New Salamander Owner

[tmorey]

Hi all, I'm new to salamanders & this site. We have a tiger salamander that we got because my husband does underground work & was filling in a well pit that, according to the homeowner, a salamander had been living in for 4 to 5 years. He didn't want to take it from its home with no where to release it that had any kind of water so he brought it home with the intention of finding someplace to release him. We've now had him for 9 months. I did tons of research to make sure we were taking care of him properly & we must be since he's almost doubled in size. We have him in an 80 gallon tank with shallow water, stones, soil and plants. We were keeping moss in there at first but it kept getting really smelly when it'd get wet. We also have some hollowed out small logs for him to hide in. My biggest concern is I live in Michigan and need to know if its legal to keep him. I hope so because we're very attached to Gus. I've tried to research it but it seems to be a gray area from what I can find. Can anyone answer this?

 

[frogman]

Tiger salamanders are a terrestrial species, and as they get big require lots of room, which with an 80g tank...seems you have spoiled him . Usually some essentials in a tiger tank are: Deep soil to burrow in, lots of hiding areas, and a small water dish for them to soak in. I prefer to feed mine earthworms and they will also eat just about anything they can fit in their mouths I am not sure about Michigan laws but im sure someone on this site can answer that for you. Two great links for tiger salamander care are Caudata Culture Species Entry - Tiger salamander and Caudata Culture Articles - Tiger Salamander 101 . I hope you have success with this animal as tigers are a great species that is great for a first amphibian pet. They can get to be beasts as well with some exceeding 12"!

Best of luck,

Evan

 

[Kaysie]

Evan gives solid advice. I've kept tigers for years, strictly terrestrial with a dish. Only my Arizona tigers use theirs regularly. The rest just burrow under theirs.

Tiger salamanders are not protected in Michigan.

 

[tmorey]

Thanks for the info. I'm relieved I won't have any DNR issues by keeping him. He does spend a lot of time in his water dish. He usually will take his worms in there to eat them. Even if he doesn't he'll usually spend at least a few hours a day in it. I wondered if I possibly keep my house to warm & he goes in there to cool down. I know I've read they like cooler temps. That's pretty much where all his poop is too. Very convenient for me...much easier to keep clean. I change his water twice a day. Is this often enough? I don't want him to get sick swimming in his poop

 

[Kaysie]

Sounds excellent. Just be sure you're using dechlorinated water.