New Tiger!

[DragonBane]

I moved my salamander, Dodongo, to his new 20 gal tank today, so I figured I'd make my first real post and show some pictures. I have one or two questions as well. I'm completely new to it, so I've been reading whatever I can find every day, but there's points that I wanted to double check.

My first question is about feeding. I've read the caresheets along with quite a few posts about tiger salamanders as well. I caught him outside my home, he was hiding under a plastic barrel when it was about 95 degrees outside.

This was about 2 weeks ago. I offered him a worm the next day and he attacked it like he'd been starved for months. I tried to offer him another, but he seemed uninterested. Since then he's been in a 5.5 gal tank with 2 hides and a small water dish.

He comes out about every third day, and eats a single cricket and a single worm. He then returns back underground. I know they enjoy being underground , but I'm wondering if retreating immediately after eating is normal behavior or if it's simply because he's still not used to me. I've read that they're prone to obesity and that they'll eat more when they're growing, and he's about 5 inches long from head to the tip of his tail. The sheets seem to say that every two to three days is optimal for feeding, but I've read some posts that suggest to feed daily.

I don't want to dig in the dirt to make him eat more often, though now that I put him in the 20 gal tank he's been hiding under the bark watching for the past few hours take a final and now type this. At the same time I don't want to risk him being underfed.

The other question I had is: I've done a lot of research now, and I'm under the impression that since I found him in Indiana he's an Eastern Tiger?

This is starting to get a bit long winded, and really late, so I'll add the pictures and be on my way









Ps. I know the dirt looks too wet, but I had just sprayed it from being completely dry.

 

[Niels D]

When they're growing it's no problem to feed them daily, especially when you're feeding them worms. I gave my tigers a lot and now they're pretty big monsters, without being fat. When they're grown they can get obese if they're daily fed of course. My tigers eat from my hand and are very curious. For each single animal it's diffirent, but after a while yours will probably get use to you and it's environment. Try not to push it though.

 

[DragonBane]

Thanks for the quick response! Would you say that he's still growing at 5 inches long? Does feeding more ensure that they get bigger, or is that entirely dependent on genetics? I'd like him to reach his full potential, but I also don't wanna feed him too much if he's close to being done growing.

 

[Jackulwulf]

He can definitely get a lot bigger in size, they can get up to 13 inches. Average size seems to be around 10 to 12 inches I believe. So yours can definitely double his size so don't worry right now about overfeeding him too much. Once he gets to be around 10 or 11 inches then perhaps slow down on his feeding if he starts looking chunky.
He's definitely a cute little guy, when I saw the first picture I thought....that water dish is like way too small..lol but I am used to my own little monster who's like 11 inches long. But seeing him actually in the dish I can see that its an alright size for now.

And they do enjoy being underground, they are mole salamanders so they like to dig in the dirt so be sure that your dirt isn't too packed down. It should be somewhat loose but can still hold shape. The dirt should be moist but not so much that you can squeeze water out of it. What type of soil are you using?

 

[DragonBane]

I'm using topsoil that I got from my back yard where we had a compost heap years ago. Its never been fertilized or had pesticides near it. It seems okay since he's been digging around in it in a few spots. He seems to have taken up permanent residence under the piece of bark though.

Also, the water dish is only temporary until I can find something that I like more. Most of the stuff in the tank is stuff I had lying around since I hadn't planned on acquiring him, but he seems to enjoy it all so far. :happy:

 

[Bryman]

im in the same boat as yo, just moved my tiger into his new 32 gallon tank. only thing i would suggest is maybe from what i have read, cover the back and 2 sides with aquarium paper, so they feel more secure?? thats what i did, just went and got a cool dark background with stick and branch pattern.

your little guy is cute!!

 

[Jackulwulf]

Topsoil works fine though you can add coco fiber from the pet store if you'd like, it can help to maintain moisture a little better. He seems to be adjusting well though, if he's eating fine then you know he isn't too stressed out. Just be careful to make sure that he doesn't swallow small rocks or twigs when he lunges for his food.

You can cover the back and sides with paper if you wish to but they can adjust fine without it. I would do so if he is really skittish and not adjusting well. I did this at first with my tiger and after a while he was fine so I don't have them covered anymore.