Salamander vitamins

[james]

I'm thinking of getting some vitamins for my tiger salamander. Is powder or paste better? I suspect powder lasts slightly longer but I'm happy to be corrected.

Does anyone have any other care tips? I'm thinking of changing substrate from gravel to peat but not sure yet how much I'll need. It's a metre long tank and I reckon I'll want 4 - 6 inches. I presume the best way to clean it is to replace the top layer every few wks?

 

[Jan]

I give my tigers calcium/vitamins via their crickets. I use a cricket food with these additives or dust the crickets with same. I do not use this when feeding earthworms.

Do switch from gravel, but I would stay away from peat...depending, it can contribute acidity to the environment and make it unsuitable for sals. Would recommend you use top soil without any chemicals with/without a mixture of coco-fiber (Bed-A-beast, etc.) Depth of 4-6 inches is good. I would recommend completely changing substrate every 4-8 weeks and spot clean for feces weekly. Make sure the viv has some hides and I also like using a heavy, shallow water dish...is where mine tend to stay.

Good luck with your tiger.

 

[jennifer]

I agree - use soil and/or coco-fiber, not peat. The reasons are explained here:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Ambystoma/A_tigrinum.shtml
In some cases, you can get away with just changing the top layer - it depends on the size of the tank relative to the size of the sal. If it has a large tank, you probably don't need to change all the soil every time.