Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have had my slimy salanander since last spring. I have kept him in a tank with a thick layer of spaghnum (sp.) moss. He has been thriving on small waxworms and soft, newly-shedded small meal worms.

Yesterday we tried to feed him and noticed that he was acting strange. His skin seemed to be dry looking and his eyes glazed. He refuses to eat.

Today his back half and tail are secreting his protective slime. This seems to mean he is distressed. When we opened his tank, he came running out from under his favorite bark hide. He looks like he is shivering or convulsing slightly. At one point he arched his neck upwards and opened his mouth.

I've never seen him do this before. I am really scared that we are losing him He has been such a cool little pet and made such progress this past year in growth. As far as I know, he is a pretty decently sized slimy.

Since I caught him he has become very beefy and fit looking. When I found him he was emaciated and extremely dehydrated at a duck pond. I am unsure what the circumstances were, but I thought that maybe someone had been handling him or injured him. Like I said, his health has been great until now.

What can I do???
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Emily

I would remove the salamander from the spaghnum moss. Spaghnum moss with its low pH can damage or kill some salamanders through ion loss (place it on damp paper towels). I would also suggest taking it to a vet as soon as possible to make sure that there isn't anything else wrong with it.

Ed

He has been on the live moss for almost a year, and has never had problems. After watching him some more, we think that he may be trying to go dormant. Don't amphibians create a mucous coating before they hibernate? He is also trying to bury himself in the moss by digging downwards. I put him in a cool area of the house and he seems to be acting normally now and his skin is moist again. I dug a hole in his moss to let him get under it if he wants.

Does it sound like he is trying to hibernate?

>>I would remove the salamander from the spaghnum moss. Spaghnum moss with its low pH can damage or kill some salamanders through ion loss (place it on damp paper towels). I would also suggest taking it to a vet as soon as possible to make sure that there isn't anything else wrong with it.
>>
>>Ed
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Emily

No it does not as they do not hibernate.

Ed

What do they do in the winter then? I don't understand what you mean. How would the amphibians in my area (Ohio) survive the cold months otherwise?

>>No it does not as they do not hibernate.
>>
>>Ed
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Emily

They go into burrows and other areas where it does not freeze. Unlike some mammals, they do not stop feeding (although their metabolism slows down) and they stay active. They do not hibernate (I am unaware of any North American Caudate that hibernates).
Some anurans become torpid and hibernate but not salamanders and newts.

Ed

Wow, that's pretty cool So is that why he is trying to burrow? He is continuing to improve while being in the colder basement... his skin is normal and he is behaving normally but still ignoring his food.

If I get rid of his moss, what do I give him instead? I don't get why he has lived with his moss so long and now has problems

You seem very knowledgable!! Thank you so much for your help on this.

>>They go into burrows and other areas where it does not freeze. Unlike some mammals, they do not stop feeding (although their metabolism slows down) and they stay active. They do not hibernate (I am unaware of any North American Caudate that hibernates).
>>Some anurans become torpid and hibernate but not salamanders and newts.
>>
>>Ed
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Emily

There are multiple possible reasons for why it wants to hide. It would be difficult to list all of them.
The effects of the moss depend on the pH of the moss (which can vary between batches of moss). If the pH is not that low it can take a long time for the ion loss to be problomatic for the salamander, lower pHs affect the animal more quickly.
The loss of appetite is usually a sign of stress or another problem.
I tend to use finely milled cypress mulch, other people use soil from outside or topsoil that does not contain any amendments, some people use soil mixed with bedabeast products. All of these work fine in the long run.

This article may be of use to you
http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Plethodon/P_glutinosus.shtml

Ed

Thanks!! I will try to find some of that as soon as possible. I will be going home this weekend so I will be sure to hit the pet stores and get some. Thank you again

Emily

>>There are multiple possible reasons for why it wants to hide. It would be difficult to list all of them.
>>The effects of the moss depend on the pH of the moss (which can vary between batches of moss). If the pH is not that low it can take a long time for the ion loss to be problomatic for the salamander, lower pHs affect the animal more quickly.
>>The loss of appetite is usually a sign of stress or another problem.
>>I tend to use finely milled cypress mulch, other people use soil from outside or topsoil that does not contain any amendments, some people use soil mixed with bedabeast products. All of these work fine in the long run.
>>
>>This article may be of use to you
>>http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Plethodon/P_glutinosus.shtml
>>
>>Ed
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Emily