Tiger salamander recovering from vet visit

[henslowsparrow]

One of my tiger salamanders has had an abscess by his nostril since I received him in April. I took him to the vet yesterday to have it checked out and he removed some of the fluid with a needle to see if there was any bacteria or anything else alarming. Fortunately, the sample only contained blood, so the vet thinks it's nothing to worry about. I have placed him in a plastic storage box on damp paper towels to prevent an infection from forming where the blood was removed. My question is, how long should he remain in this sterile environment? The vet said only a couple of days but I'm a little skeptical. I was the one who suggested putting him in a separate, clean container when the vet was worried about the possibility of infection, plus he kept referring to my salamander as a reptile. This vet does specialize in exotics but apparently he doesn't see many amphibians, especially not caudates. Any advice on assisting my guy in his recovery would be appreciated.

 

[Greatwtehunter]

I would leave him in the simple setup until you feel like the possibility of an infection has passed.

 

[Jennewt]

Good for you for knowing that he should be kept on paper towels! Help from a vet is best when the keeper has good common sense about the animal, as most vets don't know much about amphibs. Since the injury is on his nose, you don't want him digging. I would say keep him on toweling until the nose appears well healed and able to sustain digging. And after you put him back in a normal setup, I'd take him out daily for the first few days and make sure the nose still looks OK.

 

[henslowsparrow]

The problem is, the wound is not obvious. His nose looks much the same as it did before he went to the vet. The bump/blister actually looks a bit bigger. The vet only removed a sample of the fluid with the needle so the wound from this is not visible, making me unsure of when it will be healed and therefore safe to place him back in his dirt. I'm also concerned about this abscess appearing larger. Could it still be swollen from being aggravated from removing the sample of fluid on Monday?