E. l. longicauda

[KevinS]

I'm doing my thesis work on these guys, and I'll need to keep a few juveniles for part of my research. I've found 2 so far this year and I hung on to the second one which I found today. For the time being I have it on damp paper towels with sheets of moss, flat stones, and bark strips to hide under. I've added springtails and I'll be collecting some isopods to put in there tomorrow. I was just wondering if you guys thought it was a safe bet that those will be suitable foods? I haven't noticed it paying attention to the springtails yet, but it's probably still early to expect it to start feeding. I want it to feel secure, but I'd also like to know if it's eating or not. It's about 60 mm total length, so I'm limited to smaller food items for the time being. I figure anything other small Eurycea eat would work, so if any of you keep small two lines or other Eurycea species I'd be interested in hearing what they eat. Also, should I be fine without a water dish as long as I keep it damp and humid? Most of the time I find them in fairly dry areas away from any standing water so I assume a water dish won't get much use. Thanks for any input.

 

[rust]

For simplicity I would feed them 1/4in crickets. I've kept a few E.l.guttolineata on crickets before and they did fine. And yes, as long as the substrate has some moisture you do not need a water bowl. But I would switch to landscaping bark or Reptibark instead of paper towels. Paper towels can dry out unexpectantly.

 

[Nathan050793]

I'd go with a cocofiber/soil substrate, it is better at retaining moisture. As for food, you could also try chopped (or very small, whole) earthworms.

 

[KevinS]

Thanks for the tips. I found a hatchling mealworm in my colony yesterday and it was zapped up pretty quick by the salamander, so at least I know it's eating now.