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Plethodon Cinereus

L

Louis

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I have two Red Backed Salamanders, Sally and Lloyd. I was wondering how my tank set up is? Any other advice is more than welcome. The Temperature is right around 68 degrees and the humidity is at about 75%. I have two 15w full spectrum daylight bulbs under the hood. However I am tentative to use them since after an hour the temperature gets to be over 70 degrees. I have been feeding them mostly crickets but some other small bugs came in with the moss. I have not confirmed if Lloyd is a male but I am fairly certain Sally is a female.

DSCN1177.jpg

The Tank
DSCN1175.jpg

Lloyd

unfortunately Sally was not out and about while I was taking pictures
 
Azhael

Azhael

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They would certainly benefit from some bark for cover, leaf-litter, plants and pieces of wood. If you can make it look like a portion of forest floor, they´ll be happy.
 
jaster

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They would also benefit from the bugs in leaf litter, etc. Males will have noticeably enlarged teeth and a mental gland in the breeding season. You may be able to see the gland on it now...
 
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merk199

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How long have you had them? Have you seen any aggressive behavior between the two of them? I have read they can be aggressive towards each other. In the wild I have never seen more than one ever visible at a time. Have wondering if the territorial issues are why they are not visible in groups.

How deep is your substrate? They like substrate they can burrow in. Also I would skip the light they dont need it. If anything then go out and get a regular old t8 or t12 flouroscent light from HD or Lowes. Less heat and will grow most plants. I would also see if you can get the temp lower. They prefer lower temps. Like low 60 with 70 being the upper range. Basement temps if you have one.
 
JM29

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To give an example :

My cinereus group (12 sals) are kept in a 80 x 30 cm, with about 20 cm of a mix of leaf litter, sticks, bark pieces... I regularly add dead leaves to maintain the depth, and keep it wet.
Food is various (worms, woodlice, fruitflies and little wild fauna).
I've had them for 2 years till now, but I noticed aggressive behavior only for the first 2 months. Within a short time, the individuals seem to keep their own shelter.
When I visit them, I regularly see 3 or 4 of them during the day (with not too much light), but in the evening, I easily see most of them. After a first breeding season, they seem ready to start again this year.

I hope this will help.
 
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Louis

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I have only had them for a couple of weeks. I found them together in the wild, and I have seen no aggressive behavior between the two, so I am assuming they are the communal type. I read that they prefer temperatures anywhere from 60 to 68. The moss is about an inch thick.

It sounds like I need deeper substrate and more hiding places.

What should I do about mold? you can see it in the picture of Lloyd. I searched the forum and found some comments that said not to worry about mold, I just want to make sure.
 
Greatwtehunter

Greatwtehunter

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Louis said:
It sounds like I need deeper substrate and more hiding places.
Click to expand...

You don't need a deep substrate for this species, they aren't really a burrowing type. One inch of soil will do just fine.

What should I do about mold? you can see it in the picture of Lloyd. I searched the forum and found some comments that said not to worry about mold, I just want to make sure.
Click to expand...

Add springtails! Not only do the springtails eat the mold but in return the P. cinereus will munch on the springtails.
 
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Louis

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Thanks everyone I put a nice piece of bark in and the salamanders have been exploring its crevices ever since. I will be sure to buy some spring tails, I found 50 for 5 dollars is that a good deal? Also is it normal for the salamanders to kill a cricket but not eat it? I will be sure to update with new pictures when I finish redoing the tank.
 
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