A long, low tank sized for a burrower
House an adult tiger salamander in a long enclosure of at least 20 gallons, roughly 30 by 12 inches of floor, and choose a 40-gallon breeder footprint, about 36 by 18 inches, for a big adult or a particularly active animal. Tiger salamanders grow to 8 to 13 inches of heavy-bodied amphibian and live a mole-like life at ground level, walking their enclosure at night and burrowing by day. Height contributes almost nothing, so a tall tank wastes its volume above an animal that will never use it. Spend every dimension on floor and soil.
Substrate depth is the hidden half of the space
A tiger salamander enclosure is really two spaces: the surface it patrols and the underground it sleeps, hides, and regulates moisture in. Provide several inches of packed, chemical-free soil-based substrate, deep enough for the salamander to bury itself completely with room to spare, and keep it evenly damp, never soggy. In a shallow-floored tank the animal can only crouch under a hide, which is a different and poorer life. When you measure whether the enclosure is big enough, measure the burrowing depth as honestly as the length, because to the salamander the soil is most of home.
Arranging the surface: hide, dish, and open walking ground
Set one or two snug ground hides, such as a half-buried bark piece, at opposite ends so the salamander can choose a resting spot by temperature and moisture. Add a shallow, heavy water dish it can soak in and climb out of easily, sunk level with the substrate so the rim is no obstacle. Leave the remaining floor as open, diggable ground rather than filling it with ornaments; a tiger salamander's nightly activity is walking and digging, and clutter it cannot burrow under mostly gets bulldozed into corners. A secure mesh lid keeps both the salamander in and household pets out.
One salamander, or a genuinely wider floor for two
Tiger salamanders are generally tolerant of a similar-sized companion, but tolerance is not a reason to crowd: two adults belong in the larger breeder footprint or bigger, with duplicated hides and a feeding routine that confirms both animals eat. Feed separately or supervise closely, because a lunging tiger salamander aims at movement and can grab a tankmate's leg during a feeding scramble. If one animal is consistently thinner or hides away from the shared burrow areas, that is the enclosure telling you its social space has run out, whatever the tape measure says.
Placement and the cool, quiet life of the floor plan
Keep the enclosure somewhere cool and out of direct sun, since a ground-level glass box on a bright sill can overheat a salamander that cannot escape upward or outward, and this species prefers the cooler end of room conditions. A low stand or floor-level spot in a quiet room suits an animal that startles at vibration and bright light. Because the salamander spends days underground, resist filling the waiting hours with enclosure redesigns; a stable layout it has mapped by touch and smell is worth more than novelty, and most health checks can be done at its surface-active hours.
Rebuilding the burrow floor the same way every time
Deep substrate gets fully replaced on a cycle, and each rebuild decides whether the salamander still has the burrowing depth and hide positions it knows. Note the target soil depth, dish placement, and hide locations before you strip the tank, not from memory afterward. Writing those measurements onto the salamander's profile through KinsLe Family Sharing lets anyone in the household who helps with a deep clean restore the same underground home, inch for inch.