Ambystoma tigrinum

by Paula Bolyard

Species Description:

Species:  Ambystoma tigrinum.   Seven subspecies are recognized to date, five of which occur in the west. Only one, the California tiger salamander, A. t. californiense, is found naturally in California.

Size: 6-13 inches stl

Life Span: 15-20 years.

Active: Nocturnal.

Temperament:  They are usually secretive in the wild but can become quite tame in captivity. They can be kept in small groups of 2-3 but are quite territorial so make sure you provide lots of hiding places and adequate food to minimize fighting. 

As with all amphibians, due to their semi-permeable skin, care must be taken that hands are clean before handling.  Avoid handling as much as possible. They cannot tolerate the salts, oils or heat of our hands.

Appearance: The Tiger Salamander is stocky with small eyes and a broad rounded snout. Coloring is variable, ranging from golden yellow through olive green to black. Often with round spots or irregular blotches of black on light background, or yellow spots on black body color like a broken network of "tiger" markings.  The ventral color may be olive or yellow.  Two tubercles are present on the sole of each foot. There are no parotoid glands present.   Males have slightly longer tails than females and have swollen vents in the breeding season.

Care Needs: A 10 or 15-gallon aquarium is the minimum size to house 1-2 adults.  It should have a snug fitting wire mesh top rather than glass, to allow ventilation.  Due to a salamander’s natural adhesive tendencies they can sometimes slither up the glass walls and the top must be secure. 

Adults need water to soak in. Fresh water should be provided every day in a bowl large enough to soak in.  Salamanders drown easily so keep the water level low and provide a slope for them to climb out.

DAY TEMP: 68-80 F (21 c)  

NIGHT TEMP: 60 F (15.5 c)

A temperature gradient must be provided in order for the salamanders to thermo regulate; they do this by moving back and forth between warmer and cooler areas. This is easily accomplished by heating one side of the tank.  In the wild, there is usual a noticeable drop in temperature at night; it is best to drop the temperature in the enclosure by as much as 12 F at night.

While Tiger Salamanders are nocturnal, light is essential for them in the regulation of their seasonal clocks, which is very important if you plan to breed them. As sunlight filtering in through the aquarium glass may increase the temperature too much, a broad-spectrum light should be used. These lights will also benefit any plants you have in the tank. Using an appliance timer set the light to go on and off automatically, increasing and decreasing the number of hours it is on based on the photoperiod found in the animal's native environment.

Substrate:  Various materials can be used for substrates depending on availability and your time commitment.  Peat, potting soil (with the vermiculite removed), wood chips or shavings, mulch, sphagnum moss, leaves.  A mix or layering of several of these to a depth of several inches for burrowing would be excellent. Aquarium gravel is not recommended as it is not conducive to burrowing, does not maintain humidity and can be ingested.   Hide areas should be provided (cork, logs, hide boxes, etc.  Mist daily, needs to be kept moist.

Feeding:  Feed 2-3 times a week.  They eat earthworms, crickets, wax worms, grasshoppers, moths, flies, spiders, beetles, small mice and other amphibians. Do not leave uneaten live food to crawl over them as this will distress the salamander.

Breeding Tips:  Breeding requires a cooling down period (55 degrees) and optimum nutrition. In the spring, place the male and female in a shallow aquarium. The males should have swelled cloacae, and the females should be fat with eggs.  Many spermatophores are produced by a male during a single courtship.  Spermatophore is picked up by female for internal fertilization.  Eggs are laid after mating either singly, in strands, or in masses. Eggs are loose and tend to fall apart out of water, so movement of the eggs should be minimized.  25-75 eggs are laid and hatch after 2-4 weeks.

Larva will eat aquatic insects and invertebrates. Larval tigers are completely aquatic, and will reach their full adult size before morphing. Keep them in a tank full of water, no more than two big tigers to a 5-gallon tank (4 in a 10-gallon). Provide a land area as they start to lose their gills.

Other Information: Typically, Tiger Salamander larvae feed and grow during the spring and early summer and metamorphose two to five months after hatching. However, some populations never metamorphose. If the water system where they live is permanent, and and if the environment surrounding the water area is dry or unsuitable, they may retain crucial larval characteristics, gills and a wide tail fin that allow them to live underwater. These salamanders mature in the water and are even able to mate and reproduce, although they maintain the body of an immature. This process is called neoteny.