Caudata.org: Newts and Salamanders Portal

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
Did you know that registered users see fewer ads? Register today!

Greetings from Northern Virginia

NLP

New member
Joined
Jan 16, 2012
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Hi,

We are a father/son from northern Virginia. We don't know a lot about salamanders, but my 10 year old son has been interested in them for a couple of years and wants to have one as a pet. (Indeed he has asked me about it every 2 weeks during that time!:happy:)

I figured we would start here for advice on getting started.... certainly looks like a lot of good information.

I think he will be pretty dedicated, were thinking of starting with a eastern tiger salamander. Presumably posting in the tiger forum is the right place to get started?
 

Kaysie

Site Contributor
Joined
Mar 10, 2003
Messages
14,465
Reaction score
110
Location
North Dakota
Glad to hear you're doing research ahead of time. Salamanders can make great pets for kids, as long as they understand they're not 'cuddly'.

Unfortunately, tiger salamanders are illegal to own in Virginia. But have a look at this list of species for other species that might pique your interest.
 

NLP

New member
Joined
Jan 16, 2012
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
I'm glad we came here for information first! It appears that one could just order salamanders online and not know any better.

Thank you for the information, and we will look into other species... and be back...
 

NLP

New member
Joined
Jan 16, 2012
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Thanks Kaysie,

He looked at your list and came up with some suggestions. How do we know what is legal, easy to care for and easy to get?

For example, here are a list of salamanders that piqued his interest:
Ringed salamander
Reticulated flatwood or frosted flatwood
Mabee's
Blue Spotted
Long toed
Marbled
Small mouth

thanks for your help!
 

Kaysie

Site Contributor
Joined
Mar 10, 2003
Messages
14,465
Reaction score
110
Location
North Dakota
First I have to say that none of the ambystomatids (other than axolotls) are commonly available as captive bred animals. If you bought any of these on the list, they would all be wild-caught. There is a long-standing debate (when captive bred specimens are not available) whether it's better to physically buy wild-caught animals or go and collect your own. If you collect your own, you know that the collection was done in a sustainable manner, and you didn't damage the population. If you buy from others, you're probably perpetuating a pillager, who goes and collects all the adults from a breeding pond to sell them for a profit.

Ultimately, it's your decision where you get animals, and we obviously recommend captive-bred specimens when possible.

As for your list:
Ringed salamanders are pretty sensitive, and don't usually fare well in captivity.

The two flatwoods species are protected. One is Federally protected.

I've never heard of anyone keeping Mabee's. They're pretty rare, and have a small range. I don't know if they're protected throughout their range or not.

Blue-spots are great little salamanders. They can be aggressive feeders, and are pretty outgoing. They're fairly common in their range, and are hardy captives.

Long-toeds are similar in mentality to blue-spots, but they're pretty small. I kept a few for a short time as juveniles, and I was amazed at how outgoing they are. And they have that snazzy racing stripe!

Marbled sals are shy. I mean, you're lucky if after owning it for 5 years, it comes out of its hiding spot at night.

Small-mouth salamanders are protected in some areas, and aren't common in the pet trade. I believe they're also in the 'shy' category.

Is your son set on an ambystomatid? Or a terrestrial salamander? There are some aquatics that are commonly available as captive-bred. If axolotls don't tickle your fancy, Pleurodeles have a kind of prehistoric look, and get to an impressive size.
 

NLP

New member
Joined
Jan 16, 2012
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
hi kaysie,

sorry for the delay in responding.... i've been swamped. thanks again for your help. (perhaps there is a better forum than "introductions for this detailed question, but you've been so helpful.)

my son is very interested in terrestrial salamanders, but is not necessarily set on any one.

we checked out the informative links you pointed us to, but it was very hard to find out which were legal in virginia and which weren't. (even the tiger seem info didn't specify).

if, for example, we were interested in a blue spot, where would we start to find one? ranging through the for sale or trade section saw lots of axolotls but not a lot of terrestrial looking ones...

thanks again,

trey
 

Kaysie

Site Contributor
Joined
Mar 10, 2003
Messages
14,465
Reaction score
110
Location
North Dakota
Like I said, terrestrial captive bred species are a little harder to find. As for how to acquire one: this site doesn't allow ads requesting species that are only available as wild-caught animals. If you wanted to collect your own, you would have to be within range and find the right habitat. I could give you pointers on what kind of habitats to look at, but very few people will give you a geographic location and say 'go here and get salamanders' because they don't know your intentions.

Other species worth looking into that are occasionally available (especially in the spring) are fire salamanders, Roughskin newts (which are semi-aquatic), and Tylototriton species (also semi-aquatic). There are also many of plethodontids in your area which are large and hardy.

As for what ones are legal, the best resource is Virginia Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries. If you can't find it on their website, you can email or call. Try to get a couple of different opinions, as they don't always agree!
 

NLP

New member
Joined
Jan 16, 2012
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
hmmm... this seems harder than i thought.

maybe in the spring we'll look around, if we can learn enough to know what type we might be finding.

thanks for the help!

trey
 

Kaysie

Site Contributor
Joined
Mar 10, 2003
Messages
14,465
Reaction score
110
Location
North Dakota
If you plan on spending a lot of time in the woods, I recommend the Conant & Collins field guide. It's well-written and thorough, universally acceptable (for the most part), full of color pictures, and covers a nice wide range of critters from Michigan to Miami to the Mississippi. You can find used copies nice and cheap online, or a new one for around $20 at a book store. VFIG may also have a book/guide of the state salamanders (we have one for Michigan). This would contain more detailed legal-ese and range maps.

And if you're thinking about spending lots of time in the woods, consider investing in other field guides. Basic guides for trees, herbaceous vegetation, insects, birds, etc. They're all nice to have, although maybe not carry!
 

NLP

New member
Joined
Jan 16, 2012
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Thanks, Kaysie, we ordered the guide, and we'll see how it goes in the spring!


Trey
 
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
    There are no messages in the chat. Be the first one to say Hi!
    Top