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Care sheet

Tiger Salamander

Ambystoma tigrinum

Also known as: Eastern Tiger Salamander

Ambystomatidae · Caudata

BeginnerIUCN LC
Activity
🌙 Nocturnal
Temperament
Hands-off
Adult length
7–13 in
Lifespan (captivity)
10–25 yrs
Native range
North America — much of the USA, southern Canada, into the Mexican Plateau (near fishless ponds)

Care guide

Overview

Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) — a large, hardy, long-lived terrestrial mole salamander that spends most of its time burrowed, so give it a deep, moist, burrowable substrate and cool temperatures (never above about 78F). Feed sparingly — they are voracious and prone to obesity. Keep individually, provide a shallow water dish, and handle as little as possible (sensitive skin).

Environment

Climate

Cool side
60–70 °F
Nighttime
50–65 °F
Humidity (ambient)
70–75%

Housing

Enclosure

Orientation
Fossorial (burrowing)
Bioactive setup
Suitable
Minimum size by life stage
  • HatchlingNot specified
  • JuvenileNot specified
  • Adult15-20 gal (24x12x12 in) per adult; deep burrowable moist substrate + shallow water dish.

Housing

Substrate

Safe options
coconut husk fiber + cypress mulch mixmoist topsoil (no additives)leaf littersphagnum moss
Avoid
sandgravelbark chipsperlitevermiculite

Nutrition

Diet & feeding

Dietary type
Insectivore
Feeding frequency by life stage
  • JuvenileSmall amounts every 1-2 days
  • AdultSmall quantities 1-2 times per week (voracious — avoid overfeeding)
Supplementation

Dust food with amphibian calcium/vitamin supplement every 2-3 feedings. Staples: earthworms and crickets.

Care

Water & behavior

Water

Shallow clean dechlorinated water dish always available; change daily/when dirty.

Legal & ecology

Conservation

IUCN Red List
LC · Least Concern
Wild populations

Least Concern; not CITES-listed. Most trade animals are wild-caught — captive-bred is preferable. 'Barred tiger salamander' is often the separate species A. mavortium.

Citations

Sources

Every husbandry parameter on this page is backed by the references below. Click through to read the originals.

  1. Ambystoma tigrinum (Eastern Tiger Salamander)

    Animal Diversity Web, U. Michigan (A. Wentz; ed. J. Harding)

    academic

    Adult 17-33 cm, fossorial (burrows >60 cm), lifespan to 25 yrs captivity, IUCN Least Concern, no CITES.

    Published: 2001-01-01

  2. Tiger Salamander Care in Captivity

    Devin Edmonds, AmphibianCare.com

    breeder community

    60-70F (never >78F), 15-gal per adult, coco-fiber+cypress substrate (avoid sand/gravel), moisture gradient, feed 1-2x/wk dusted.

    Published: 2017-01-01

  3. Ambystoma tigrinum — IUCN Red List

    IUCN

    government

    Least Concern; localized declines from wetland loss/pollution; no CITES listing.

    Published: 2015-01-01

Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) care sheet — Herpetoverse