Terrestrial salamander tank set-up?

K

karolina

Guest
I have a long-toed salamander (he's about 8cm from head to tip of tail) which are fully terrestrial, and I would like to know some basic stuff I should have in my tank (it's a 10 gallon fish tank)
I will be putting him in there soon! I am currently using wet paper towels and half a hamster tube in his critter carrier type-thing.

I need to know: what kind of flooring I should have, should I have some plants if so which ones, what type of lighting/light bulb (color) and any other stuff that can help thanks!
 
I use soil (organic topsoil works great), some people mix in some coco fiber to retain moisture. You can have plants if you want; I use some pothos. It needs things to hide under, such as pieces of bark or a rock he can burrow under. You don't need any lights at all, unless you're growing lots of light-thirsty plants. The salamander doesn't need lights. It also needs to be kept fairly cold, as these guys don't like the heat.

Good luck!
 
Hi are salamanders supposed to go into hybernation in the winter? Is there skin supposed to be dry?
 
Tanya, it's not clear whether you want to know what's normal outdoors, or in captivity. Outdoors, sals do not hibernate, but they do slow down when they are cold. Indoors, they do not slow down much in winter. Their skin may seem dry if you find one outdoors, but they usually need to stay in moist places. It really depends on the type of sal and the situation.
 
I found long toed salamanders in my crawl space under my house. I wasnt to sure if they needed water in their inside habitat. I have put them in a fish tank with some organic potting soil, a little container of water and lots of hiding spots. They seem to be happy. We have gotten lots of snow where I live so Im finding it hard to find worms. Thanks for the help
 
Tanya, that sounds like a pretty good setup. I would also go buy a small spray bottle and mist the tank daily, until the top of the soil is moist.

You can go to walmart or your local bait shop and buy worms. That's where I get all mine.
 
HI there. I would love to go to Walmart and buy worms but unfortunatly the closest one is 3 hours from here. We dont have a bait shop in town but I have had a lucky break and the snow has started melting a bit and ive found a few worms.
 
Maybe try under the crawl space? If that's where you found them, you'd probably find their food there too.
 
Ive found a few bugs underneath the house but it is pretty much all concrete. They were found under the insulation. I will go hunting for bugs tomorrow as it has been warmer and the snow is melting, crappy for skiing season but great for salamander food.!!
 
I don't know how anyone else feels about this, but I love using sweater boxes. I've got a really nice one with my marbled sal in it. Half is spaghnum, which it doesn't use, and the other half is this semi woodland setup with decomposed leaf litter, moss, and bark. I really like the sweater boxes because it stays moist. I have a small water bowl that provides some moisture, but for the most part, its a little biome. I'll have to post pictures. I also agree with Joan, I use pothos in almost all my amphib tanks, its so durable and easy to grow. Alex.
 
Alex

I've just started using a sweater box with my D. Ocrophaeus. I added a small "pond" (tupperware half-full of some creek muck) and draped some moss over the side so the water in the pond would wick into the surrounding soil. Thet've been in this setup for a week and I notice last night, one I had IDed as female with yolked eggs has created a small chamber near the pond. My fingers are crossed she's going to lay those eggs in there.
 
I've also used sweaterboxes in the past, and they're definately useful. Not the best for animals you want to view, but they make great tanks. I cut a large rectangle into the top of my lid and siliconed some screen on it. This provides ventilation, lowers condensation (too high humidity causes mold), and lets me peek in on them without disturbing them too much.

You may want to take out the sphagnum, as it can be a little acidic, and that's probably why the marbled sal doesn't use it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • Shane douglas:
    with axolotls would I basically have to keep buying and buying new axolotls to prevent inbred breeding which costs a lot of money??
     +1
    Unlike
  • Thorninmyside:
    Not necessarily but if you’re wanting to continue to grow your breeding capacity then yes. Breeding axolotls isn’t a cheap hobby nor is it a get rich quick scheme. It costs a lot of money and time and deditcation
     +1
    Unlike
  • stanleyc:
    @Thorninmyside, I Lauren chen
     +1
    Unlike
  • Clareclare:
    Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus Japanese . I'm raising them and have abandoned the terrarium at about 5 months old and switched to the aquatic setups you describe. I'm wondering if I could do this as soon as they morph?
     +1
    Unlike
    Clareclare: Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus... +1
    Back
    Top