Releasing Salamanders in Winter?

Okay so about a little over 2 weeks ago, my boyfriend brought me 5 salamander larvae he had caught... He shouldn't have done it, and there wasn't any way we could go back to where he had caught them, because we didn't have a car. (He got there by his mother who drove him to see his uncle)

Well, They are four toed salamander larvae. I want to release them when they morph into terrestrial salamanders. Right now I have them in a 15 gallon tank, with a underwater filter I had bought for them, and they are feeding nicely on daphnia.

They are still full aquatic, but should morph any time now, they are about an inch or so long.

I have a rock so they can crawl out of the water if they want, they haven't yet though, it's a nice big black rock. When they morph I am planning on putting them in a terrestrial tank with eco earth and such. I do not feed them with tweezers because I want them to be relieased back into the wild, and to catch there own food.


But I am wondering, can I release them in the winter, with snow and ice on the ground? low temps? Because on christmas we are going back to his uncles, but I'm not sure if they will survive in the winter. Or should I wait till Easter? When we go again to his uncles, I want to release them in the very same spot he got them from.


Oh and if it makes any difference, I live in Parkersburg, WV

These little guys survive freezing by burrowing underground where they do not freeze. if you do release them and the ground is frozen they will certainly die. You would be better to keep them, as anything you buy from the pet store for them could infect them with non-native pathogens. Also they may be aquatic overwinterers and not develop into terrestrial salamanders til spring