Illness/Sickness: Barred Tiger Salamander weak mobility in back legs?

[HaleyKat]

A few months ago, through various ways, I wont go into detail. I ended up with a barred tiger salamander, Who I now love dearly. Everything was fine up until recently. He started shedding, so i thought, now I'm not so sure. His back toes are stuck together, and they're bloody, he also now has limited mobility of his back legs. I feed him Zoo Can O Crickets, and light his cage with a typical everyday light. Does anyone know what might be causing this?
I'm not sure what kind of light bulb should be use, because of the various information I have been getting. Is his condition being caused by lack of nutrition in is diet, anything? I don't know honestly, I need help.

 

[Dog Shrink]

I can address the diet thing... canned feeders hold little nutritional value for any herp/amphib. Live is always best. I would try earthworms (nightcrawlers) as they are readily available and pretty inexpensive plus tiger salamaders are suppose to love them. Sorry I can't advise you on the leg issue.

 

[RPM]

There are care sheets on this site for the care of tiger salamanders. What substrate are you using? You should be providing a terrestrial envirnoment for him with dechlorinated water in a water dish if you provide one. As far as the light, for short viewing periods it may alright, but I would recommend removing it as it is stressing him out and will heat up the cage. They should be maintainted between 50-70F. Try to get him eating nightcrawlers as stated by the previuos post, rather than canned crickets. I suspect there may be a basic care issue causing this condition. Please provide additional information.

 

[RPM]

It may of been caused by trauma. Possibly the salamander burrowing beneath a rock, log, water dish, etc. and it caving in on top of it. I've heard of a similar instance causing hind limb paralysis.

 

[HaleyKat]

I can address the diet thing... canned feeders hold little nutritional value for any herp/amphib. Live is always best. I would try earthworms (nightcrawlers) as they are readily available and pretty inexpensive plus tiger salamaders are suppose to love them. Sorry I can't advise you on the leg issue.

I had a feeling that he could have some lack of nutrition, i had been feeding him live crickets/grasshoppers in the summer in fall, because there is a bunch of them out in montana and they're easy to catch; to me it seemed he got more lethargic when i put him on canned.
Thank you for you're insight.
Also, is it safe to use the live earthworms sold at fishing stores? I would buy them from a pet store, but the closet one to my town is two hours away and the highways are shut down at the moment.

 

[HaleyKat]

There are care sheets on this site for the care of tiger salamanders. What substrate are you using? You should be providing a terrestrial envirnoment for him with dechlorinated water in a water dish if you provide one. As far as the light, for short viewing periods it may alright, but I would recommend removing it as it is stressing him out and will heat up the cage. They should be maintainted between 50-70F. Try to get him eating nightcrawlers as stated by the previuos post, rather than canned crickets. I suspect there may be a basic care issue causing this condition. Please provide additional information.

The substrate I'm using is Coconut fiber mixed with normal topsoil. He does have a terrestrial envirnoment with a dechlorinated water dish. I use the light to keep the temperature at about 65F during the day and I turn it off at night, the temp in the cage drops about 5F. My room doesn't have that good of heating other wise i would not use the light, but if you think this will help then i will try it. thank you.
One of my biology teachers at school mentioned that he could have bumblefoot or limb rot, and this worries me, greatly. I took him to the vet in our area, but he does not work with amphibians/reptiles.

 

[Dog Shrink]

Maybe you should take him to see that teacher. He seems to have a clue. Also I don't see any reason why earthworms from a bait store would be any less reliable than a pet store. They usually all come from thesame factory farms unless the bait store owner breeds and raises them himelf in which case find out. they could be better, plus some wal marts also sell night crawlers.

 

[RPM]

The substrate I'm using is Coconut fiber mixed with normal topsoil. He does have a terrestrial envirnoment with a dechlorinated water dish. I use the light to keep the temperature at about 65F during the day and I turn it off at night, the temp in the cage drops about 5F. My room doesn't have that good of heating other wise i would not use the light, but if you think this will help then i will try it. thank you.
One of my biology teachers at school mentioned that he could have bumblefoot or limb rot, and this worries me, greatly. I took him to the vet in our area, but he does not work with amphibians/reptiles.

Buying worms form a bait store is fine. You want Candian nightcrawlers, Lumbricus terrestris. Most tigers eat them, but some refuse them. 60-65F is fine, so I wouldn't use the light. I've never experienced limb rot, so I can't help you there.

 

[Kaysie]

It sounds like metabolic bone disease, MBD, which is caused by calcium deficiencies. If you need to feed crickets, even canned, these DEFINITELY need to be dusted with a calcium supplement.

 

[HaleyKat]

I understand that Mealworms are not the best choice but would giving him one be ok at the moment? We're still snowed in, and currently can't even get to the vet in our town, and all they sold at our bait store was meal worms...
I'm trying to get him into the vet, and myself up to the city so I can buy earthworms.
But I have to wait for the roads to be cleared, they're still closed.

 

[Kaysie]

You'll have to crush their heads. But mealworms are calcium-deficient as well.

 

[HaleyKat]

Well, I do thank you guys for your help, but I made it out to the vet today.
There was no saving him, he had gotten an infection in his bloodstream, and a skin disease.
In the long run, the two combined was killing him, and eating away at his flesh.
He was put down at 4.30

 

[RPM]

Sorry for your loss

 

[Dog Shrink]

Aw so sad to hear. At least he's not in any pain. RIP lil one

 

[HaleyKat]

Thanks..He was my little baby..
The vet believes that the coconut fiber had cut one of his feet and thats how the infection got in, and that the skin disease he had his whole life but it was dormant til the infection..