please help fire salamander keepers

[shelby]

i think my salamander is impacted how do i help.

[Morgan Freeman]

With what? What substrate do you use?

[shelby]

hi i was advised to keep it on eco earth and bark chip i think it has ingested the eco earth.

[Morgan Freeman]

I'm not that knowledgeable hopefully someone else can help. I think however, that it's more than likely to be the bark.

Can you post pics?

[shelby]

sorry can't post pics thanks for your help in your knowledge will eco earth pass through.

[Alex M]

Originally Posted by shelby

sorry can't post pics thanks for your help in your knowledge will eco earth pass through.

Eco earth should pass through with no problems, but bark chip could indeed be a problem. A mixture of eco earth and fallen beech leaves are excellent choices for substrata if you keep terrestris, as this subspecies favours beech woodlands naturally throughout it's range, indeed more so than any other type of woodland. I would put your salamander in a SHALLOW bowl of clean water (preferably rain water) and leave it be overnight, repeating again tomorrow if neccessary. It may pass the chip, it may not. I'm sorry i can't help much further but you really are in the lap of the gods imo, not many vets will operate on an impacted fire salamander. My fingers are crossed for you.

[Alex M]

Btw, it's also important that you diagnose this correctly. It maybe bloated due to a variety of reasons i.e pregnancy/bacterial infection/overfeeding. Is the cage spotlessly clean, substrate fresh? Keep it on clean moist plain kitchen towel by day with a suitable hide, it will be much easier to detect if it's passed anything then.

Edit - Ignore this as i thought you said it was bloated too, my bad. But i would keep it in a hospital style enclosure mind. Btw, Impaction you maybe able to feel by gently running clean cool hands around near the abdomen. But do be gentle.

[spend_day]

what makes u think its impacted?

[shelby]

hi thanks for the replys.
i beleive it to be impacted as it seems to be pushing to go and it bum is opening but the poos not comeing out i persumed it was impacted i have never kept salamanders before.i have moved it into a small pet keeper on kitchen towel with a water bowl and a hide.i have been feeding worms as it won't eat anything else. is their anything else it could be.