Ensatinas

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candice

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Sorry for so many posts today
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I was wondering if anybody keeps Ensatinas. THey are such beautiful creatures I would guess that they would be a keeper's favorite. They are such a rainbow, if not a complete taxonomic mess.

candice
 
Hi Candice,

I have kept all the "ssp" at one point or another. I have no idea why U.S. keepers seem to have no interest in them.
 
ive kept them before too. origionally i had no luck keeping them -this was due to set up design/substrate issues. i have had one now for over a year and a half and its doing fine, the biggest issue with them is obtaining them-i have never seen them on the pet trade -so alot of people dont know about them or how to care for them. i think they are wonderful-they have a laid back attitude to their keepers and become as tame as tigers. since they lay their eggs on land they are really easy to raise if you can get them to breed-no messing about with larval stages and live aquatic feeding issues. i agree they are cool.
 
I keep a small colony of Ensatinas(E.e. oregonsis outside in rubbermaids near me house house in Northern CA.They are a really neat group of salamanders.I traded a few around and somehow a couple ended up on the kingsanke.com classfieds this week,the first time they have been listed there most likely. They are fairly easy to care for and if kept outside will breed yearly with little effort on my part.
-Travis
 
I keep 2 subspecies and I am hoping to add. I have Ensatina eschscholtzii oregonensis and Ensatina eschscholtzii xanhthoptica. If you want to join my social group please go to the link below
Caudata.org Newt and Salamander Forum - Ensatina Interest Group
I keep mine on moss and Eco Earth, they do great on it. I have logs and bark as hides. Nobody sells them that I know, and the only place I know it's legal to sell is Oregon, I also think you need a special permit to sell them there too. I wild collected them and I know some people who have kept all 7 subspecies. You can go to the California Fish and Game website to get the current CA regulations. I know russ and paris breeds and keeps them. If you want to start another thread to discuss more about the topic feel free. I also started an Ensatina keeping blog on www.caudata.org
What I Keep (ensatina):
1 Gravid Female Tailess Ensatina eschscholtzii xanthoptica
3 Ensatina eschscholtzii oregonensis (2 gravid)
 
I have kept all 7 subspecies/species. They are very easy to care for. Not so easy to breed though. I have only had luck breeding croceator so far.
 
So collecting these from CA is illegal? I've been fascinated by the ensatinas for some time but being from CA and all their regulations I never expected to get my hands on any here on the East Coast. Did you people who have kept/keep multiple species have to catch them all yourself?
 
You can collect them in CA with a valid fishing license, there is a daily limit and possession limit you have to follow.
 
Update:
Now I keep
1 Subadult WC Ensatina eschscholtzii klauberi
1 Adult WC Ensatina eschscholtzii xanthoptica

Aneides
 
You can collect them in CA with a valid fishing license, there is a daily limit and possession limit you have to follow.
This is true but the law also stipulates that no one can sell them, even if legally collected. So going back to what was said earlier in this thread, whoever sold them on Kingsnake was breaking the law.
 
If you breed those collected individuals, are the offspring legal to sell?
 
I am not certain, but I think it is legal outside the state of California. Not sure about in California though
 
I keep the northern most species up here in seattle, WA. He/she is amazingly laid back. I keep him on Oregon creeping moss that has frawn that look like ferns and leaf litter from outside. I collected him with a license and its my first year having to use a license (17). Up here in Washington succesful offspring are allowed to be sold under another license entirely called a transport/sales license. The one I have has see-through epidermis on his belly and you can see his organs at work. The coolest part of its body is its face. The cool black eyes and the furrowed upper jaw are amazing. The only place up here to find them is old pine forests with tons of pine litter. Mine eats isopods (wood lice), snails, small slugs, worms, mealworms, spiders, slug eggs, and springtails happily. They have a projectile tongue and are one of the only species who can catch the speedy springtails. The Ensatina loves to watch people pass by his tank and will rub his nose on the plastic.
 
Natural Designs, any pictures? I'm down here in San Francisco and the Ensatinas here are the yellow-eyed variety, very pretty but I'm very interested in the others. Whats the coloration of yours?
 
Saw these guys in the wild recently. Love them, particularly the short stocky subspecies like platensis.
 
Stanleyc: I can get a better one than the one on my phone. Honestly I wish I lived south the ensatinas down near you are more diverse and have some gorgeous patterns. I will get a pic up here by 10 tonight. He hunts all the time so maybe I can get a pic of him snapping up a bug.
 
These are the pics of the ensatina I found up north. I assume this is the only variety up here because it is the only color I have seen. Some being more or less pale. Where he is sitting is his favorite hunting spot and he stares into the leaf litter all the time
 

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Hello everyone,

Has anyone found that ensatina become well enough adjusted to captivity that they will sit out and be visible most of the time? Any advice on group numbers or particular things to be aware of with the various subspecies?

B
 
Hello everyone,

Has anyone found that ensatina become well enough adjusted to captivity that they will sit out and be visible most of the time? Any advice on group numbers or particular things to be aware of with the various subspecies?

B

Not at all. Mine hid for a majority of the day ... Sometimes he would come to the surface and mess around... But mostly he sits under his hide.

This species is Ensatina eschscholtzii oregonensis
 
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