Sick tiger salamander?
 

Hello.

I bought my son a tiger salamander in August last year. All was well for a while. He spent lots of time above ground and was confident. He had a very good appetite and would eat crickets, meal worms, roaches, small pieces of meat and shrimps. He grew fast.

In a short period of time he switched from spending his time above ground to digging. Around the same time he lost his appetite and hasn't eaten in about six weeks. He still looks healthy when I see him and doesn't appear sick at all.

I had concerns that the substrate was a little acidic and replaced sixty percent with coco-fiber. He inspected the tank for a few hours and then disappeared. There are no obvious tunnels but I can guess approx. where he is. I'm assuming that even though there is no obvious tunnel he can still breathe.

The only ideas I have for his behavior are that it is something to do with the ph of the original substrate or that his lack of appetite is because he is constipated. No sign of any feces in months.

I doubt that the substrate is an issue now as I have changed most of it. Obviously I am concerned that he won't eat. What do you think? Any ideas? Also as he has been missing for a number of days with no sign of a tunnel what should I do? Should I assume that he is okay and leave him to it or try and dig him up?

If he doesn't eat soon I guess I will have to consult a vet. Not sure how useful that will be.

Thanks for reading.

Tiger salamanders will dig and hide if they are kept way too cool, too warm, or too dry. I would suspect one of those issues. I don't know that salamanders are prone to 'constipation', and although you don't say what the original substrate was, coco fiber is a decent substrate for tiger salamanders.

Could you say more about husbandry in general -- tank size, furnishings, temperature, etc? That might help troubleshoot the issue.

Hello.

The tank size is 29 inches by 12. Approx. 4 inches depth of substrate. The original substrate was the sort used in heavily planted aquariums. It's called Amazonia II and was recommended by someone selling salamanders. The packaging states that it will make aquarium water slightly acidic. He was fine with that until he started digging which is why I wondered if he was absorbing something from it. Maybe it has a high nutrient content.

When I arrive at work in the morning the temp just above the substrate is usually around 73 F. It drops to 68 - 70 during the day with air-con. Presumably it's cooler in the substrate. The substrate is nice and moist but not waterlogged. I mist it at least once a day because of the air-con. There is a water bowl but he has no interest in it.

On the odd occasion that he is above ground he has no interest in food whatsoever. It appears to irritate him more than anything. He's been underground for about 5 days. No sign of a tunnel so I hope he can breathe okay. Assuming he doesn't resurface how long should I wait before I look for him?

He has a hide at one end of the tank and some wood to hide under at the other. His preferred place is under the water bowl.

Many thanks for your help.

To me, that sounds like pretty good care and setup.

My wife has kept her tiger salamander for over twenty years in similar conditions to yours, though she doesn't provide enough depth of substrate for hers to bury itself (maybe and inch, inch and a half of coco fiber). Hers gets a winter cool down of 4-6 months at ~60 F, but gets up to 72F in summer.

Judging by the preferred hiding spot of under the water bowl, I wonder if yours is looking for the coolest spot. If I were in your situation, I'd try to get him cooler for a week or so and see how he reacts. Do you have a basement you can move him to, just to see if that's what he's looking for?

Hello.

Nowhere else he can go right now. He was originally in my son's bedroom. I moved him to my office as it is cooler here. At home there is nobody there in the daytime, Monday to Saturday so no air-con. It's going to be too hot for the salamander very soon. Work is the opposite. Air-con Monday to Saturday. On Sunday I'm careful to draw the blinds to keep him cool. It's slightly warmer in the tank on Monday morning but not by much.

His behavior was already set as it is now before I moved him here. It hasn't changed him or his behavior.

Best mention I'm in Hong Kong. It will get much hotter here but as he's indoors he should be fine. I should be able to keep the temp the same as it's been recently.

Thanks again.