Rainy weather allows these amphibians to migrate across land without drying out. Sometimes if a pond has homes nearby, some salamanders will walk up against a house and then follow the foundation wall until they drop into a window well, where they become trapped. Hay is urging residents who live near a pond or wetland and who have window wells in their basements to check and see if there are salamanders trapped in them. People can help spare these little critters an untimely death by removing them as soon as possible, preferably at night, to a nearby woods, their preferred home. However, Hay also cautions people to never handle amphibians when they have insect repellent on their hands, because the chemicals are often fatal to these sensitive creatures.
Tiger salamanders are harmless animals that feed on insects, especially beetles.
They live underground most of the year, and are seldom seen. The fall migration is one of those rare opportunities to see them out and about. Tiger salamanders may live for 10 or more years, and as adults may spend as little as a couple of weeks above ground during this time. Like all salamanders, tigers produce many offspring and are often quite abundant in the wild. Their high numbers make them very important as prey for a variety of animals including weasels, mink, red-shouldered hawks, game fish and herons.