Larvae info

Hello! I am new to the site. I saw what I believe to be spotted salamander egg mass in a vernal pool that was almost dried up. I took the egg mass, put it in a container outside with pond water and leaves, etc, and left it on a deck in NH until the fall. I was doing yard clean up, went to dump the water in October (assuming all was gone) only to find 2 larvae still there. Took them home to MA, left on the deck until it got too cold. I put them in the cellar where they stayed until after Christmas. I decided I better try to feed the little guys and bought brine shrimp after all dried food failed. The water was so rancid, it was gagging. Brought them up into the kitchen, new container and rain water and there they sit. I have noticed that their gills are starting to decline. I have covered the container with a screen and supplied them with a dry area. When I don't have brine shrimp, I have hand fed them dehydrated blood worms. My intentions are to let them go free back up in NH once they have changed and the weather is warmer. Can I do that? I never intended to keep them as pets, but they didn't change by the winter and I didn't know what to do. Thanks for the help.

Welcome! I would try checking with your local laws about keepig native salamanders for any amount of time. It could be illegal!

Be sure the screen is tight-fitting all around the top.

You may want to contact your local wildlife authorities. In most states, it is illegal to release any animal that has been kept in captivity back into the wild. The main reason is that they can pick up diseases in captivity and then spread those back into the wild. You can probably find someone to adopt them as pets after they go through metamorphosis.