File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
Anyone had experiences with salamanders? I would love to get one but don't really know where to start.
>> Anonymous
i have 3 yellow spotted sals and all i do is feed them! ive had them since they were in there larval stage. now that they are adults they live in a ten gallon (until thy get i bit bigger) they have a dirt like substrate, a large water dish and A LOT of moss and bark to hide under. they eat just about any bug they can swallow. they seem EXTREAMLY hearty. i haven't read anywhere that they need heat lights and now that its cold i,ve cut there feeding down to once a week (before it was every three days) and they seem to be heading into hibernation.

now ive never had pets like these so if anyone reads this and thinks im doing it wrong and have suggestions then gimmy info! ill take all i can get!
>> Anonymous
get a blue tongue skink. win.
>> Anonymous
>>326147
>Anyone had experiences with salamanders?
>get a blue tongue skink

...do you see the disconnect here?
>> Anonymous
I found a batch of eggs in a pond last spring with a few larva still unhatched and kept them in a 10gallon tank with pond water. after a few months 4 salamanders (and about 20 peeper frogs) emerged, and i gradually drained the water as they got legs and started climbing onto the logs and debris i had inside. when i finally drained the tank and filled it with dirt/damp leaves/water, they were fine for about two days before they just disappeared. after it had been long enough that they clearly weren't just hiding, i started systematically disassembling the environment to find them. nothing. they couldn't have climbed out, they weren't in the dirt or under anything, it was so strange.

the tank is fairly easy to keep, as described by the guy above. moisture and a dark, damp place to hide are key. room temperature is fine, high 60s, low 70s.

whether you're getting them wild or buying them, where you live will have alot of bearing on what's available. the one you posted is a tiger salamander, the biggest and awesomest of all. most wild salamanders are substantially smaller. if you live near any bodies of water, especially creeks/streams, go out when spring starts warming up and check under dead logs and big rocks (put them back when you're done) and you're bound one to find some. if you want to get them as eggs, find stiller water, the kind of places mosquitos gather, and look for the bubbly, jelly like egg masses. make sure they've been fertilized, they should have little black masses in the center of most of the eggs. keep them in a tank of their water (or at least some dechlorinated water) and give them something to climb on once they hatch.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>>326146<-- me again
i for got to mention to have them in a COVERED tank!!!>>326152they can and DO scale glass walls as high as they can! ive seen them w/ my own eyes! lol its cute when they are safe!
Also they need to be misted almost daily, if you miss a day here or there it should be ok, ut they need to stay damp and moist (they wont use the water dish after a certain age)

heres a crappy cell phone pic i just took of them. 2 females and 1 male (the male had his spots the second he crawled out of the water, the females got thers a few weeks later)
>> Anonymous
Before going out and collecting your own salamanders or amphibian eggs I would strongly recommend looking into your local laws and the potential that you might be taking a protected species in order to avoid future legal problems.
>> Anonymous
I live in a major city, how available are they in pet stores?
>> Anonymous
I had a tiger salamander like the one in OP's pic, they are fucking cool!
>> Anonymous
Having owned a couple when I was young I can tell you that the red and black spotted bellied ones are crazy. They're liable to jump off anything at any hight and general act erratic like a scared mouse or something. The "good" salamander I had was an orange bellied newt. I can't say what species exactly but i can say that the orange bellied newt was a layed back cool dude that we owned for a good long while before he got injured and died.
>> Anonymous
>>326147
The retardation is unbearable.