Animals
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Cat-N-Around Cat Club 2007 Annual Show
Hawkeye Cat Club 2004
Hawkeye Cat Club 2005
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Bugs
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Tarantula Night 2006
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TarantulaWeen 9
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Lizards
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Salmonella
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Misc Lizards 2
Misc Lizards 3
Misc Lizards 4
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Misc Lizards 6
Misc Lizards 7
Misc Lizards 8
Misc Lizards 9
Misc Lizards 10


Snakes
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Kids at Pet Expo 1

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Kids at Pet Expo 5
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Snakes Alive
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Turtles/Tortoises
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Box, USA
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Live Foods
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Rosy Reds

Super Worms

Wax Worms
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Decorating
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Driftwood
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Miscellaneous
Bob's Acclimation

How to Start
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Which Fish Get Along?
10 Questions to Ask
What is Ich?
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2nd Av Bait

Pet World Visit
Dandelions

Aquatic Plants
Amazon Swords
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Sword Plants III
Anubias
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Java Moss
Moss Balls
Onion
Vermiculite
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Different Watersprite

LA
Those "fringes" are his external gills.

Water Dogs, Dinosaur Dogs, Mud Puppies?  The larvae of the Tiger Salamander have different names depending upon what part of the country you find them in.  Ambystoma tigrinum does grow wild here in Iowa.  And ours are prettier than most.  Adults that is.  The larvae pretty much look alike.

LA
Water dogs change into tiger salamanders.

Larvae?  Like tadpoles that change into frogs or toads, Water Dogs change into different critters – Tiger Salamanders.

LA
Relax.  He won't bite you.  He just wants to get away from you.

Do They Bite?  Water Dogs don’t bite like real dogs, but they can surprise you.  They have no teeth and just “bounce off” your finger.  Don’t worry about them wounding you.

LA

They bite fish.  Water Dogs eagerly eat fishes small enough to swallow.  Six-to-eight-inch “Dogs” snap up feeder goldfishes.  Don’t add one to a tank of community fishes.  You will wind up with no tropical fishes and one fat and smiling Water Dog.  By the way, big Water Dogs also eat small Water Dogs.

LA
Water dogs love nightcrawlers.  Are they biting today?

LA
The water dogs are biting today.  We caught our limit.

LA
Water dogs would rather argue over worms than find their own.

They love worms.  Earthworms rank high on your water dog’s preference list.  They also eat black worms and blood worms (live and frozen).

LA
Water dogs learn to search the top for pellets and reptile sticks.

LA 
These water dogs  ignore these mystery snails for the nonce.

LA 
Unlike fish, water dogs have external gills.

Totally Aquatic.  Those cute little fringes on the sides of their heads are their gills.  The larvae live underwater at all times – just like a fish.   This means they need clean water.  You bet a filter helps.  Once they turn into Salamanders, their needs also change.  How long does it take them to change?  Who knows?  They’re on their own schedule.

LA
One week later, three of them converted.  Gills are almost gone.  Uglier than Iowa salamanders.

Theoretically they morph into salamanders when the water level gets low.  Another theory postulates iodine in their diet triggers the change.  We've found they change when they feel like it.  The following info pertains to salamanders, so you might as well link over to Salamanders.

After the Change.  Tiger Salamanders refuse to live underwater.  They don’t even need to sit in it (like frogs).  They just want to stay moist.  They make great terrarium inhabitants (with other critters too big for them to eat).

Avoid Dirt.  Dirt and high humidity (water) mix too well.  Forget dirt.  Dirt and water make mud – messy mud.  Salamanders and other critters track this stuff all over.  They’ll smear mud all over your glass.

Use Gravel Carefully.  Tiger Salamanders like to dig.  If you give them a thick layer on the bottom, they can dig down into it.  You may never see them.  Probably a lizard mat would work best.  The newer coconut fibers work great.

Limit the Plants.  Plants grow unbelievably fast in terrariums.  The high humidity works better than steroids.  Too many plants make it hard to see your Salamanders.  Choose slow growing plants.  Anubias grows nice and slow.  Mosses work well also because they stay low to the ground and cover rocks and wood.

LA
Lots of driftwood but still way crowded.

Driftwood.  Wood looks great, holds up well, and gives the terrarium a finished look.  Select a piece of wood they can’t crawl behind and hide.  They’ll try to dig under the wood also.  These same comments apply to rock works.

Waterfalls.  The new mini-waterfalls look good and provide the humidity and water filtration most terrariums need.  No need to engineer your own waterfalls.  The new kits work great and cost less.  Terrariums are much easier these days.

Salamander Foods.   Salamanders relish living foods:

   ●   Worms;
   ●   Crickets;
   ●   Mealworms;
   ●   Other Insects;
   ●   Small goldfish.

LA
Water dogs and tiger salamanders are both easy to care for.

Last Word.  You can probably coax them into eating foods on the end of a broom straw.  Once they get used to you, they’ll probably eat from your fingers.  Count your fingers.   LA.

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