Question: Salamander from land to water

[CrAwLTWKing]

How do you know when to take the water out and make the tank all land..he has been morphed for a good month now and does not seem interested in getting out of the water at all. I have lots of options for him to do so. He loves to climb on my hand as long as its in the water, as soos as I pull up a little bit, he looks around and then slides back down in the water. He does the same thing when I put him on the rock too.

 

[misslyss]

Any way you could post a picture of the set up you have him in?

 

[CrAwLTWKing]

I could later when I get home. The water level is only 2 inches deep. when I saw his gills go away, I lowered the water level a little bit at a time.....but I guess I have another question....If I just changed the tank to all land with water bowl too soon is this a bad thing. He would still have water to get in. And right now he sticks his head out of the water for long periods of time. But is is bad to keep him in the water for too long as well?
I guess I just want to know the pros and cons for keeping him in water for too long, or moving him to land too fast.

 

[shmifty5]

i don't think a straight out change would be too detrimental to him, just give him some hiding places and make sure that he can escape your watcheful gaze (he might feel threatened), he will most likely be a little shocked by the loss of his watery domain but he will settle in and get comfy.

Pros of lots of water-
1. plenty of moisture
2. summer is pool time

cons of lots of water-
1. infections
2. bacterial and fungal growth.
3. sores
4. it rubs the lotion on its skin...

in my opinion it would be safer to simply transfer him to his terrestrial home sooner rather than later, he has no need for the water at this point and is probably just there for the familiarity of it, besides, the sooner he is on land the sooner you can watch him destroy your careful tank set-up, lol.

 

[misslyss]

Pros of lots of water-
1. plenty of moisture
2. summer is pool time

cons of lots of water-
1. infections
2. bacterial and fungal growth.
3. sores
4. it rubs the lotion on its skin...

Mine love to take frequent dips in the water, and its beneficial for shedding purposes (mine only shed while in the water and use the stones to rub the skin off) since they shed regularly like once a week to every 2 weeks. Also Tiger salamanders are one of the only species to voluntarily enter the water after morphing out into their adult terrestrial stage, so why not provide them with something they are going to use? Fungal Infections come from misting the entire cage with water, or the set up having too much humidity, meaning its marshy and damp all the time. With proper air flow you will not have any problems using a shallow water dish, just as long as they can easily get in and out. I can't stress it enough to have the main substrate dry and clean though, because that is where you will find most fungal and bacterial growth, causing your animal to become sick. I have my set up 1/4 water and 3/4 land, with absolutely no problems.

Oh and just in case you don't already know, make sure to use dechlorinated water (not from the tap)!

If you wanted to switch him to a terrestrial set up with some water a good rule of thumb is provide a small dish with enough water so he can fully submerge himself.. and enough coco-fiber or soil so he can also dig underneath. When mine first morphed out I transfered him to a terrestrial set up, with about 1/4 water, switched it to a smaller dish, then switched it back to the larger once I got another Tiger and noticed how frequently they entered the water! I remember within 10 minutes of him being on "land" (for the first time in his life) he dug a tunnel and completely covered himself with dirt, and looked very satisfied. If you switch his home from water to dirt, he will know what to do

 

[CrAwLTWKing]

Thank You! But what I read about the water is its ok to get from the tap as long as you put the dechlorifying drops in it...Or do I just buy it already done? As well as all the set ups I have been seeing have soil on the bottom and then the coconut fiber on top...Do I need to do that? I was planning on just getting the coconut stuff, I already have the water dishes and rocks, He already has one that he loves to hide in from the water, so I am gonna use that.

 

[CrAwLTWKing]

here is Crawl the Warrior King!

 

[caudatadude28]

If he choses to be aquatic and is still healthy and eats well, I dont actually think that you need to persuade him to go terrestrial. Some populations of tigers are neotenic. I have heard from other keepers of tiger salamanders that thiers morph but stay aquatic, at least for a few months. If you have rocks or floating islands breaking the surface, just wait till he is ready.

 

[shmifty5]

Thank You! But what I read about the water is its ok to get from the tap as long as you put the dechlorifying drops in it...Or do I just buy it already done? As well as all the set ups I have been seeing have soil on the bottom and then the coconut fiber on top...Do I need to do that? I was planning on just getting the coconut stuff, I already have the water dishes and rocks, He already has one that he loves to hide in from the water, so I am gonna use that.

the water can be treated with drops that you buy at a pet store or wal-mart or any market or store that will carry aquarium products.

i use coconut fibre in my tank and my tiger seems fine with it, i am planning on making a mix with soil and sphagnum moss and coconut fibre on my newt pay-day, i don't see why you couldn't just use coconut fibre or organic top soil, you don't have to use a mix nor do you have to use either of those, the sky of non-harmful products that he can burrow through is your limits. (some use large stones or small gravel, i don't know why nor do i advise you to do so, it's just for reference).

i also agree with caudatadude, in some respects, there is no "HURRY, HURRY, DO IT NOW!!!" reasons for him to make the transition yet, but it will happen eventually so it may as well be now (this does not apply to multi-stage animals that need a terrestrial then aquatic life-stages, as tossing a terrestrial newt in the water too soon will not result in a happy newt).