Expert Opions needed on Tiger Tank

[chris]

I just revamped Chewie the tiger salamanders tank. It consists of : large gravel on very bottom , topsoil on top of this(few earthworms in this too), coconut fiber on surface ( about 2 1/2 inches). A few lucky bamboo stalks planted in cage. Also a empty flower pot is half submerged in fibers. There is a small water pool at end of tank, about 3 inches deep, with a fake plant draping pool. Any comments or suggestions on this setup? I want to make sure he is as comfortable as possible.

 

[alan]

Opinion needed?
Remove the gravel, just use soil.

 

[carly]

He's beautiful! I like the red stuff, that the coconut?

 

[chris]

yes it is. he seems to enjoy his new cage, digs around a lot, even takes a dip in his pool once a day. good transition from old cage to this one.

 

[leanne]

Wow, great setup! I would agree on taking out the gravel, too, since they will burrow as deep as you will allow if there is soft substrate available. Also, my tiger seems to appreciate a large amount of space (I have 2 clear rubbermaid tubs connected with a pvc pipe, and he goes back and forth freely between the two). I assume Chewie is about 8" or so long? I'll try to post a photo of my setup below this one.

 

[leanne]

Here are a couple shots---the same setup as yours, basically, with a mix of coconut fiber and cypress mulch as substrate. Right now, Fatboy is sitting under his blue water bowl (one of his favorite burrowing spots)

 

[chris]

i really like your setup! what kind of moss is that ? I see it in the bottom left of the 2nd picture. Chewie is about 8 inches long. Today he even went into the half submerged flower pot, its like a secret base. Ill remove the gravel and get more soil to put under the cocnut fiber.

 

[leanne]

Hey Chris,
I'm not sure what kind of moss it is, to tell you the truth---I get all kinds from the forest on the Appalachian Trail, and if I use it in the tiger tank I let it soak overnight to get bugs off of it, and then I place it on top of the logs covering the pvc pipe for a "foresty" look. Here are a few of the kinds of moss I have found out here----I bet there are botanists in this forum who could tell you what kinds these are:

 

[leanne]

Ok, for some reason those didn't load, let me try again:

 

[chris]

cant see em

i wish i lived near some trails like that! The only moss i see in my town are hanging off trees. This isnt a very newt friendly environment i dont think, so Ill have to see what a store has.

 

[leanne]

Ok, for some reason the pics aren't loading correctly! I'll try one more time before I start freaking out

 

[leanne]

Chris, I have seen some moss for sale (in a dried-up form, but still green) at PetSmart---unfortunately that is the only pet store around this area, but you can get moss online at places like blackjungle.com, I think.

 

[chris]

thats where most people in this area reccomend going to get moss at. Im going to swing by there later and check it out.