My husband and I discovered a Salamander out in the freezing cold, no protection at all, not moving. We went ahead and took him home because he looked like he might die if he stayed where he was. We've had him for about 3 months now. We've had a lot of trouble getting him to eat, and he hasn't been eating at all lately. He is starting to get a little bit thinner. We don't know a whole lot about salamanders, so we weren't sure if this was normal, and if not, what should we do?
(not entirely sure what type he is... a Northwest something-er-other... but here is a photo from last month in case that helps)
From the pix, I might guess you have an ensatina...just from the looks of its eyes and snout...but that is a guess....knowing where you live and collected him would help with ID.....as well as more photos.
One question would be - what are you trying to feed him? Sals are carnivorous and feed on live food,,, size-appropriate. For a small sal, pin-head or small crickets, springtails, fruitflies, or pieces of earthworm would be good food items. For thin animals, waxworms or pieces thereof (again depending on sal size) would be a consideration. What is the length of your animal?
Other questions would be, what is his environment? What is the substrate, is it moist and at what temp is the enclosure. Most sals do best at temps at or below 68F.
You may or may not know this, but salamanders should not be handled or very limitedly as when changing their viv. Their skin is permeable and the oils from our hands can be harmful.
Some sals may become less active in the winter.
I know that there are more questions than answers here...but these are just some of the things needed to provide meaningful help.
