Salamander hiccup

[pepper]

I searched the forum before asking, but could not find a post with an answer.

Watson seems to get a hiccup, or two, it'll go like this...

*I put cricket on tweezers near his mouth, he attacks it, gets it in his mouth, in the process of swalloing, while doing this weird, mini yawning thing, where his mouth isn't completely open, just slightly open, then he sort of...hiccup, second later, hiccup, then a few seconds to a minute later he's ready for another cricket.*

Does this mean something bad? Or is he just trying to get the food down? I'm feeding small crickets, so I doubt they could be too big.

 

[oregon newt]

Sounds like he's just trying to get it down. My newts do this.

 

[Jan]

I have one tiger who does this frequently and has for years. He is more 'rotund' than he should be....not sure if this has something to do with it. I've seen some pretty interesting facial contortions at feeding time. Has Watson always done this? From his last picture, he looks a little on the plump side although you indicated you had just fed him.

 

[IanF]

My Salamanders did this as well for awhile. I find using smaller sized food helps them but if your using small crickets sounds like there isn't much you can do.

 

[pepper]

Yeah, he seems to be more comfortable resting on my hand when he is done eating, then when he is begging me for food, I feed him about once a day, unless I have time to give him one or two crickets before I go to school, then he gets his nightly feeding. He does get quite chunky after engulfing 10 crickets, but after a little while he slims down.

I'm thinking it may have to do with size of food, when he gets really small crickets, its not as much hiccups, maybe none, when they are small, but not extra small, he usually gives a hiccup or two, I am not feeding any large crickets, I doubt he would be able to eat them, since they'd be about half his size..he doesn't like waxworms, and he doesn't know how to eat earthworms, he tried for like 20 min. but it kept wriggling around and he finally gave up.

 

[amkid247]

my young yellow spotted salamander does the same thing! i have pictures of it! i say it looks more like a yawn to me though...

 

[Jan]

Yeah, he seems to be more comfortable resting on my hand when he is done eating, then when he is begging me for food, I feed him about once a day, unless I have time to give him one or two crickets before I go to school, then he gets his nightly feeding. He does get quite chunky after engulfing 10 crickets, but after a little while he slims down.

I'm thinking it may have to do with size of food, when he gets really small crickets, its not as much hiccups, maybe none, when they are small, but not extra small, he usually gives a hiccup or two, I am not feeding any large crickets, I doubt he would be able to eat them, since they'd be about half his size..he doesn't like waxworms, and he doesn't know how to eat earthworms, he tried for like 20 min. but it kept wriggling around and he finally gave up.

Just a comment - it appears you are feeding crickets exclusively at this time. In that crickets have a poor calcium/phospate ratio, I would recommend dusting the crickets directly before feeding with a good quality vitamin/calcium supplement - see Jennewt's post here for further information:

http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=58369

Metabolic bone disease is a risk. Another risk in tigers is that they can become obese fairly readily...just something to watch for and moderate intake where necessary.

 

[pepper]

I do dust them, and he only gets fed about once a day, once he gets older, he's only a new morph now, then I'll feed him every other day, or something along those lines.

I give him an occasional waxworm, I know their fatty, so maybe half of one a week, he doesn't like to eat them whole..

He will eat mealworms, but I wet those and dust them with calcium, and try to catch them when they are white because they just shed.