FYI: The shock is over....

[CrAwLTWKing]

Hello,
Now that the shock is over of finding out that I possibly have a tiger salamander and not an axolotl, I feel very much prepared. But I have been waiting for this new change and it to be monumental, and nothing. Besides the floating, I have not seen any other clues that he is going to morph. He doesnt even float all the time sometimes he does sometimes he is at the bottom. He doesnt seem to be very interested in the surface anymore. He also is getting bigger. I have noticed that. The gills are longer than when I first posted, and he has grown in length. I am just curious, do they go back and forth when morphing? Or is it usually a one way street? Or like I am thinking, he maybe will not morph, cause maybe he's not full tiger? I am not so sure. But he is now almost 7 inches long, with a hefty appitite. (sp).

 

[henslowsparrow]

This article from Caudata Culture gives some information about tiger salamander metamorphosis.

Caudata Culture Species Entry - Tiger salamander

It is possible that when you first got your salamander, he was in bad shape and may have had damaged gills or may have been stressed, causing him to stay close to the top. Also, even if your salamander does not morph it can still be a tiger salamander. Some tigers will become sexually mature adults without going through metamorphosis, these are neotenic larvae. I know it can seem confusing. There is so much variation. I find some of the books I've purchased to be helpful. I really like A Natural History of Amphibians by Robert Stebbins & Nathan Cohen and Salamanders of the United States and Canada by James Petranka. They are excellent resources and will tell you more than you want to know about salamanders.

 

[Jennewt]

Having the sal NOT morphing yet is a good thing. The larger he is at morph, the better he'll do afterward. Also, it indicates that he's not stressed out by his aquatic environment.

Metamorphosis is a 1-way street. Minor issues with gill size and floating can occur even when the animal isn't headed into metamorphosis, so that's probably what's been going on.

 

[CrAwLTWKing]

Thank you so much both of you...
I feel better. I was thinking that I was doing something wrong if he wasnt moving forward. But he is very playful and happy and loves to eat, so I guess he's fine. I am also very pleased in how he is growing. I was thinking that if he was going to morph then he might be rather small. but now I am releived. And I would love for him to stay in the water for as long as possible. He seems to love swimming all around and I like to watch him. He is very active and has a funny personality. Thank you for all you help and I will have newer pics soon.
Christine