Question: Please help to identify breed.

[ctcook]

I found this salamander while working in my garden (Northern Utah). I want to keep it as a pet for my son, while providing a good home for it. I have no idea what type of salamander I found and need your assistance in determining what breed/type of salamander I have. Also, suggestions on general care would be helpful. I went to PetsMart to ask questions, but I found the associate that worked with me to be lacking in knowledge of salamanders.

Currently we have it in a 10 gallon tank that has a screen top. There is a carpet like flooring that I purchased at PesMart, a water dish, plastic vegitatioin, and a half-log hidding spot for him/her. We try to maintain the tank at 80% humidity and around 70 F.

I was told to feed it a mixed diet of crickets and a food pellets. I have not been successful in getting the salamander to eat the food pelets, but it does eat the crickets. I have received contradictory information on how many crickets to feed it. I have heard a range of between 1-12 crickets daily. Currently it is eating around 4-6 daily. Is this a healthy diet, if not what change should we make? Looking at other pictures on the internet of salamanders it appears that the one I found might be too skinny.

Some general questions I have are:

1. Is it a boy or girl?
2. What age (adult, jouvenile)?
3. Does it appear to be in good health?
4. Are there any health concerns I should have with small children in the home?
5. How big will it get?
6. How active should it be during the day/night?

http://picasaweb.google.com/ctcook/Salamander#

Any advice/knowlege will be appreciated.

 

[jbherpin]

I couln't find a pic in the link. How about a brief description? I hope I can help.

 

[ctcook]

I have corrected the link. If for some reason it is not working here is the description:

Light olive color with darker olive blotches
Approx: 8" length
Black tips of toes fingers
What appears to be 13 vertical segmentations (costal dividers) along body

Please let me know if the link is working now.

 

[Greatwtehunter]

I would venture to say it is a Ambystoma tigirinum. Here is a link to the care sheet for it http://caudata.org/cc/species/Ambystoma/A_tigrinum.shtml

Hope that helps,

Justin

 

[Jan]

It appears you have a cute little tiger salamander. I would refer to the care guide as mentioned above. The first thing, is to replace the carpet substrate with a substrate that allows for burrowing - these are fossorial animals. Use top soil that is free from chemicals, vermiculite etc., or coco-fiber .... or a mix of both. Substrate should be at a depth of at least 3-4 inches. Coco-fiber is sold in pet stores as blocks that are reconstituted with water...one trade name is Eco-Earth. A 10 gallon is fine for one tiger as is the rest of your set-up. Keep a moisture gradient in your tank with one end slightly more moist than the other end. The substrate should be moist, not wet. Your temps are good, I wouldn't worry about trying to control humidity.

Salamanders are carnivorous - tigers won't take to pellet food. They are attracted to movement of prey. A good diet is earthworms (may have to be chopped) and crickets as well as many other insects. In terms of food quantity, I like to feed 2-3 times a week - as much as they will eat in one 'sitting'. They do not need to be fed daily. Here is a good article on food for sals: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/foods.shtml

Regarding some of your other questions:
1. it is very difficult to sex tigers and is for the most part is inconsequential as they do not breed in captivity
2. difficult to tell age
3. from the pix, it appears to be in good health...and that it is eating so well would suggest the same. Tigers have a propensity to become obese....which is unhealthy, so use caution in not overfeeding
4. health concerns - firstly, sals should not be handled, the oils from our skin can represent harm to the sals. If handling to change substrate, etc. the hands should be washed and rinsed well and then wetted before picking up the animal...preferable with spring water or dechlorinated water. As a matter of hygiene, hands should be thoroughly washed after handling.
5. tigers can reach lengths of 12-13 inches snout to tail, and well over 10 years of age
6. Tigers are considered nocturnal and are active at night. Mine, however, tend to be just as active during the day. They tend to 'beg' for food - a conditioned response to feeding. Someone on this board characterized them as "slimy puppies" which I thought was an accurate description....as they tend to be pretty outgoing.

Hope this helps and welcome to the forum.

 

[ctcook]

Thank you everyone for your responses. We have implemented many of your suggestions. I hope to have new pictures available soon. Again thank you for your help.