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Best species for a starting in the hobby

Sith the turtle

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No, you shouldn't. Spanish ribbed newts eat anything they can, even if it can't fit in its mouth. Either that, or the fish will out-compete the newt for food
 

AdvythAF

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Tiger salamanders are illegal in California! Do NOT buy one, it would be violating state laws.

A good aquatic starter newt would be Pleurodeles waltl( Spanish Ribbed Newt) as stated above, or fire-belly newts Hypselotriton orientalis).

A good terrestrial starter salamander is hard to come across in California as the usual recommendation is a tiger salamander. However, you could try Salamandra salamandra, or Fire salamander, but you must be able to keep them really cool; below 72º F.

All salamanders/newts have to be kept below 75º F with a few exceptions. Good luck finding a starter salamander or newt! :D
 

sde

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I second what Advyth said. All Ambystoma are illegal in California, that includes Tiger salamanders.
As Advyth said Pleurodeles are a great starter newt, along with Axolotls being a great starter salamander. They are both readily available, cheap, come in different colors ( if you're into that type of thing ;) ) and are easy to find CB.
However they both need temperatures of under 72 F ( 22 C ). If you think you would struggle to keep the temps that low, than something a little more temperature tolerant would be a good idea.
Hypeselotriton cyanurus can comfortably tolerate temperatures of 76 F ( 24 C ), and are readily available CB.
Tylototriton verrucosus are fine with temps to about 77 F ( 25 C ), but seem to be less common in the hobby these days, so finding some CB animals might take a bit of searching.

You can look at the care sheets of all the recommended species and more at this website, the care sheets are written by experienced keepers and give a ideal temperature range on most ( all? ) of the care sheets.

Caudata Culture Caresheets

Hope this helps :happy:
 

Sith the turtle

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I second what Advyth said. All Ambystoma are illegal in California, that includes Tiger salamanders.
along with Axolotls being a great starter salamander.

Uh, you made a contradiction there, Axolotls are members of the Ambystoma genus. I second what you said though, fire salamanders are great if you were planning on terrestrial, Tylototriton verrucosus if you were planning on semi-aquatic, and Hypselotriton cyanurus if you were planning on aquatic. here are care-guides on all three species: Caudata Culture Species Entry - Salamandra salamandra - Fire Salamander
Caudata Culture Species Entry - Tylototriton verrucosus
Caudata Culture Species Entry - Cynops cyanurus
 
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