Calcium (live diet) vs. Calcium Powder

Hi,

I'm currently raising a fire salamande juvenile (4 months old) and got a few questions regarding how to provide the right amount of calcium.

I have three types of food at hand: woodlice, cricket hatchlings and roach nymphs (all gut loaded).

My question is, if I feed woodlice to the juvenile every other day, do I still need to coat the crickets and roaches in calcium + d3 + vitamins? Or would that be too much Calcium?

Thanks,
T

Well tach this is a good question and one I used to worry over years back. I keep a large number of Salamandra subspecies and successfully rear healthy youngsters. These include the large, fast growing orientalis and the more delicate and sensitive splendens. I am confident in my feeding routines, although I do still read up on what other keepers do and may borrow some of their ideas, kinda adds to the evolution of my husbandry techniques etc.

In my experience a varied diet with the occasional supplement has been successful although I am always conscious of potential issues. I let my animals' health be the judge. I like feeding earthworms for several reasons one of which is they contain calcium storage glands (Google it) and I believe this serves the purpose for healthy bone growth etc. I also feed small white slugs, the occasional wax moth grub, young garden snails and hairless caterpillars. When worms are in short supply, crickets become a significant part of the diet and I give them a very light dusting of calcium/multivitamins but this might be once every ten days. All my crickets are fed tropical fish flakes, apple, carrot, broccoli, chopped satsuma, non-medicated rabbit pellets five days before being offered to the salamanders. Don't get hung up on potions and powders they are supplements nothing more and certainly not substitutes for a varied and balanced diet.

Thanks! Glad to hear from someone as experienced as you.

My main issue is that I have no access to other food types (earthworms is what I've been after but to no avail) so I was hoping someone could give me specific pointers on how to spread out the feedings for the few food types I have now.

For example, atm I'm giving my juvenile 1 pinhead cricket or roach nymph every other day and a single woodlice in between that.

What I gather from your post is that gut loading + live source of calcium should be fine. No need to overthink it with powders and additives. That said, and given your own experience, would you say I'm overfeeding or underfeeding with the specifics I metioned? Thanks again.

Hello Tach, do you know the subspecies? At four months I'd expect them to be in the swing of things, actively hunting and with very healthy appetites. I know these youngsters can gorge themselves and become quite rotund and put on rapid growth. I understand concerns some keepers have re animals growing too fast (therefore not over feeding, what ever that means) putting a particular strain on metabolism and bone growth which is where your first query comes in re Ca.

For me, my four month olds would be on instar 2 or even three crickets as pinheads are rather small, so you could offer several of these. I'm happy to leave pinheads in the enclosure but I do leave apple, carrot and fish food for them on a small jar lid. I am aware that larger crickets might bother the salamanders. Having said that, you're to be commended for supplying wood lice and cockroaches too which would bulk out and vary the diet. I would be happy with what you're doing, although I would really like to see some 'wet' live food added like the slugs and earth worms but that won't be an issue if you don't. The chap who inspired me years ago ran the animal unit at the local university, he would ocassionally feed tiny pieces of liver! I've never done that. Can you add the ocassional spider or hairless caterpillar?

Are you salamanders always out and about or do they spend time hiding away? If they're out and about a lot, they're probably hungry! If they only eat crickets, they are being picky and probably well fed. Do the bones on their pelvis stick out? Do they look fat? These are the type of questions you can ask your self and the answers will guide you.

Thank you! That's great advice. I don't know the subspecies unfortunately. It was passed onto me by someone who could not take care of it and I don't know who is the original breeder.

As for slugs, spiders, caterpillar, etc... I have no access to those since I leave in a big city. No woods nearby or anything.

The salamander looks nicely round, no bones sticking out so far and it spends most of the time hiding so I guess that's a good sign feeding wise.

Thank you again for all your advice!

You're welcome.