Marbled Salamander Overfeeding?

I just started a new job in an environmental education center. We have a couple of various species we keep as demonstration/education animals and one of them is a marbled salamander.

I'm worried she might be getting overfed, or not getting proper nutrition. Right now she's getting 1 mealworm a day at least, more if she'll eat them. Once she ate 8 mealworms in one sitting. She seems kinda round, but I don't have any experience keeping salamanders so I don't know how to judge that.

How can you tell if a salamander is too fat?

A marbled should be nice and plump. Pictures would help determine if she's actually too fat. But, more importantly, she really shouldn't be eating mealworms as a staple. Earthworms are much more appropriate.

hezzi15 said:

I just started a new job in an environmental education center. We have a couple of various species we keep as demonstration/education animals and one of them is a marbled salamander.

I'm worried she might be getting overfed, or not getting proper nutrition. Right now she's getting 1 mealworm a day at least, more if she'll eat them. Once she ate 8 mealworms in one sitting. She seems kinda round, but I don't have any experience keeping salamanders so I don't know how to judge that.

How can you tell if a salamander is too fat?

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Everyday is too much. It's better to use earthworms it's more nutritional. Feeding every 3-4 days is fine. You want to give the salamander a chance to digest it's food and let the food pass through it's system. Over feeding your salamander can lead to unhealthy obesity or cause it to regurgitate. Food coming out the wrong end is stressful for salamanders. If over feeding using large foods like big worms can cause death.

I know that young A. Opacums digest food slower than adults. I've had young Marbled Salamanders and it would take them about 5-7 days to digest a worm or waxworm. Big meals are fine I let mine gorge once a week. Feeding once a week at 60-65 degrees works well for me. There's also been times where I didn't feed my Marbled Salamanders for 2-3 weeks and there were fine. Good luck!

I feed my marbled salamanders small crickets or the occasional chopped up earthworm one or two times per week. They seem to be doing well that way.