The paperwork for a tiger salamander starts with one question the seller should be able to answer on paper: where did this animal come from? Tiger salamanders are widespread in the wild and protected or restricted in some places, which means wild collection is a real problem in the trade and an undocumented salamander is a risk for buyer and animal alike. Expect a receipt naming the species, a statement that the animal was captive-bred, and the breeder's or shop's details. If the seller cannot document origin, that absence is itself the most important information in the transaction.
Life stage belongs on the paperwork
Tiger salamanders change form, and the record should say which form you are receiving. A metamorphosed adult is a burrowing land animal with bold yellow markings; a larva is fully aquatic, feathery-gilled and still some way from losing its gills and living on land. The seller's notes should state the stage, roughly how long the animal has been in that stage, and — for a recent metamorph — when it left the water and began eating on land. This is not a detail to discover at home, because the two stages need entirely different housing from the first hour, and a salamander mid-change is under real physiological stress that its new keeper needs to plan around.
Feeding history from the seller
Ask what the salamander has been eating and write it down before you leave. Captive tiger salamanders are usually raised on earthworms, with other soft invertebrate prey offered for variety, and a newly metamorphosed animal may only accept food presented in a particular way or at a particular time of day. The seller should note how readily it feeds — a confident adult that lunges at worms is a very different prospect from a shy one that eats only when the enclosure is dark and undisturbed. Feeding notes should also flag anything it refuses, so you do not waste the fragile first weeks offering food it has never accepted while missing the food it knows.
Housing and health notes to collect
Request a short summary of the setup the salamander is leaving: substrate depth and moisture for a burrower, water arrangement for a larva, and the cool temperatures this species prefers over warmth. Health notes should cover body condition, skin condition — salamander skin should look smooth and moist, never dry or blemished — and whether it has been kept alongside other salamanders. Because these animals absorb substances through their skin, also ask what water treatment and handling practices the seller used; bare, wet hands and treated water are the norm, and a sudden change in water chemistry is a common and avoidable source of harm in the first days.
Filing the handover so it stays useful
Keep the receipt, origin statement and seller notes together, then add your own first observations: when it burrows down, when it surfaces, and how it responds to its first feeds with you. If origin details are thin, record exactly what you were told while you still remember it. A tidy packet that a vet or a future keeper can read in minutes is the goal, and KinsLe Pet Passport is designed for exactly that — the salamander's records held together in one portable packet, ready for vet visits, travel or a change of keeper.