Ambystoma maculatum...peat moss??

Hello all...this is my first post here!
I am about to acquire my first Ambystomatid (I have 5 plethodontids). It's a metamorphosed spotted salamander, and the guy who has it is very reputable in terms of how he cares for his herps. He runs a small nature center, and has a permit to keep a hellbender; he carries out studies of box turtles and timber rattlesnakes using GPS transmitters; he's an all-around awesome herp guy. So when he told me he's keeping his spotted salamanders in peat moss, I was a little skeptical. He said it's a peat moss base substrate, and he periodically collects long-strand (is it strand? can't remember now...) sphagnum moss locally to put on top of the peat moss. I always thought peat moss was too acidic for salamanders. The soil here (western NC) is pretty acidic though, so if it's a local animal adapted to acidic soil...
What do you all think?
I have a large (41 quart, so about 10-gallon) plastic sweater box (long and wide, but short height-wise) with a locking lid that I'm going to drill holes in. I have a large slab of cork bark for a hiding spot. What do you suggest for substrate? In my experience with fish, changing the pH too quickly on an animal is really bad, so I wouldn't want to go straight from peat moss to regular soil. He also said he's just feeding the salamander crickets...I've read that earthworms can carry intestinal parasites, so I've always been gun-shy about that, but if that's just an urban legend, it would be good to know.
Lots of questions and rambling, I know...
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!

I prefer using soil/coco fiber mix. It seems to be much more conducive to the burrowing nature of ambystomatids.

Crickets aren't nutritionally complete and need to be dusted or gut-loaded. Earthworms CAN carry parasites, but it's not likely to carry anything dangerous to your salamander, as it's certainly wild-caught anyway.

Sphagnum peat moss is generally not a recommended substrate for captive caudates. Decaying sphagnum moss has antibacterial and antifungal characteristics that can be desirable in vivaria; however these advantages come at the cost of potentially-dangerous low pH. While some keepers have used peat moss with success, it is important to note that there is batch-to-batch variability in the pH of peat, and there is also wide variation in particular species' tolerance for low-pH environments. Thus, as a general rule, this is a substrate to avoid. See below for more information on pH effects and testing.


"Long Thread" sphagnum moss is used frequently, but should be carefully tested for pH prior to use (see below). It appears that the source of the sphagnum affects how acidic it is. Terrestrial sphagnum seems to have low pH problems, while arboreal sphagnum, the type that grows on tree bark, appears to be less of an issue. When used as the sole substrate, health issues are most often encountered when the sphagnum is kept saturated for long periods of time or exposed to standing water.

The pH of terrestrial substrates is an important issue. There are definitive links to low substrate pH and bloat issues in terrestrial caudates, especially Ambystomids. One should plan a substrate that will mimic the pH preferences of the specific salamander in the wild. If the species' preference is unknown, it is safest to aim for a pH that is near neutral. For testing soil, garden centers sell pH test kits made specifically for soil testing.

A simple pH test, described by Ed Kowalski, can be used to check the safety of mosses or other products. Simply soak the moss overnight in a glass container of distilled water (tap or spring water may skew the results). Be sure that the water is packed with as much moss as can be packed into the water. The next day, strain out the moss and test the water with an aquarium pH test kit. If the pH is below 6.0, avoid using the material.


Next time, why not spend a few minutes reading the forums and the sister websites...all this cut and paste made my mouse finger hurt...

SludgeMunkey - thank you for finding that info for me, I'm new to the site and didn't know about all the sister forums. Also, I had just looked in the Ambystomid forum because I know how family-specific (and genus, and even species!) living conditions can be, particularly for amphibians.
Kaysie - thanks for the advice!