as a mesh top, however, are important. A lethal situation can occur when there is high humidity, warm temps and no ventilation...these are conditions for infectious processes to develop.
 
My eco earth came in. How many inches thick of substrate should I use?
 
ba98mgt said:
My eco earth came in. How many inches thick of substrate should I use?
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I usually can cover the bottom of my tank about 2 inches thick with half a brick. I of course make a whole brick at once.

2 " for my Tigers is deep enough they can burry themselves, and lay at the bottom against the glass. Also as I mentioned I have an 8x8 cake pan in there and it sits on the glass so I don't put any substrate where the pan sits.
 
I didn't understand the cake pan thing at first but now I get it. That's a great iea. I was just using a butter bowl lid for water if they wanted to go for a "dip" but the cake pan idea is wayyy better.

Tomorrow I'm picking up a 20 gallon long tank to house my 11.5", 9", 6", and 5" Tiger salamanders. I may have to make a divider, we shall see.

So I guess buying 3 bricks was overkill. The base of a 20G long is somthing like 30" x 12".
 
It's always nice to have extra substrate laying around, especially if they get a little messy or you want to make changes to the habitat. You can make one side of the tank have a thicker layer so they have something more to burrow in. As they explore their habitat, you can observe them and see what they may like or not like.

I keep a spray bottle with distilled water near the tank to mist if it seems to dry out too much. I used distilled since it has no chemicals that may be in tap water, as well as the fact it doesn't have minerals that can cause hard water stains.

When you have substrate and a water pool for dipping in, it will get the water dirty. Often a filter system just gets overwhelmed. I have a terracotta plant dish and fill it with water. Once a week I empty it out, give it a spray with some vinegar, let it sit and scrub it. I then rinse it thoroughly and put it back in with fresh water. They have terrarium/vivarium cleaners but I've just used regular white vinegar and made sure I rinsed thoroughly.

I'm happy you're asking questions and trying to learn all you can about your Tigers. Most of it is a learn-as-you-go process, as you watch your Tigers and learn what they need and don't need. Don't be afraid to ask questions, even if some of us (including myself) may seem cranky ^w^. We would rather you ask these questions and helped keep your animals happy and healthy.
 
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