I need help ASAP with a rapidly spreading fungal disease in my pregnant Ensatina eschscholtzii oregonensis.

[LittleGreenFrog]

she has had a white spot on her side, and it didn't seem to be causing any problems, until about lunchtime today. I noticed a bunch of black dots on her belly and the rest of her body, and her tail, which is normally very smooth, is torn and ragged. I tried a salt bath but that put her into cardiac arrest, she stopped breathing, moving and her heart almost stopped. when she was in the saltwater, some white fluid came out of her tail, but she was not improving. I gave her a few minutes to chill, and then I put her in some clean water before trying a tea bath. the tea bath got the fungus from around her eyes to go away, but she is still in a very bad condition. II don't know what to do. Please help her with ANYTHING you might know. I can't lose her. I just can't. Pictures: #1 is her belly. she is clean, so it's not dirt. #2 is her white spot. she's had it the whole time. #3 is her tail. should I try to make her make it fall off?

 

[differencess]

They are able to exude a milky toxic substance from poison glands in this tail. Its usual but make sure its not having 'chyrid fungal disease" seek nearby vet help

 

[LittleGreenFrog]

she's so small, i don't think the vet would be willing to help her


Her vs a Q-tip

 

[LittleGreenFrog]

also what kind of vet helps salamanders?

 

[differencess]

epidemiologist maybe

 

[LittleGreenFrog]

ok, I am watching her and it's kind of sad because she's acting like her normal self and she doesn't know why she's in an isolated tank from her friends

 

[Dragonfire]

I know little in terms of treating skin diseases in lungless salamanders, but perhaps try application of antifungal medications in the same manner that is used to treat other amphibian diseases. I know polymyxin E and voriconazole together have been found effective for treating B. sal in other species, though it is tricky as this is almost certainly not B. sal and even the family is different. Exotics vets with enough specialization/experience in amphibians can sometimes work with salamanders and if you are fairly sure you are dealing with a fungus you could ask about some antifungals that have been proven effective in caudates before if you need a prescription. I would also address your parameters for care. Are you using a suitable substrate that is kept clean? Is your humidity high yet well ventilated? Are temperatures staying below the mid 60s?

 

[LittleGreenFrog]

do you want a picture of the tank?

 

[Dragonfire]

Sure may help to spot issues, though I have no experience with this genus, as I mostly work with newts and my only salamanders are tigers. Hopefully someone who has kept Ensatina successfully long term or with more practical experience treating fungal issues in caudates with chime in.

 

[LittleGreenFrog]

I'm scared, they have never been hurt or sick before

 

[LittleGreenFrog]

here ya go

 

[Dragonfire]

Your issues most likely stem from husbandry here, that setup is likely not going to be adequate in the long term. Luckily fixing it up won't be too tough, though I am not sure it will be be enough at this point. What are your temperatures running at? I will get back to you with a link to further care info soon.

 

[LittleGreenFrog]

Husbandry?

 

[LittleGreenFrog]

Temp is about 70 Freiheit they live in the garage

 

[Dragonfire]

Marc Staniszewski's Ensatina Care Sheet

Check out this link, I would advise swapping out substrate to something like coconut coir, topsoil or ABG mix ASAP. I would also add some flat pieces of cork bark to use as hides so the salamanders can hide securely, close to the soil. You'll also want to get your temperatures down to mid 60s or lower for this species. Keep an eye on humidity too, and adjust how much ventilation you have until you can get it to around 60%+ as this genus seems to prefer cool moist environments, just don't restrict the ventilation so much that the air gets stagnant.

 

[LittleGreenFrog]

k, can I refrigerate the sick one?

 

[Dragonfire]

As stated on that care sheet, keep handling to a bare minimum too as their tails fracture off incredibly easily and it stresses them out. How long have you had yours? Skin issues in lungless salamanders are especially concerning as they perform most of their respiration via the skin. Salt baths are also probably ill advised too as you are applying a salty solution to the skin of a species that relies upon their skin even more so than other salamanders, so I would not continue those. I would be cautious about using the refrigerator as it may be cooler than ideal since you still want it over 48 degrees, plus the refrigerator likely will dry the air out too much. Perhaps you could try using a wine cooler? I know keepers have used those for other species that prefer It cooler with success.

 

[LittleGreenFrog]

i.. dont have a wine cooler

 

[LittleGreenFrog]

I've had her for 6 months

 

[Dragonfire]

In that case maybe warming temps in your garage as spring approaches are what brought on illness? Definitely see if redoing the setup and somehow bringing down temperatures into an acceptable range results in improvement. You may want to look into buying a cooler for her, especially if you have others of this species since you don't want any more illness popping up.