Tank finished. Experts advice

[CreativeOne]

Got the tank setup after doing research I thought to keep it simple for now and see how she goes. I added some small plants and gave her 4 decent holes under bark hides.



Omitted the water bowl and still continuing an earthworm diet. I'm tapping on the glass 3 times before any feeding.



UIt's been alot of fun. Anybody see anything anomalies in my setup? Advice is appreciated.



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[jAfFa CaKe]

What type of salamander is it? I would suggest adding some hide and maybe some dry leaves the her to mooch about in.

 

[CreativeOne]

Sorry, Its a wild caught spotted salamander. Looks a few years old. I've got 4 good hiding spots along the far side of the tank. and 1 more behind the plants.

 

[Chinadog]

I'm not sure the direct sunlight is a good idea? Glass tanks can get warm quite quickly in the sun, even with a mesh lid.

 

[sde]

I agree with Jake ( jAfFaCaKe ) and Chinadog.

I think it needs more hides, and maybe some leaves, like Jake said.

And I also agree with Chinadog, it shouldn't be in direct sunlight. They would appreciate the shade.

Also, how deep is the dirt? Most Ambystomas like to dig, and so deep dirt is recommended.

 

[CreativeOne]

It was only in the sun for the picture. Detroit had kinda a heat wave and took it outside because it was cooler outside than inside. Wife wasn't ready for the AC. The substrate is about 5-6 inches high. Its got plenty of spots to hide. Guess you can't see it in picture. Its about 4 inches deep and I covered the hide with dirt to kinda camouflage it. I threw in about a dozen pill bugs and been spraying it a few times a day.



The habitat is about 68-70F.


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[sde]

Sounds good to me. I don't really see many hides in the picture, but I will trust you on that one.

Don't spray too much, cause the water you put in takes a while to evaporate/dissipate. So if you spray too much it will make the soil soggy and wet, and that could lead to problems.

Not positive on this ( I have never seen a spotted salamander care sheet ), but I think 68-70F is a bit too high.
You could probably cool it down a bit by putting ice packs on the outside of the tank.

Good luck with the fella! -Seth

 

[CreativeOne]

Thanks Seth. I was following the Tiger Sally care sheet as I was advised. Not quite sure on the live plants, these were to test some of the live decor I was planning on experimenting with a 20G long.

The one I circled with the one thats pretty deep almost 6 inches in. Thats his spot. I try not to feed him in front of his spot because he just drags it back in. So I tap on the glass 3 times and put the worm in the middle of the tank to try to promote trust.. But still right now I need to feed him close to the hideout.

I took a picture of the hill with the hiding spots. I hate to annoy him so I just used a flashlight and took a picture of all the spots.

Edit: Lettuce in the tank to feed the wood louse

 

[sde]

I see the hides now. Looks like he is enjoying himself in that soil too.

The tapping thee glass and then feeding him idea is really cool, I might have to try that.

I like the setup, its nice and simple, so its easy to find him and feed him etc. I think I may have made my Ambystoma tank a little too elaborate. I cant find them half the time.

If you have any further question feel free to ask -Seth