How to care for and feed Salamanders.

Found some basic tips on caring for and feeding Salamanders.

1.  Find an old fish tank to make a home for the salamander. A tank 2 feet by 1 foot will work, or it can be as large as 3 feet by 4 feet. It does not need to be watertight, but should not have any holes where the salamander can escape.

2.  Fill the tank with sand, approximately 4 inches deep.

3.  Dig a hole in the sand and put a fair size container in it. An old cake pan or bread loaf pan may work well for this.

4.  Level the container with the height of the sand.

5.  Fill the container with fresh water. Salamanders like damp, green, and dark areas so find a plant to put into the tank. As you add water to the container and water the plant, the runoff will keep the sand wet.

6.  Find some small rocks for shade and protection. Also, you can use fish tank accessories.

7.  Feed earthworms to your salamander. You may also feed them insects, tadpoles or slugs. Salamanders seem to be fond of earth worms, and it is an easy thing to feed to them.

Images of Different Types of Salamanders

Fat Tiger Salamander

Chinese Giant Salamander

Arboreal Salamander

California Giant Salamander

 When I am looking at the different types of Salamanders, it never occurred to me that a Salamander could be as big as a human.  Instead of a 150 gallon tank, I would need to buy a house just for the Salamander.  To the left is a fat tiger salamander.

As per wikipedia,

The hellbender and Asian giant salamanders (family Cryptobranchidae) are aquatic amphibians found in brooks and ponds in the United States, China, and Japan. They are the largest living amphibians known today. The Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus), for example, reaches up to 1.44 metres (4.7 ft), feeds on fish and crustaceans, and has been known to live for more than 50 years in captivity. The Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) can reach a length of 1.8 metres (5.9 ft).

Large Blotched Salamander

Monterey Salamander

  The Arboreal Salamander better known as Aneides lugubris  It has rusty markings on the snout, tail, and on sides above the forelimbs. The male of this species can be distinguished by its broad triangular head, with the front teeth of the jaw extending beyond the bottom lip.

This species is an excellent climber and difficult to capture. It is nocturnal, spending daylight hours and dry periods in the cavities of oak trees, often with many other individuals of its species.

The California Giant Salamander (Dicamptodon ensatus) is a species of salamander in the Dicamptodontidae family. It is endemic to California, in the western United States. 

Red Back Salamander

The Large Blotched Salamander  and the Monterey Ensatina, can be found in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and the California coastal mountains. They reach a total length of three to five inches, and can be identified primarily by the structure of the tail, and how it is narrower at the base. This salamander is the only type that has this tail structure and five toes on the back feet.

Males often have longer tails than the females, and many of the salamanders have lighter colored limbs in comparison to the rest of the body. The salamanders lay their eggs underground, often in threes, which then hatch directly into salamanders, skipping the usual aquatic phase.

The red back salamander  is a small, hardy woodland salamander. It inhabits wooded slopes in Eastern North America; west to Missouri; south to North Carolina; and north from southern Quebec and the Maritime Provinces in Canada to Minnesota. It is also known as the Northern redback salamander to distinguish it from the Southern redback salamander. The red-backed salamander is found mostly in two color variations: the nominate red variety, 'redback', as well as a darker phase known as the 'leadback' which lacks most or all of the red pigmentation found in the red phase.

Sierra Nevada Salamander

The Sierra Nevada Salamander, as I have just researched and discovered, is in the same class as the Large Blotched and Monterey Salamander.  There isn't too much additional information that I could find.  If you come across something new, please pass it along.

Siskiyou Salamander

Speckled Black Salamander

Known species of Salamanders in Florida

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/herpetology/checklist/salamanders.htm

The Siskiyou Mountains salamander is rich brown in color with white speckles. It is approximately 9 cm (4 in) long, not counting the tail, which is variable in length. Like all of the plethodontids it lacks lungs and respires through its moist skin. It is nocturnal, prefers cool, moist environments, and is most active during rainfall or high humidity. It stays underground during hot periods and freezes.

The spotted salamander is about 6–7.5 inches (15–19 cm) long. The spotted salamander's main color is black, but can sometimes be a blueish black, dark grey,dark green, or even dark brown. There are two rows of yellowish orange spots that run from the top of the head (near the eyes) to the tip of the tail. These rows are uneven. Interestingly, the spotted salamander's spots near the top of the head are more orange, while the spots on the rest of its body are more yellow. The underside of the spotted salamander is slate gray and pink.

HOUSING TYPES

Terrestrial (Land) Tank 

These are set up to approximate the environment favored by land dwelling salamanders. This sort of terrarium should provide areas of light and dark, damp substrate with leaves and or moss, and shelters made form rocks or small logs. Sufficient humidity must be maintained along with damp retreats. Generally, moss can retain enough water to provide the moisture/humidity needs of terrestrial salamanders. Water can also be provided in a shallow container as a water source and to help maintain the humidity. However, terrestrial species are not strong swimmers so the water must be shallow, and placing rocks or sticks in the water will help the salamander stay out of trouble (and will also prevent any prey insects such as crickets from drowning). A secure cover should be used; a screened cover helps with ventilation, but the top may need to be partly covered to maintain the necessary humidity.

Substrate can be a soil and moss combination, or simply peat and sphagnum moss. A layer of gravel can be used to line the bottom of the tank. Some species will use soil for burrowing, and mixing peat moss into the soil will help prevent packing of the soil and also increase its moisture retention ability. Keep in mind when creating the terrarium environment that the substrate will have to be changed as it becomes soiled, and the more elaborate the set up the more difficult cleaning becomes. For larger species or groups of salamanders will need to have their enclosures cleaned more frequently.

Shelters can be crated with rocks (make little caves), pieces of clay pots, or pieces of wood or bark. Terrestrial salamanders are fairly secretive and will spend a great deal of time under shelter. Therefore, placing shelters along the perimeter of the tank so you will be able to observe them through the glass. For very secretive species, black paper taped to the glass will provide the necessary privacy, and can be removed briefly to view the salamander.

Semi Aquatic

This type of set up combines terrestrial and aquatic elements. A land area where the newt can bask with a transition to an aquatic area which can be quite deep is provided. The land area can be set up simply by piling gravel and moss above the water level, but it is easier in the long term to separate the land and water areas with a piece of plastic or plexiglass placed across the aquarium and sealed with aquarium grade silicone sealant.

It is important to make sure there is an easy transition from the water to land to allow the newt to crawl out. A dense piece of wood (e.g. ironwood, coralwood, monkeywood) can be placed part in the water and partly on land to provide the transition, and this also provides a nice basking spot. Alternately, gravel can be sloped in the aquatic side to provide a ramp out of the water. In the aquatic portion, the gravel should be large enough not to be swallowed, and should also be rounded and smooth to prevent skin damage.

A secure cover should be provided as some salamanders and newts can climb surprisingly well.

Aquatic

Aquariums are used for aquatic species (such as the axolotl), and provide a bit of a challenge due to the amount of waste salamanders produce, and their sensitivity to changes in their environment. Salamanders excrete a good deal of ammonia in their waste, and in the wild this waste is quickly diluted and carried away from the salamander's skin. In an aquarium the salamander is essentially trapped with its waste, and the difficulty comes in keeping the water clean enough to keep the salamander healthy.

The first step is to keep the salamander in the largest tank possible to provide dilution. A good power filter should be used with larger aquatic species - most aquatic salamanders can tolerate fairly strong currents but but make sure the current is not too strong. Gravel can be used, but a tank with a bare bottom is easier to maintain and safer. Gravel that is too small may be ingested, and with large gravel food can disappear between the stones.

In addition to filtration, frequent (partial) water changes are the best way to maintain water quality.

SPECIES FOR EACH TYPE OF HOUSING

Terrestrial

• Arboreal Salamanders
• Banded Newts
• Fire Salamander
• Green Salamander
• Marbled Salamander
• Monterey Salamander (needs shallow water pan)
• Red-backed Salamander
• Slender Salamander
• Spotted Salamander
• Tiger Salamander

Semi Aquatic

• Alpine Newts
• California Newt
• Crested Newt
• Eastern Newt
• Emperor or Crocodile Newt (shallow water)
• Japanese Fire Bellied Salamander (only requires small land area or float)
• Mandarin Salamander
• Marbled Newt
• Northern Red Salamander
• Oregon Newts
• Spanish Ribbed Newt (shallow water)

Aquatic

• Amphiuma species
• Axolotl
• Hellbender
• Lesser Siren (shallow)
• Mudpuppies

Salamanders

FIRE SALAMANDER