Tiger salamanders have nails?

[dixychickca]

Just as the title says, do tiger salamanders have nails? I looked at his hands and there is black (almost hard) at the tip of them.

 

[Ben Krysa]

Actually, the hardened tips on the toes of tigers are common in many ambystomids. They are just toughened skin that helps them dig burrows. It's pretty neat when they shed. The skin has the tips on it and the salamander's "nails" are much lighter after a shed.

 

[dixychickca]

Oh wow, I didn't know tigers shed. When does that happen? Intersting information you find on here.

 

[Jan]

Tigers shed periodically -I've seen it as often as once a month or more frequently with skin diseases. Some tigers leave their shed.... I usually find the shed in their water dish or under one of their hides. Some you may never see their shed....I speculate that they, like some other caudates, may eat their shed.

 

[dixychickca]

Well if they do eat their skin, lets hope it won't hurt them. I thought only snakes shed their skin. So far since i've had him, I haven't seen it, however, I have been finding white power in his home. Know what that could be?

 

[Jan]

Eating shed is natural and a way for the salamander to conserve nutrients as it provides nourishment.

The 'white powder' you see may well be mold. I notice you use coco-fiber as a substrate. In a moist and perhaps overly humid environment, this substrate will develop mold. This doesn't appear to harm the salamander but I would check that the set-up has adequate ventilation and isn't overly wet.

 

[Morm]

many amphibians and most reptiles I've encountered eat most or all of their shed. Sometimes they don't eat it all and you'll find fragments around. I have caught crested geckos in the act of shedding before, foot in their mouth and everything, just as an example. They are pretty secretive about it.

 

[henslowsparrow]

I actually caught my tiger last night eating his shed skin. I flipped the light on and was surprised to see him shaking it like he does his worms. It was pretty neat to catch him in the act.

 

[Jan]

I actually caught my tiger last night eating his shed skin. I flipped the light on and was surprised to see him shaking it like he does his worms. It was pretty neat to catch him in the act.

In all the many, many years I have kept tigers, I have never actually seen them eat their shed although I assumed they did. Neat! For the ones I do find sheds, the sheds are whole, not fragments.