Illness/Sickness: Tiger Salamander sick

Karen
His movement doesn't look that unusual to me from what I can decifer on the video and in that he is mobilizing on a slick surface. I do agree that he looks thin. Wax worms are generally reserved as a treat, to encourage a sal who will not feed or to fatten up an undernourished animal....not considered a staple diet. I would use them for these reasons as they have a poor ca/phos ratio.

When at the Indianapolis zoo, we used Phoenix worms in our area for some of our reptiles and amphibs. They are not too common in pet stores, but here is an online source:
http://www.phoenixworm.com/servlet/StoreFront

Regarding the brownish/redish coloration, a few photos would be helpful. The area around the cloaca
often appears translucent and can be of variable colors. My Eastern Tigers continue to change in coloration with spots becoming more large blotches as they have aged.

Regarding your comment that 'he stays in the same position all day and only moves when you place him in the plastic bucket'.....that sounds like normal tiger behavior. Adult tigers do not move much. Often they will burrow and stay underground for days....or stay under a hide with only the tip of their nose showing for days.

I noticed that you remove your sals every day to a bucket to feed them - actually, this may be causing stress. Sals should be handled as little as possible and my preference is to feed them in their own vivarium so they do not have to be moved. The oils, chemicals on our hands can be harmful to the sal and just handling causes undue stress. I hand feed so that I know exactly how much food each animal has eaten. Most keepers on this forum feed tigers only 1 to 3 times a week, as much as the sal will consume in "one sitting". You may want to consider this schedule as well.
 
Thank you so much Jan. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all your advice and I will look on that site for the Phoenix worms. As far as moving, Blacky was the most active and ALWAYS came to the side when it was feeding time and walked around and around where ever my hand or face was that he could see. Matter of fact he would always want to try and climb on my hand and would at times (I wash my hands real well and let the water run for a long time on them and get my hand wet or rub dirt on it) Then it was about two weeks ago that all of a sudden he does not come out AT ALL nor moves when I take the coconut shell house off to look at him and then he is usually in a ball and just sits there and does nothing. That change in behavior worries me, but I am glad he is still eating. The other salamanders are all still scurrying around to get food from me when I open the lid. So he has done a total personality dive all of a sudden :confused: is that normal?
 
I would say that whenever there is a change, it is something to ponder. IF all physical signs appear to be normal, husbandry is apppropriate, temperatures are correct, you've ruled out stress, etc., then I don't worry much about 'personalities'. Individual tigers can be very different from tank mates. Some can be outgoing and then go into almost a seclusion for a long period of time. Then, the same animal once again appears and seems outgoing....some just like to stay burrowed...and some like to be more active. As they age, they slow down and when geriatric may even lose their hunting instinct (I speculate based on my own experience) as they may become blind/have a lessened sense of smell/ability to detect motion of prey.

I would continue to observe him and reduce stress.
 
I will continue to watch and I won't handle him and just give him his worm in his tank and see how he does. I might send a video in his home too sometime. Tomorrow I'm giving him one of the wax worms. Thanks again Jan. Its so nice to get so much support from this board.:happy:
 
Blacky won't take a wax worm anywhere and he hasn't eaten for a couple of days. I tried in his tank...not interested. I finally got him out again and fed him a cricket that was dusted. It crawled all over him and he made one weak attempt and then he got it on a second weak attempt as I put the cricket right in front of his nose.

Do you all think that he is trying to HIBERNATE at all? This last winter was the first time they didn't hibernate because this is the first time they have been indoors in the winter instead of a freezing cold window well.
 
It's okay if he hasn't eaten for a couple days-salamanders can go weeks without eating. In fact, you should only really feed every 2-3 days. I wouldn't think he is trying to hibernate considering its summer.;) He may be trying to estivate if it's too hot. Just give him some time, keep trying to feed him every couple days, and offer a variety of items.
 
I guess you are right about summer and not hibernate. I just thought that if they miss their time frame then maybe he will try to get it in sometime...like me if I keep on going to bed too late, I have to take a nap sometime...LOL Okay, I'll try to be patient and not drive everyone crazy, but he is just acting so different and all of a sudden. I have no idea how old they are either. We had our house built about 7 years ago and I don't know how or when they got in our window well. Thanks for the advice. I will keep watch. He just seems weak and such a big change to his behavior.

I looked up "estivation" and that does seem like it fits...maybe that is what he is going through! I hope so.
 
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So if Blacky is estivating, what do I do with him? Just leave him alone? He is not interested in anything to eat and is under his coconut shell. How do I take care of him if he is estivating? Do I spray him and he is not eating wax worms and actually turns away from them and he doesn't move to get a cricket. What do I do with this estivation if he is going through that? Not touch him at all?
 
Just leave him be if in fact he is estivating. All you really need to do is spray the next every once in awhile, as long as it doesn't dry completely out you'll be in good shape. Also you could try feeding him once every week or two but don't be surprised if he goes a month without eating. Two of my A. maculatum do this every summer and it usually last around 7-9 weeks.
 
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I hope this is what he is going through.
 
Re: Tiger Salamander sick--new video of Blacky

I've posted here a new video of Blacky to get any observations from you all. He sits in his coconut shell all day and all night and doesn't come out or eat (I know that some of you have said that in estivation that they might not eat for a month) He looks thin though. But he's been this way now for about 3 weeks now?

YouTube - Blacky in Tank
 
Re: Blacky is Dead =.0(

Blacky is dead. His eyes are small and don't fluxuate. He doesn't move at all. I have picked him up by the tail and nothing. I sprayed a lot of water on him to clean him up of dirt and he doesn't move. He is a limp nothing..no breathing movements. No signs of life. So sad. I wished I could have helped him. I guess he wasn't estivating. Blacky was the most friendly and active out of all of them. My boys and I will miss him.

Karen
 
I just read all the posts. I am so sorry that Blacky is gone!:( That last video is so sad! He actually looks depressed like he knows he can't do what he used to. I know it is hard when you become attached. (How can we not, right?) I go through it when I lose one too. I know it will be hard for your boys.

It seems you did everything you could. Just remember that you saved them all from a drowning death, so you prolonged his life. If you had taken him out of the window well and left him next to it, he might have been a snack for a hungry snake or bird, so you really did him a favor. You have no idea how old he was when you found him and he very well could have been getting up there in years. I think you did the best you could and Blacky knows and appreciates it. He knows he was loved!:happy:

How are the others doing?
 
Thank you so much for your comforting words Critter Mom. I really appreciate it. So sad I told one of my boys this morning. You are so kind.
 
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