Any tips for a beginner??

[Cam_Mears]

I have 2 spotted Salamanders and this is my first time taking care of amphibians. I’ve already had reptiles before but taking care of them versus an amphibian is very different. So far I have a 15 gal terrarium w 3 inches of potting soil and then another inch of coconut husk and some leaf litter on one half of the terrarium as well as a small water bowl. I also have a live plant as well as some live moss along w a piece of bark and a partially buried Half log for hides. One of the salamanders is 4 1/2- 5 inches long and I’ve put some nightcrawlers as well as some smaller red worms in the cage for him. However, he doesn’t really EVER move (even at night) and I’ve never seen any evidence that he’s eaten. I’m beginning to get seriously worried. He recently was shedding but you’d think that after burning that much energy that he would be ecstatic to eat something, however that’s not the case. They’re both wild caught so I’m worried that he’ll just end up refusing to eat in general ( which sometimes happens with wild caught specimens) and starve. Also, my second salamander is a much smaller 2-2 1/2 inch spotted and ive been trying to get him to eat smaller moving pieces of the red worms however he won’t. What should I feed him??? Any responses are greatly appreciated!!

 

[JaceW/Lifer-Log]

Red worms when cut emit a fowl smelling odor that make them unappetizing for almost all animals, try crickets. Maybe try hand feeding the bigger one a full red worm or a cut nightcrawler. That way you can see that he eats and you know he eats if he’s not foraging for them. My only concern and I’m semi-new so I may be wrong, but the potting soil maybe to acidic. This could be affecting the appetite. Organic topsoil works well as a ph balanced soil and is also cheap. Best of luck, JaceW/LiferLog