Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have been looking after my school's tiger salamander for a while. It had turned black and become dissoriented while moving with its tail slightly bent oddly. It still ate but was just more awkward than the other one in the tank. The black skin is falling off in small pieces to reveal a much lighter version of its original skin. The salamander seems to stay in the water(tank is 45g half water half land) much more now and is much slower than before to food. What is going on? Not enough vitamins/minerals? The salamander should not be morphing again since it already is in its terrestrial stage? Any help would be appreciated. If a conversation like this has already been posted please point me to it. Thanks.

The first thing I would do is re-do the terrarium. If the salamander is spending a lot of time in the water there may be irritants (mold, accumulated waste) in the land part of your set-up. I would also separate the sick animal into an easy to clean isolation habitat so that the other salamander doesn't get sick. The dark color of your salamander could be a build-up of unshed skin.