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Salamanders not eating...

Azhael

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Ah, if you got them from an individual rather than a shop then it´s more likely they could be CB. It´s certainly possible that the lad had acquired them as juveniles from a breeder and had to part with them when they were adults. If you can contact him to know where he originally got them from, that would be helpful. Even if they turn out to be CB, they are now certainly stressed.
I ignore if at this point, british laws require any documentation, perhaps somebody else can comment on that. Regardless of wether your animals are technically legal or not, certainly don´t release them. That is not an option.

As Angie says, in the future buy directly from breeders, if you want guarantees of the animal´s origin. Now that you´ve found this site you have the chance to learn a lot about the ins and outs of the caudate world.
 

benw

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The sals look absolutely fine, so i wouldnt worry on this, they have a slow metabolism so the food will last a while, males especially can eat very sporadically, i have one that eats about once a month, and he is fine.
Put any doubts out your mind of them being wild caught, we breed a lot here i the UK, and i personally resent the fact contrary to this belief.
I will pm you my number then you can have a chat about these animals.
, i would but several worms in the viv as they will come out at night and the sals will eat them then,.and they will burrow through the soil and aerate it.

Ben
 

queenofsparta

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Wish I found this forum first instead of wasting my time with yahoo answer with nasty people. Ok so you don't think they look so bad that's the best news I've Hurd all day. I will keep them quite I have the eathworms in with them now and just waiting for the waxworms to come. I read back what I said and I ment to say realise them to a person who knows how to look after wild caught ones. Just kept writing and never read back sorry.
Once again thank you all for the support, you are lovely people.
So do you think my set up is ok for the moment?
:)
 

BILLY JAMES

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I have just looked at photos, I would keep them a little dryer when you have a water bowl or damp on one side only . I think they look more like S.s.terrestris.
 

Azhael

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Put any doubts out your mind of them being wild caught, we breed a lot here i the UK, and i personally resent the fact contrary to this belief.

Ben

It wasn´t my intention to suggest that there is little breeding of S.salamandra in the UK. I stressed that they are very common and frequently bred. In fact the UK is possibly where most captive S.salamandra are bred.
However, we can´t ignore that the UK had a market of continental species. That´s in fact why they are so common in the UK hobby today (as well as T.marmoratus, I.alpestris and many others)
I suggested that they might be WC because of them being adults, refusing to eat for a month and the fact that we know imports have existed in the recent past and likely still exist as we know happens for other species still.
I don´t think the possibility can be dismissed with what Queenfosparta currently knows of the animals, nor i think it was an unreasonable suggestion, but i certainly didn´t mean that they necessarily must be WC.

As for your set-up, Queenofsparta, it´s perhaps too bare. Ideally you need several hiding spots to allow them to choose between humidity levels. Also, adding plenty of moss and leave-litter would help. They´ll burrow under and feel safer. Of course they can be kept in simpler conditions, but right now i think they would really benefit from a naturalistic set-up with plenty of options where they can disappear and calm down.
 
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queenofsparta

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So dryer I do mist them everyday so maybe I should do it every other day, I will move things around when they unstress as you can see I have my water dish in the center of the tank.
Ben that would be great, you have all put my mind at rest nice to know theres people like you lot out there, this forum is brilliant and I take my hat off to you all. Hopefully there wont be any need to go to breeders after this, I hope they manage to pull themselves right and be fit and healthy pets for the plus years I will have them.
Billy what is the difrence between normal fire salamanders and S.s.terrestris?
Very intresting.
Just another quicky, so should I stop feeding the crickets and just let them nibble on the worms and wait for the waxworms to come or still give them a couple dusted ones to try and get the vitemens in to them, as I've said one is quite juddery when she walks.
Thanks again everyone. :wacko:
 

queenofsparta

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Azhael Cool, i thought bare would be better for their stress, less confusing I will go ahead and buy the moss I have been eyeing up and leaf litter, check.
Billy said about moving the bath to one side of the tank and having a damper side so I will also do this, I have two hides so you think I should have more. Again these are great tips brillaint thanks again :D
 

Azhael

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The ideal is to have a gradient of humidity from moist but not wet to drier conditions. If you offer hiding possibilities at different points of the gradient, they´ll choose whichever suits them best at any time. A good idea is to have a stack of cork bark pieces creating crevices.
This species is prone to skin problems when humidity levels are incorrect and there´s inadequate ventilation, but the container you are using offers excelent ventilation so that shouldn´t be a concern. Still, offer a gradient and allow them to choose, that´s the safest option by far.

S.s.terrestris is just one of the subspecies of S.salamandra. There are quite a number of them specially (luckily for us) in the iberian peninsula. You can see the different subspecies here:
Caudata Culture Articles - Salamandra Guide
Billy has made me doubt that they may be terrestris. By coloration alone is not possible to tell, and at least one of them seems to me to have a stocky build and a shortish tail which would indicate it´s terrestris...however the other one looks very bernardezi to me, so i don´t know.
Maybe the guy that sold them to you can provide some information. If you are able to contact him i´d recommend it just to see if he can tell you something.
 

queenofsparta

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I have some bark so I'll give it a good mix up then re-post what Ive come up with I think I have a good idea now I have had a look at some member album pics and they have given me insperation, I will maybe leave them a few days before I do anything yet, I know one has eaten a dusted cricket tonight yeyyyyyyyy so I'll give it a while longer but fab.

So its veriations on the breed well I never realised this, im going to have a look at the link after I have wrote this, great. As for the dude I bought them off I had a whole list for him to answer and he just told me they are fit and healthy and eating great there was hardly any real background to them, like I said he was young and he esured me they were hardy and healthy. I have a tendencey to fixate on things and I worry becasue like I said I hate to think I am halming any animal. The one that you think is a bernardezi, with more yellow on is the one I am most worried about as she is unsteady when she walks, the other the stocky one or terrestris (I'm learning :) is the fitter of the two.

But a lot of people have reasured me that they look fine.
Thanks again
Shell
 

queenofsparta

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Hi,
No she started doing it before the bath, I said somthing on a yahoo forum and this lady said that gave them cals, I will not be doing this again EVER. Well some good news any way I put three crickets in last night before I went to bed and only one was remaining when I left them to it. I have been trying to pincer feed them in the time I've had them when they were not eating the free roaming ones in the tank when I popped them in for an hour. Bring on the wax worms I say and maybe that will bring them out of their stress. I have just left them sinse people said dont bother them so I haven't seen if shes still doing it.
Hurbert was even out from his hide when I snook a peek.
Thanks again :)
 

Linus

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Nice work. I'm not sure what the juttery movement is, I've never seen this. Maybe it'll go away when they get some feeding in.
 

queenofsparta

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She sees softer then the Hurbert the male, he is quite solid however the jerly movments seem to have subsided and shes moving around a lot better she was pottering around last night so hopfully we have it sussed. Thank you all for your help :)
 
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