New Salamander Owners!

[Cedricky]

Hello, my boyfriend and I recently bought a tiger salamander. Neither of us have ever owned a salamander before so any advice would be appreciated. We have an 18 gallon tank and when buying him, we were told he’d had been out of the water for a little over a year. We got Cedric yesterday and after refilling his water dish this morning, a few hours later it was empty?

 

[JM29]

Hi,
Tiger salamanders are mainly terrestrial outside breeding season.
They can go in shallow water for a short time, just to hydrate themselves.
Is your setup wet enough ? (but not damp)

 

[Cedricky]

Hi,
Tiger salamanders are mainly terrestrial outside breeding season.
They can go in shallow water for a short time, just to hydrate themselves.
Is your setup wet enough ? (but not damp)

We have a shallow water dish in there and I spray the tank every morning and evening. How many sprays does it need as my boyfriend says I’m spraying too much but I don’t think I’m doing enough. His substrate is coir soil and orchid bark which is also apparently supposed to keep moisture for longer.

 

[JM29]

I don't know this substrate.
For terrestrial sals, I suggest to create a moisture gradient in the tank and watch where the sal prefers to stay.