What to do ...

[victoria]

A few weeks ago my bait supplier comes in to deliver my order. As he is pouring my minnows into the vats I notice he is doing it very slowly.. Curious I ask what he is doing ... He says .. Im making sure I didnt get the mudpuppies in this contanier... Id never seen a mudpuppy although I had heard of em. I was stoked! Wow you got mudpuppies, can I see? I walk out to the delivery truck and he shows me these totally cool animals and gives me 2 of them. I put them into a 30 gallon tank set up a filter and was totally fascinated... I start doing internet searchs trying to get infomation on care and proper set ups etc etc .. as Im looking at these pictures Im thinking... my mudpuppies dont look like this ....similar yes, but still very different ... the smaller of the 2 animals he gave to me starts changing, lost its gills.. changed its color, shed its skin .. literally morphed into something different .. i worried that perhaps this animal is sick .. Took a couple shots of these animals and showed them to a friend who informed that it may be an Eastern Tiger Salamander.... So of course I search on the internet and sure enough that is exactly what they are! I do not have the proper housing for the one that has alread morphed! I still have it in the tank with the one that hasnt changed yet... my understanding .. as much as Ive read this afternoon is that the one still in mudpuppy stage will eat this other that has already changed. I need to get him/her out now before that happens. I do not want to hurt this animal. I considered taking the one still in larva stage and putting it into my pond but I fear my bass or catfish will eat him... I dont even want salamanders. I wanted a damn mudpuppy! Yes I no , my bad for not knowing.. but what now?? Im sorta ramabling and Im sorry for that but thats just me... I talk like this .. I dont have the funds at this exact moment to go out and buy the things this animal needs to live properly .. is there a temporary set up that I could use? Please someone.... HELP!

 

[Annababe]

Victoria,

I don't know if I'm allowed to post websites or anything here, but here is an excerpt I found from caudata.org and it applies to "most salamanders", so I hope it helps. I had a little time to do some searching....and I noticed you had not had a reply yet..............I know nothing about these so I don't know about the accuracy of the statements, but it seems a large container could do temporarily?

Housing Adults:

Adults can be maintained in a variety of enclosures depending on the keeper's wishes. The simplest enclosure is a large plastic storage box. Alternatively, the salamander can be housed in an aquarium or other enclosure that allows better viewing.

Substrates in tiger salamander enclosures should be moisture retentive to provide for adequate humidity to prevent desiccation of the salamander. There should ideally be a moisture gradient in the enclosure to allow the salamander to osmoregulate. This can be accomplished by sloping the substrate from one side of the enclosure to the other. All substrates used in terrestrial salamander enclosures should have the pH of the substrate checked prior to placing the salamander on the substrate. It has been shown that substrates with a low pH, like peat moss or sphagnum moss, may cause ion loss and eventual death of the animal. One option is moistened unbleached paper towels, with crumpled pieces of moist paper towels provide hiding areas to minimize stress. These bare enclosures are excellent for quarantine purposes and collection of fecal samples for parasite checks. To prevent accumulation of bacteria, paper toweling must be changed every few days, or when soiled. More natural substrates include moist topsoil or coconut fiber bedding. Soil should be changed every one to two months, and feces removed daily.Warning: Do not use rocks or gravel of a size that can be swallowed; ingestion of gravel can occur during feeding, with fatal results.

If the salamanders have a substrate that does not allow them to burrow, then alternative hideouts need to be provided to relieve stress. If the keeper desires to observe the salamander in its burrow, the terrarium can be constructed with a center area consisting of gravel. Loose soil is provided around the center area to allow for burrowing. Pieces of PVC tubing can be cut in half and placed with the cut side against the window with an entrance above the soil level. If the side of the tank is covered with dark paper the salamanders will adopt the burrows and the paper can be removed when observations are desired. A water bowl may or may not be necessary depending upon the moisture gradient in the soil. However a water bowl will help prevent deaths due to desiccation as the salamander will retreat to the water bowl if the soil becomes too dry. If a water bowl is included in the enclosure, then the water should be changed either when it is soiled or every few days with dechlorinated tap water.

As with the larvae, excessive temperatures should be avoided. Temperatures over 78°F (25.6°C) for extended periods of time are potentially life threatening. The best temperature range would be the same as for the larval salamanders.

Andrea

 

[snakecatcher0101]

if its only temporary than u can use a number of things. ive had alot of salamanders over the years and the only thing thats hard is knowing if there eating. u can keep 1 TEMPORARILY in like a plastic box or crate. or glass or plexi glass. they need to keep there skin moist at all times, not constantly wet. u can use dirt or bark as a substrate and keep it moist. then put a log in there and some moss. he'll need a container in there for water to. feed him worms, slugs, crickets and beetles. i would say that the both of them would do fine in a 10 gallon tank for now. but they will need sumthing bigger someday. by the way, they usually get about 12 inches so at that size they will need atleast a 29 gallon tank.