Tiger Salamander Questions

[candie]

i hope i got the right place. i'm seeking some answers to my questions on caring for a salamander. my son found a adult tiger salamander and wants to keep it as a pet i have it in a large see through tuperware container. i have put an area of potting soil in one corner some rocks and artificial plants for hiding i also have a cakepan with water for it to swim or bathe in. we found some crickets and put them in there to. my main question is how to feed it in the winter when there are no insects available. i have newt and salamander bites that i got from the pet store but how do i get the salamander to eat them? i'd really apreciate any help on how to care for this salamander as my son has fallen in love with it and i'd hate for it to die on him. if anyone has any tips or advice for me please e-mail me at candiem617@hotmail.com thank you.

 

[dot]

Hi.

I've got a tiger salamander too -- I feed her live earthworms, because they're the most nutritious. You can get 2 dozen "Canadian Nightcrawlers" in the fishing/sporting goods section of any Wal*Mart store. You can also get worms at any pet store, but they may charge more for only a dozen worms.

You may want to put your salamander in a tank - I keep mine in a 10 gallon fish tank, with terrarium moss (found at most chain pet stores, I got mine at Petco,) a shallow water dish and a little wooden cave to hide in. For a substrate, I use the ExoTerra coconut fiber, which is pretty inexpensive.

Check out the caresheet for tiger sals at Caudata Culture. When I first got my tiger, this helped me quite a bit.

http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Ambystoma/A_tigrinum.shtml

Good luck!

 

[mark]

Make sure the dirt does not have any fertilizers in it.
Some of my tiger salamanders are picky with red wigglers and leaf worms, which are commonly available at pet stores and bait shops, but they ALWAYS eat nightcrawler bits. Make sure if you use nightcrawlers to cut them up small enough for them.
Another good food to try now and then is waxworms, which pet stores sell live. Tiger salamanders will not eat any non-living food like those newt bites (unless you really trick them).