Question: Sick Tiger or Egg-Bound?

[Arwen9]

My Tiger salamander Smaug morphed in December/January. So she's not been an adult for very long, but long enough I guess?

I'm pretty sure she's well...a she. Her cloaca is swollen and appears to look the same as the pictures I've seen of female salamanders in breeding season.

There is no male in her tank. She's got a rounded belly down toward her hips. She's very sluggish and barely eating.

I was wondering if that's normal? I would think they'd eat MORE if she's got eggs, but I'm not sure. Also, if she is egg-bound, should I give her a deeper/wider pool than she has now?

Or should I be concerned that she may be sick?

 

[Kaysie]

What kind of substrate do you have her on? What are you feeding her?

 

[Arwen9]

What kind of substrate do you have her on? What are you feeding her?

3 in deep Repti-Bark is the substrate, along with hides and etc.

I feed her 3 superworms or 2 medium crickets every 3 days, dipping them in calci-powder every other feeding.

 

[Kaysie]

Neither superworms or crickets are easily digested. Their chitin-ous exoskeleton could be causing impaction, leading to the swollen cloaca.

Have you tried earthworms?

 

[Arwen9]

Neither superworms or crickets are easily digested. Their chitin-ous exoskeleton could be causing impaction, leading to the swollen cloaca.

Have you tried earthworms?

Wow. I had no idea. I was told crickets and superworms were the best thing for them.

I haven't tried earthworms yet, but I probably can. I'm not sure where to get them. Silly, but would I get them from a fishing supply store?

 

[Kaysie]

Bait shop worms are usually fine, as are the worms from the fishing department at Wal-Mart (that's where I get mine).

Just give them a good rinse in some fresh water, and dangle them in front of her. I bet she snaps them right up. My tigers can not resist juicy worms!

 

[Arwen9]

Bait shop worms are usually fine, as are the worms from the fishing department at Wal-Mart (that's where I get mine).

Just give them a good rinse in some fresh water, and dangle them in front of her. I bet she snaps them right up. My tigers can not resist juicy worms!

Sounds good.

I'll swing by Wal-Mart and pick some up. (and NOT mention it's not for fishing. )

Hopefully that will help. I'm a little worried because her appetite is way down now and she's not coming out of her hides but rarely. (whereas before she was always begging at the side of the glass)

 

[Jan]

3 in deep Repti-Bark is the substrate, along with hides and etc.

I feed her 3 superworms or 2 medium crickets every 3 days, dipping them in calci-powder every other feeding.

Liz, is there any chance that she ingested a piece(s) of Repti Bark while lunging for food? This could definitely cause impaction/obstruction. My tigers often get substrate in their mouths when eating. For this reason, I avoid any type of substrate that could cause issues. I use the coco-fiber blocks like Bed A Beast or Eco Earth that are reconstituted with water...either alone or mixed with soil. This easily passes thru the digestive system. As for crickets, I routinely use these as food items. One tiger will not touch a worm....been living on crickets for 10 years with no problem. I prefer worms...
(s)he however, does not.

Might you have access to a vet who might be able to diagnose what may be going on?

 

[Arwen9]

Liz, is there any chance that she ingested a piece(s) of Repti Bark while lunging for food? This could definitely cause impaction/obstruction. My tigers often get substrate in their mouths when eating. For this reason, I avoid any type of substrate that could cause issues. I use the coco-fiber blocks like Bed A Beast or Eco Earth that are reconstituted with water...either alone or mixed with soil. This easily passes thru the digestive system. As for crickets, I routinely use these as food items. One tiger will not touch a worm....been living on crickets for 10 years with no problem. I prefer worms...
(s)he however, does not.

Might you have access to a vet who might be able to diagnose what may be going on?

It's possible.

I was told not to use small rocks/gravel/etc but that the bark would probably be okay. She was on a substrata of bark but with a layer of moss on top. But I changed her tank and within a few weeks she acted that way. ... Hmm.

If she did swallow some bark, will it eventually pass if I move her to a different, safer tank? OR is it something that can't be solved that way?

I don't have an exotic pet vet nearby that I know of. I'm assuming a regular vet would not be good.

Liz

 

[Jan]

It sounds as if she has something going on in her abdomen, which could be any number of things including egg bound, obstruction/impaction from a foreign object or food, a mass, cyst, etc. The only way to definitively know would be to get an x-ray or ultrasound.

There is no way to know if it will pass as we don't know what is causing the problem.

A safe environment is always key.

Here are two sites that you can search for an exotic vet. Search by state:

Herp Vet Connection

https://timssnet2.allenpress.com/EC...TNT_MDSearch.cfm?CFID=905335&CFTOKEN=26688731

If this is unsuccessful for where you live, call a regular vet and explain what is going on. I wouldn't be overly optimistic, but (s)he he might be able to offer something.