Tiger salamander care

[Lija]

WOW! thank you so much for this! it looks like I'm going shopping :lol: 20 gal long? I wonder what the measurements would be, 18x18 or 24x18 may be? see i can't do mesh top, the tanks are in a rack system and have to have front opening. 20 gal - is it for a baby, right? what would be size for adult then? I was thinking 42x18x18 - it is our standard size for bigger tanks, they fit nicely in a rack this way

the one I have is eastern tiger, or so I was told and he is sitting in his hide right now, the hide looks like a log, may be that is why.
i very much like the fact that no heating/spec lightening/ humidity control needed, all my other tanks with a few exceptions have so much stuff sticking in and out :lol:

i will do tong feeding - that is my preferred method for other guys and tiger yesterday took cricket from hands, so I'm guessing tong feeding won't be a problem. no moss anyway, i don't like risk it when not necessary, even if tong feeding. roaches are illegal here, so will stick to crickets and worms- should it be earthworms or night crawlers - ok? same stuff but bigger? may be pieces when tiger is small? how small crickets/ worms should be?
how often should I feed him? and how much? does 15min/everyday rule apply for them as well when they're babies what about older guys?

anything else i can feed him- i should stay away from mealworms/superworms I'm assuming, but what about hornworms, silkworms, butterworms as a treat?

also - you have 2 in a tank? are they communal and will mine be happier if to get him a company?

how to sex them and when? i just like to know how to refer to him or her

I don't know if that is WC or CB, it is small and it was imported from US, 6"-7" - how old he might be? how long do they live?

P.S. sorry for an avalanche of questions, usually I get all the answers before I'm getting a new species, but since my other half apparently got his first addiction symptom yesterday, i had to say yes :lol: he will have less chances to say no to me now :lol: and since we need bigger tank for salamander now we'll need to get another rack, and this way we'll have more space for a new tanks! I'm loving it!

[KingCam]

WOW! thank you so much for this! it looks like I'm going shopping :lol: 20 gal long? I wonder what the measurements would be, 18x18 or 24x18 may be? see i can't do mesh top, the tanks are in a rack system and have to have front opening. 20 gal - is it for a baby, right? what would be size for adult then? I was thinking 42x18x18 - it is our standard size for bigger tanks, they fit nicely in a rack this way

I keep my two adult eastern tigers in a ~20 gallon which is 30" long and 12" wide. They seem perfectly content, though I would like to upgrade their tank some day. The other enclosure I sahred with you is a 108qt sterilite tub. Not sure the dimensions on it, but it's bigger than my 20 gal tank. A 42x18x18 would be total overkill for 1 tiger salamander, but I'm sure you won't see it complaining any about the extra space

the one I have is eastern tiger, or so I was told and he is sitting in his hide right now, the hide looks like a log, may be that is why.
i very much like the fact that no heating/spec lightening/ humidity control needed, all my other tanks with a few exceptions have so much stuff sticking in and out :lol:

That's why I love tigers. So easy to care for, but also loaded with personality & energy. They are definitely some of my favorite specimens.

i will do tong feeding - that is my preferred method for other guys and tiger yesterday took cricket from hands, so I'm guessing tong feeding won't be a problem. no moss anyway, i don't like risk it when not necessary, even if tong feeding. roaches are illegal here, so will stick to crickets and worms- should it be earthworms or night crawlers - ok? same stuff but bigger? may be pieces when tiger is small? how small crickets/ worms should be?
how often should I feed him? and how much? does 15min/everyday rule apply for them as well when they're babies what about older guys?

Hand feeding is great! If you use tongs make sure to get the rubber tipped ones. Tigers are voracious eaters and will injure themselves on metal tipped tongs. Go with nightcrawlers. I don't have any experience using the red wigglers worms, but I have heard reports from other tiger salamander owners that red wigglers are despised because of the nasty defensive yellow/white slime they produce. Earthworms are high in calcium, but crickets are not. Make sure you're dusting with calcium/D3 powder when you use crickets.

anything else i can feed him- i should stay away from mealworms/superworms I'm assuming, but what about hornworms, silkworms, butterworms as a treat?

I don't know about hornworms or those others you mentioned, but I can't imagine it would be an issue to feed them off as treats. You are correct about mealworms, if I were you I would just pretend those don't even exist. They are a substandard food choice and I never give them to any of my animals.

also - you have 2 in a tank? are they communal and will mine be happier if to get him a company?

Yes they are communal. As far as being happier with a mate? I have no idea, I have never managed to get my tigers to speak to me about the matter in English

how to sex them and when? i just like to know how to refer to him or her

Oh their sex will be QUITE obviouse once they hit sexual maturity (which could take up to 2 years after leaving the water, or as soon as 6 months.

Mature Male:







Mature Female (or less likely an immature male, I'm not an expert at this, lol)

I don't know if that is WC or CB, it is small and it was imported from US, 6"-7" - how old he might be? how long do they live?

I'm really not sure on that. They can morph from the water at different ages/sizes based on water conditions. Not sure on the lifespan either.

P.S. sorry for an avalanche of questions, usually I get all the answers before I'm getting a new species, but since my other half apparently got his first addiction symptom yesterday, i had to say yes :lol: he will have less chances to say no to me now :lol: and since we need bigger tank for salamander now we'll need to get another rack, and this way we'll have more space for a new tanks! I'm loving it!

haha, very nice!!! No worries on the questions, we've all made impulse buys I bet your whole next rack ends up being tiger salamanders :P