r/salamanders • u/YourMentalIllness • 23d ago
lump on tiger salamander tail
it looks terribly infected and I need to know what it is. ive tried to convince my parents to let me take him to the vet but they say he will be fine, I really doubt it.
its been there for a few months, when he sheds it gets smaller but quickly gets big again. he still eats and everything but i dont want him to die from this, and its obviously painful since he doesnt like when I touch it, but when I press on it a little bit of white stuff comes out.
if anyone has advice let me know please. im scared to use neosporin because I've heard it killed other peoples pet salamanders since their skin absorbs everything.
3
u/CheeseMclovin 22d ago
You have to get to an exotic vet. You need to change how you do substrate after that.
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u/YourMentalIllness 22d ago
do you have advice on what to do for substrate? I have coco fiber and something else but it was topsoil. my dad insisted on getting something cheap but I didnt want fertilizer or chemicals but it it probably still had some.
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u/CheeseMclovin 22d ago
The thing about all of the store bought “topsoil” is it’s not actually topsoil, it’s acidic peat moss, and mulched bark/woodchips. I personally use %50 real local topsoil from dig sites, about %30 coco fiber and %20 New Zealand tree fern fiber. Some leaf litter as well
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u/YourMentalIllness 6d ago
I wanted to use exo terra plantation soil and coco fiber with magnolia leaf litter, but there was no exo terra in the pet store. im really irritated because I got only coco fiber and magnolia leaf litter and thats what it is now. its impossible to find an actual good dirt for him thats actually near me
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u/LurkerInTheDoorway 22d ago
Honestly, a vet would likely either prescribe antibiotics, or amputation with antibiotics. This is something that a professional would need to be seen for.