68-70 degree tolerating species for a beginner

I have experience keeping herps, but am new to salamanders and do not have the capacity at my current residence to control and maintain low temps in any particular room. The cool areas of the house, however, do not exceed 70 degrees. I am looking to purchase a species that is primarily terrestrial and tolerant of slightly higher temperatures. I want to be able to give it a happy and healthy existence, so I feel like I should avoid species that require delicate and experienced care. I was hoping someone might be able to provide:

suggestions as to which species would be best for a beginner

any specific and necessary care information

and finally, where I might procure said species . . . hopefully as a captive bred specimen (reading some of the forums it seems as though many have had success breeding a great variety of species)

I know this is asking a lot, but I figured this would be a great place to begin.

Thanks,
Mike

If the temp does not exceed 72F, even in summer, you can keep nearly any species of newt. Depending on how the tank is set up, the water temp can be slightly lower than the room air.

The best place to find CB newts is the ads section on this forum. I am selling some CB Cynops ensicauda popei that are currently terrestrial, but would eventually be aquatic. They can tolerate heat up to 78F, but that doesn't seem to be a concern for you. Maybe some other folks have some suggestions for CB species that would stay terrestrial. Fire salamanders are wonderful, but I don't know anyone breeding them at this moment.

For caresheets and other info, see:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/

You are to be commended for doing your homework before getting animals

(Message edited by jennewt on October 03, 2006)

Thank you very much for your reply, I appreciate the help. I actually just saw a classified post for a pair of captive bred adult fire salamanders for sale on kingsnake.com from vivid vivariums, and I am considering purchasing them, but it seems that even temps that hover around 70 might be sub-optimal or even detrimental for some species/subspecies. Also, I don't know if vivid vivariums is a reputable dealer/breeder of salamanders. The pair pictured in the classified ad look like Salamandra corsica to me, but I am definitely not an expert. If that is the species, would the pair be a good fit for my situation? Here are the pics:



Thanks again for any help and advice,
Mike

(Message edited by Ed on October 05, 2006)

One additional note. I received word back from the guy at vivid vivariums and he said that the pair are Salamandra salamandra bred by a friend, and that they are kept at 76-78 degrees! Does this sound dubious, or are Salamandra salamandra one of the more warm tolerant species? In any case, I would keep them cooler, but wanted to know if that would raise any red flags with anyone here. Thanks again,
Mike

Michael,
You should see if you can come down to the Hamburg, Pa. reptile show on October 21. Their will be lots of c.b. and wild caught salamanders for sale their.

I don't know anything about that vendor. However "Salamandra salamandra" does not tell you the variety. There are many subspecies. See:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/Salamandra_guide.shtml

They could be CB bred by a friend, or that could be total fabrication. I would be very skeptical, as false claims of "CB" certainly do happen on kingsnake. There is not way to know for sure. They can do OK at 76-78 during summertime, so that's possible, but not optimal.

Wow, I did not realize that there were that many subspecies. Thanks for the heads up. Though I cannot be sure, the pics posted look like they could be salamandra, terrestris, or even gigliolii, though I don't know much about variation amongst the populations. He did acknowledge the temp. issue and say that his facility is kept around 76-78, but that the salamanders are misted with cool water three times a day. He also talked about his friend's breeding facility and how it is kept cooler. One can never tell; I'll ask him about the subspecies before going further. Thanks again.

Separately, I am now looking forward to the Hamburg show. Thanks for mentioning it.

Mike