Tiger Sally Enclosure help??

[Baileaf]

Hi all So I'm new here so this is my very first post and I'm very excited!!
Alright, so I have my tiger salamander that I caught last summer, his name is Gingrich (I usually just call him Ginggy though) and his tank is pretty boring right now and kind of small I think, I want him to have plenty of room to roam around (I'm sorry I'm not really an expert on Salamanders, I've been learning about them mostly as I've own him, so I don't know.. does having a larger space make them grow more? Kind of like snakes? He's not growing very much since I got him, he's still only about 4 or 5 inches long).

Anyways, I would like to build him a larger and more natural-looking semi-aquatic enclosure. But I can't have one that's super complicated and hard to care for, as I only get to see him every other week (he lives with my dad, and I'm there every other week). So does any one have any ideas/examples/pictures etc??? I'm also on kind of a budget, unfortunately. Anything helps, tips on cleaning the cage and such even. I also was wondering how you should feed them in a naturalist enclosure, as well as what to feed him? right now he just gets crickets usually.

I just want a happy Sally, so anything helps!! Thank y'all so much!! :happy::happy::happy:

 

[Mark]

We have a couple of pages that should help:

Caudata Culture Articles - Tiger Salamander 101

and

Ambystoma tigrinum care sheet

 

[JoshBA]

If you are to set up an enclosure, don't go semi-aquatic as tiger salamanders are completely terrestrial (a small water dish is fine). One of the main components you should think about is a false bottom for the tank. It allows water to drain into from the soil so the soil cannot become too wet (also helps regulate how moist you want the soil to be). Do some research on it and you'll find many examples. If you do want a water feature be aware that tiger salamanders do very easily make a mess of things. With a big enclosure you could get away with a small, shallow pool but you would have to design it so it stays clean/ doesn't get dirty (filters, ect.). If you're just beginning to keep a tiger salamander, you should probably stick with a simple setup initially. You are right that tiger salamanders like roaming space, so go with the biggest enclosure that you can get.