Can a tiger salamander morph a little bit & stay like that??

[BIGBODYBEAR]

My tiger larvae is almost two years old , a few months ago his eyes bulged out a little bit & his head started changing shape & his gills shrunk a bit but it stayed stuck like that for about 6 months , looks a little different then when i got him a year ago , no stripes or tail roundness , ill post a pic from my crappy iphone camera

he is healthy tho not too fat or skinny, swims actively , doesnt float , a little on the nicer side, goes up when he see's me & doesnt even nip at the axys & supposedly tigers are meaner , water is clean & all the levels are checked , still fully aquatic , he is the same one i have the problem with the earthworms & wont eat them at all , ive got him on waxworms & bloodworms but i still want him on earthworms

 

[daedae]

Tiger larvae have a pretty common rate of neoteny, I had one stay larval for nearly four years. I don't know about pausing mid-metamorphosis though. You keep your axies with your tiger? They can interbreed, just so you're aware. Mixing species is frowned upon, so you might wanna consider moving them into separate enclosures.

 

[emily74]

A pic would definitly be helpful! How big is he? I know Tigers start to morph once they get around 3 and a half to 5 inches long, and that it can take til they are a little over a year old for them to get that size but I have no idea about 2 years. If he is bigger than 5 inches, could he possibly be an axolotl? Also, depending on the region he came from, he may not develop the typical barred tiger stripes. Those from the north stay an olive green color with mottled spots instead of getting the bright stripes.

 

[frogman]

Is he I. The same aquarium as axolotls?

 

[BIGBODYBEAR]

i do have him with the axy's , i they are related species thats why i enclose them together , they have been together for about two months & was told by a few people here that interbreeding is very unlikely seeing that it is real difficult to breed tigers in captivity,

these are the best pics i can get now seeing that he/she didnt want to move :blob:

 

[Jennewt]

When tiger salamanders are fully aquatic/neotenic, they breed fairly easily in captivity. Thus interbreeding is quite possible.

 

[BIGBODYBEAR]

Tiger larvae have a pretty common rate of neoteny, I had one stay larval for nearly four years. I don't know about pausing mid-metamorphosis though. You keep your axies with your tiger? They can interbreed, just so you're aware. Mixing species is frowned upon, so you might wanna consider moving them into separate enclosures.

did it stay larval for 4 years & then morph?? , i thought there was only a two year window for them to do that

 

[Anette]

It'll probably be better to separate them. Just because if your tiger is going through the stages of morphing, he'll need to be in less water. I'm assuming there isn't a platform for your tiger to climb on?
That's probably why he hasn't fully morphed, he needs to feel like he can make the transition to land, but with no land there is no point in morphing. I'm new to tigers, so if someone wants to correct me go ahead . When my larva started showing signs of morphing, I put a slope of gravel, so when he felt ready, he could get out of the water. He finished metamorphosing in a week after that. Still loves been in the water part.

 

[BIGBODYBEAR]

yea that i already knew , if my tiger shows signs of morphing then he/she will go to a separate tank , for now though seems to be stuck like it is for awhile & fully aquatic , still breathes thought its gills & occasional gulps or air , there is a little cave that also serves as a platform but my tiger wont go near it, i know tigers arent from florida but only 1 petstore here in miami sold one batch last year & thats when took advantage & bought one , the 7 that were left were all supposedly sold out by the next week , reason i say supposedly was because the water temp was pretty warm & the group was all skinny, i have asked them where did they get their batch they said they ordered them through a breeder,