what is this green slime?

[fignewton]

So my tiger, Marly, spends a great deal of time in his pond. I've been told it doesn't need to be as big as it is, but he loves it so oh well. I'd say he probably spends 75% of his time in the water. He prefers to eat his worms in the water, and he also poops there, so it is cleaned frequently. But about once a week I'd say, there is this kind of green slimy stuff, when it's in the water it looks like a sheet of film, sometimes clumped up. I'm wondering what this is... if it is him shedding? Or if it's just excretions from his skin? Maybe a protective thing? I mean, he's not a slimy animal or anything, so I'm really thinking it's just him shedding. But idk. It's not really important, just something I'm curious about. I only ever have noticed it in the water. His tank is usually at about 60-70% humidity, and his substrate is always plenty damp, but still he usually prefers to just chill in the water. So keeping the water clean is important. I'd just like to know what the things in it are!
Thanks!
Emily

 

[Greatwtehunter]

Re: what is this green slim?

To me it sounds like cyanobacteria, which is mainly caused by high waste and nutrients in the water. Your tiger defecating in the water would explain the bloom. Oh just in case you don't know the "green algae" as it is commonly referred to is actually a bacteria.

 

[Jan]

Re: what is this green slim?

A tiger's shed does appear as a thin transparent film - and it can clump. IF he is olive color - it would appear as light green. Weekly shedding, however, seems excessive - could be a sign of stress.

It is unusual for a tiger to spend so much time in the water...they are by nature fossorial animals that burrow. I have seen tigers retreat to water when under apparent stress from their environment. In another thread, you indicated that you were getting 'bugs' in the substrate....this may be a sign that the substrate is soiled...etc...and perhaps the tiger is seeking refuge in the water.

What is his substrate and is your tank adequately ventilated? 70% humidity is fairly significant. You also mention that your substrate is 'plenty damp' - the substrate just needs to be kept moist.

 

[fignewton]

I guess weekly is probably a high guess, maybe not that often but it (the green film) seems to be around a lot. I actually recently changed Marly's setup a bit, and he's been spending more time out of the water. I had a little curved log that was placed like a bridge over the water and land area, and he mostly liked to sit in the water under teh bridge. I had added a live plant and moved the bridge out of the water. This was a couple days ago I think. Since then, he's been spending more time out of the water and around the log and plant. He actually has been burying himself the last few days, under the log, which he never does (bury himself, I mean.) I was thinking that maybe he's burying himself because I have been wetting down his tank more than usual. The other day the humidity was back down to like 55% and he was out of the substrate and back in the water. So I wetted it down again and now he's burried under the log, with just his little face poking out. I've been keeping the humidity high mostly because I'm very paranoid of him drying up and turning into a little salamander mummy. I had a bad experience in school with the class salamader drying up over the weekend, so I'm super paranoid of him getting too dry! I didn't know 'too wet' could be bad for him though, so that is good to know! What kind of humidity range would be best for him? Last night he actually ate his worm on the land, which he never does either (and his water was just cleaned so I know it wasn't because the water was dirty) so I thought maybe he is liking the way the tank is being maintained now? I do like seeing him out of the water so much the last few days, but it's really strange to go up to the room and not have him in the water dish. I went up to check what kind of substrate I'm using, it just says Reptile Bark by All Living Things (it doesn't say what particular kind of wood it is.) Because he only seems to be out of the water if the bark is pretty damp, could that mean that the bark is too coarse for his skin when it gets drier?
Oh and yes Marly is olive colored. He's got the really dark olive body with the light olive spots on him. We don't have the bright colored tigers around here but I think he's still beauitful!
I'd appreciate any advice, as I want him to have the best kind of life I can give him - and for him to be around as long as he can!
I've been thinking about getting a little smaller of a water dish, as his is pretty large. Maybe that would cut down on the humidity level?
Emily

 

[Jan]

In that he is staying out of the water and burrowing more is good....he is doing what he would do in his natural environment.

Regarding substrate, what you are using is a substrate made of fir wood - good in that it doesn't contain pine bark or cedar which have aromatic oils that are toxic to sals. But in my opinion, it is too rough a substrate - when dry it can have jagged edges and I'm always concerned about ingestion when a tiger lunges for food. As you are going to change your substrate, I would recommend using coconut fiber (e.g., Bed a Beast expandable bricks) with a mix of topsoil (no chemicals). One reconstituted brick with some topsoil would be perfect for a 10 gallon tank.

As you live in Minnesota, I wouldn't worry about humidity. Rather, concentrate on moisture level of your substrate. It is best to have a moisture gradient in your tank with hides at either end...one end more moist than the other. The substate should be moist but not to the point that you can wringe out water. I spray the tank when the cocofiber appears to be drying out. The mesh lid you have is good and should provide adequate ventilation. A water dish is also good. In my observation, my tigers will take an occasional dip right before they shed. They do shed on land however.

As a side note, I would remove the pine cone for the reason stated above. In nature, they can be abundant in the animal's habitat....but in a 10 gallon enclosure, it is a different scenario.

As for the olive color - I too think it is beautiful...but then I've never met a tiger that wasn't. What they may lack in color, they make up for in antics and 'personality'.