How's it going?

I'm new to the site but it was nice to be able to find one strictly about these types of animals. Looking forward to talking with a lot of you. Getting some new critters and all that other fun stuff.

What species are you looking to get?

I'm not sure yet. I love all my axolotls breeding raising hatching. So I got in to lesser sirens which are great. I'm thinking about starting with a water dog I believe it's called. A tiger salamander larva. Maybe a couple different types of newts. Any ideas? I don't really want common like firebelly and such. I'm new but not that new been in to exotics for years. So I like stuff with a personality. Let me hear your thoughts.

Which species you have should really depends on wether you can care for them or not. Space and temps are critical factors, many amphibians like it cooler than room temp, so if you can't provide that your better off getting species which are OK with higher temps.

I have a room specifically for cooler temp animals such as axolotls abd sirens. I also have a room for warmer temps which is my invert room. Then my bedroom which is reptiles and fish living room reptiles, fish, hedgehogs. I have a little bit of everything and the space. My newest setup is a all live plant love everything I possibly could red eye tree frog habitat. I can pretty much take on anything really. I'm a very serious hobbyist.

Welcome to the forum :happy:

So you want species that aren't that common in the pet trade? If that's what you mean when you say

I don't really want common like firebelly and such. I'm new but not that new been in to exotics for years. So I like stuff with a personality.

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than here's my suggestion. Taricha granulosa. Some people seem to think that they are a more 'challenging' species to keep but if

I can pretty much take on anything really

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is true than I bet you can handle it :happy: T. granulosa are kind of known for their personality, and trust me, they got a lot! I have 7 of them. Plus if you like a real challenge than try breeding them, that's even harder.
Where you cant get them I don't know. I know people who have looked everywhere for them and haven't found them, so.

Well, I hope this helped. -Seth

Well not super exotic. Just something you can't just go and get at your local pet store. I like bright colors activity. Not something that's really hard to care for but not easy as well. Maybe something that's communal. I like all of them just want to start of with something I'm happy with. But I think I want to start off with a type of salamander. I have 13 Axolotls with eggs hatching. so I've changed my thoughts about a tiger salamander larva. That's why a suggestIon would be good. Every animal I own is never half done.

Not sure what you meant by 'communal', but I would avoid mixing species:

Caudata Culture Articles - Species Mixing Disasters

Axolotlwild83

Welcome to the site!

For a newt with personality, I agree with Seth here. Taricha granulosa certainly, "Have it". Sometime I will upload some of my T grans videos at feeding time so everyone see what I mean. My T grans follow you around from inside the the tank around "begging" for worms, swimming around trying to reach you. They love to be hand fed....and they know that you are the "Source" ( food!). Lots of personality for an amphibian.

As far as care goes, they are actually very easy to keep in my experience... once you have the right set-up. I have owned one of T grans for 10 years and she is still doing great. I also have about four, 4 three old "near adults" that are captive bred, that I raised from eggs.

Good luck in your search! And welcome to the forum

Jane

Actually mine don't do any of the stuff Jane just said. But they are WC so that could be the difference. But what I mean when I say they have personality is that, well, they have personality. They each have their own. For instance, my female, Mary, is a fat and lazy one, while my male Peter Van Holp ( weird name I know ) is very active and thin. And then there's Katrinka whose fat, happy, active, stubborn, and patient.

Anyway if you want a salamander and not a newt, and you want one that isn't super common in captivity than I would say maybe fire salamanders.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Fire_salamander_March_2008b.jpg

They are very pretty colors and such. They aren't that hard to keep as far as I know, but aren't super easy either.

That's just my suggestion.

I agree with Jan, what do you mean by 'communal'? Because mixing species is a pretty bad idea.

Oh, and another thing about T. granulosa is that they are brightly colored. they have yellow or orange bellies. And they are also EXTREMELY toxic. There poison is tetrodoxin, some of the most deadly poison known to science.

-Seth

Communal means a species that all live together. Bark scorpions live in colonies. Rattlesnakes can Live in colonies. I didn't mean mixing different species. Besides fish I know the grand rule of thumb. Never mix different species of animals together.

I like that guy. As far as toxins and venom and such goes I'm very experienced. I own the top 5 deadliest scorpions in the world. Along with black widows and Vietnamese giant centipedes. So that it's not an issue. Cause I would like to get a few different species. I like the one above. I also saw a few on here that were a red strawberry color with black dots. I'm not worried about if I'll be able to care for them. I'm looking for one's that would best suit me.

Missed the second part of communal species. Communal in the description I'm using it as doesn't mean mixing different species together. My axolotls are a community species which can Live with other axolotls. But can't live with say a tiger salamander larva. So what I'm asking is their a species of salamander that can be housed with more then one? I've been into exotics for 25 years I know the dos and donts. Just wanted to get in to a land water amphibian besides frogs and newts.

Ok, I understand what you mean by communal now.

Lots of amphibians can be communal, most people keep more than one together of a species.

The ones that your talking about that are red with black dots are Pseudotriton ruber I think. Not sure if they are kept in captivity much. I think you would have to catch one yourself.
The one above is also toxic. Although they don't spend much time in the water I don't think ( which you want right? )
There really aren't a lot of species of salamanders that you can find in the pet trade that spend a reasonable amount of time in the water that I can think of right now. But there might be. -Seth