Question: Tiger Sally lighting and getting a friend?

[TheKailyBadger]

So for starters my sally was wild caught. I've had him a bit over a year. I just got him a new tank(cage?) that gives me a lot more options than a little 10 gallon.

1) Lights, should he have some? He is kept in my room which is in the basement next to the window well, so he doesn't get much direct sunlight. Should I be looking into some special lights for him? If so recommendations would be nice.

2) A buddy. He looks pretty bored a lot. He is a happy dude but sometimes I wonder if I should get a companion for him. I know a lot of people house multiples together without much issue but him being wild caught could it bring up any issue with a second salamander being introduced?

Thanks much!

 

[sde]

1. I would not recommend any lighting unless you want to grow live plants in his tank. The lights - even if they aren't that bright - might stress him. Salamanders typically like darker places, so if you don't need a light i would just skip it

2. I don't think tiger salamanders are that social. The only times that i have ever heard of them being social is during the breeding season and during cold months, when they might congregate in rodent burrows to conserve warmth. So he probably doesn't mind that he's alone. But if you want to get another one that would probably be fine too, as long as there's enough space for both of them. Ambystomas aren't supposed to be territorial, so i don't think that he would 'attack' another tiger salamander if you put one in there.

Hope this helps! -Seth

 

[TheKailyBadger]

Thanks much!

 

[Jan]

I agree with Seth. These are nocturnal animals; lighting is not needed and may potentially generate heat. Tigers and planted tanks can be fraught with problems as tigers easily dig up plants. Silk and plastic plants are options for decorations. Be cautious also of direct sunlight.

These are solitary animals so 'friends' are not needed. If you do decide to introduce another tiger, consider quarantining it first.

 

[JoshBA]

The only times that i have ever heard of them being social is during the breeding season and during cold months, when they might congregate in rodent burrows to conserve warmth.

I wouldn't say that during the winter salamanders would congregate together in burrows as a social behavior to conserve heat. Salamanders are cold-blooded animals, so their temperature underground would be the same as their surroundings. Although there is inevitably a small amount heat created by bodily functions, cold-blooded organisms do not conserve warmth inside of their bodies. Also, their metabolic rate would stay very low underground during winter months.

 

[sde]

I was wrong, it is not to conserve warmth ( that doesn't make sense ), it is to conserve body water. And its not even in the winter, its in the spring. I don't know how I got that mixed up but I apologize for that mistake.

"Amphibians and Reptiles of the Pacific Northwest" Ronald A. Nussbaum, Edmund D. Brodie, Jr., Robert M. Storm.

"Terrestrial Tiger Salamanders are sometimes found piled up in burrows. This "piling up" behavior is thought to have survival value by reducing the surface area of individuals exposed to evaporation during dry weather, and in this manner preventing rapid loss of body water and perhaps death. This behavior also has been observed in Long-toed Salamanders"

-Seth