Small Salamander Found, Wont eat

Hi all. Im new to this forum so hello everyone! Two days ago I found a small (a little more than an inch long) baby blue spotted salamander in the middle of the aisle at my riding barn. He was in the path of a tractor and many horses. It was to snow that night (and it did the next day) so instead of releasing him, I figured id be best if I took him in. I bought a five gallon plastic tank, a water dish, silk leaves, a coconut hut, and put about an inch high of bed-a-beast in the tank. I have been spraying the tank maybe once or twice a day with water. He seems to be loving his little home, spending most his time in the water bath (only hid the first day). The problem is he wont eat or at least I havent seen him eating. I have read about them on the internet and had some good advice from a couple of members but I just wanted to put a new post since its been about three days that I havent seen him eat. I bought wingless fruit flies and put about 4-5 in the cage (around night time since they are supposed to be nocturnal) and then yesterday I cut up some worms. I put part of the worm in front of him and the rest in a small dish but he has not touched anything. Should I be concerned about this tiny guy and what should I do? He seems pretty healthy besides the not eating issue. Do any of you have suggestions on other food or the time period between eating (when I should be super worried)? Thanks a million.

Sheena

Hi Sheena, welcome to the forum.
If the salamander is only an inch long, then it needs tiny live food. You can try to feed it wingless fruit flies, pinhead crickets, springtails, or blackworms. I use the last two for my A.laterale morph. I hope this helps.

HI Sheena!
I'm glad you finally posted! Did the articles help you at all, and does your local pet store have any live foods?
Dawn O.

Hey, its been about two and half weeks and he still is not eating. I talked to the best pet store around here for reptiles and theyve given me bloodworms and pellets, then said that i had no chance of keeping him alive in captivity...im not about to give up on him but hes losing some weight. Do you guys have any other suggestions? He has been "hibernating" or hiding in the same moist spot for the last weekish. I was out of town for the weekend for an interview but my roommate tried feeding him fruit flies and said she saw him out two nights ago. I seriously do not know what else to do for him. I dont think he would survive any better if i rereleased him especially cause its about 31 degrees here and we had an ice storm several days ago. Im open to anything. I know this is an odd question, but do they have formulas for these types of species and do you think it would work for the time being? I work at a wildlife clinic at the university and we use formulas for orphans but those are baby mammals and rodents. Im hesitant to use crickets cause hes on the smaller side. My friend rescued a tiny baby turtle and she said it took him about a couple weeks to adjust and then start eating but im still worried about this guys weight loss. Sorry but im intent on trying as hard as i can to keep the dude alive and the pet store here which specializes has given up on him. Thanks a bundle!

Sheena

Keep trying with the fruit flies and chopped earthworms. (The type of worm can make a big difference, what kind did you try?) Keep a bunch of fruit flies in there all the time (use a cloth cover to keep them in). Does the reptile shop have pinhead crickets?

I would also try wax worms. Right now he is prob just trying to get used to his new surroundings. If you leave some live food in the tank such as small crickets, fruitflies, and wax worms he will be bound to eat something soon or later. Besides being an easy, slow target, waxworms are also pretty fatty so they would help him put weight on quick.

Hey thanks SO much for all your help. I put in two bloodworms last night in the water dish and they were gone this morning....im hoping it was his doing but i still am not sure. I want to handle him as little as possible. I also bought a dozen pinhead crickets this afternoon and put them in. He gets several fruit flies every 2-3 nights. I also added moss today because I felt it might provide more warm and moist places rather than this one place he continues to stay at underneath the water dish. Also should I put a heat pad underneath the tank? Its a 5 gallon plastic tank and my room doesnt drop below 75 but I don't know if the water is too cold for him... The pet store told me to put a lamp on the tank but I heard they don't need it, is that true? I will also look into wax worms but I have to find a place that has them. The pet store that I usually go to doesnt have them. Im crossing my fingers that he starts putting on weight! thanks so much all.

75 F is getting real close to being too warm. Most salamanders enjoy temperatures in the 60's, not exceeding the lower 70's. Is there a cooler area in the house that you could use such as a basement? It definitely does not need a heat lamp, that would be a death sentence. Also, in regards to feeding, you could try collecting some leaves and forest debris from an unpolluted area. There should be lots of small invertebrates present that it can feed on. The only danger with this method is that you may introduce a potential pest so close monitoring would be necessary.
Chip

I live in an apartment at college so i just turned down the heat a little. Ill be back home in a week for the holidays so it will be a lot better for him there. As for the bloodworms, he didnt end up eating them, i found them dried up on the side of the waterbowl. I think though he is generally doing good, I took him out yesterday and he was being all salamander active and looked pretty good =) He still spends all day underneath the water dish in this one moist spot. Ill just continue with the fruit flies/pinhead cricket diet till I get home and get some wax worms. Do any of you know how long a blue spotted salamander would live in captivity? I havent really found much info on captive keeping for these guys. Thanks for ALL your help guys! this forum is the best!

Sheena

Maybe 10 years, although I can't say for certain.