Question: need to cut up earthworms?

[jlbarrett2]

I am so excited. Two of our 3 tiger larvae have morphed into beautiful salamanders! Mike is deep gray on top with a cream belly and what looks like "leopard" spots. Spike with yellow/cream with wonderful stripes.

My question is, when I feed them earthworms 2-3 times a week, do I need to cut them up? They seem so large for the little guys and I would hate for them to choke on them.

Also, I am using coco fiber as the substrate with a wonderful log for hiding and some greenery (fake) to help retain moisture. Spike seems to like to climb onto everything and try and get to the top of the setup. Is this normal?

Thanks for all your help! We only have one more little larvae, Cougar, who as of yet has not shown any signs of morphing. Once he changes over we will have 3 wonderful little guys! Will all 3 be okay in a 20 gallon land setup?

 

[Jan]

I am so excited. Two of our 3 tiger larvae have morphed into beautiful salamanders! Mike is deep gray on top with a cream belly and what looks like "leopard" spots. Spike with yellow/cream with wonderful stripes.

My question is, when I feed them earthworms 2-3 times a week, do I need to cut them up? They seem so large for the little guys and I would hate for them to choke on them.

Also, I am using coco fiber as the substrate with a wonderful log for hiding and some greenery (fake) to help retain moisture. Spike seems to like to climb onto everything and try and get to the top of the setup. Is this normal?

Thanks for all your help! We only have one more little larvae, Cougar, who as of yet has not shown any signs of morphing. Once he changes over we will have 3 wonderful little guys! Will all 3 be okay in a 20 gallon land setup?

Re cutting the worms prior to feeding, that would depend on how large the worm is. For a large worm I would recommend cutting it up into size-appropriate pieces. Here is a nice article on how this can be accomplished:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/worms2.shtml

Re activity of the one....some tigers are more active than others. If your substrate is appropriate and moist and the temp is around 70F or less I wouldn't be concerned. Stressed animals can be 'active' in their attemp to escape. A shallow water dish may also be used.

Re 20 gallon viv for 3 tigers....a 20 gallon long should be fine for 3 while they are juveniles. When they approach adult length, I would recommend only 2 tigers per 20 gallon long.

Congrats!

 

[jlbarrett2]

Thanks for your input and the link!