Spotted salamander

[innes]

are the requrements for keeping spotted salamanders the same as for tiger salamanders?
peat,moss,some crickets and a water dish.

 

[nate]

Peat is not good for tigers/spotted sals. To quote the tiger caresheet from Caudate Central

"It has been shown that substrates with a low pH, like peat moss or sphagnum moss, may cause ion loss and eventual death of the animal."

Otherwise, yes, the care is very similar to tiger sals. the caresheet addy is:

http://www.caudata.org/caudatecentral/caresheets/Ambystoma_tigrinum.html

 

[timmytool]

so what kind of moss should we use?

 

[nate]

Why use moss at all? They do just fine in soil alone.

 

[timmytool;]

it makes the water dirty.

 

[kai]

Well, just get rid of the water...

(Doesn't anyone bother to read Nate's sound advice @ caudatecentral?)

 

[kai]

http://www.caudata.org/caudatecentral/editor/amby1.html
http://www.caudata.org/caudatecentral/editor/amby2.html

 

[nate]

Timmy, your tiger does not need water or moss. All it needs is moist soil to burrow in. You will not find tigers in the wild living in moss like Plethodontids, they are living several inches below the moss, underground. In fact, as Ed points out in the care sheet, the acidity of the moss can be harmful. As for water dishes, they are often present when tigers die mysteriously of wierd infections. hmmmm....