How often must an arboreal feed?

[bryan]

I was given an arboreal salamander by a friend who didn't want it in her yard. I thought I'd keep him for a while if he seemed content. He ate waxworms the first night, but nothing the next two nights. How often should a salamander eat, and at what point is he in danger?

By the way, I can prove he's arboreal. He can climb the aquarium glass like a gecko. A 2 MB time lapse movie taken at night can be seen here:
http://www.bmumford.com/tmp/salamanderwide.mov
Each frame is 10 seconds, so he's moving pretty slowly.

 

[jennifer]

Ummm, I doubt that this is an arboreal salamander, as they would not be found outdoors in California. Many salamanders and lizards can climb glass, so that proves nothing about its identity. Is the animal fast-moving, or slow? Skin like thin rubber, or bumpy, or scaley?

 

[pin-pin]

http://www.californiaherps.com/salamanders/pages/a.lugubris.html

Hm, Arboreals are in California most definitely.

They eat the same diet as most amphibians. Scurrying crickets get more attention from them than a writhing worm. You can train them to eat worm chunks, if you're worried about predation by the crickets.

 

[bryan]

I think it's an arboreal. Not only did John Sullivan of WildHerps.com identify it as such, but it matches the photos and the range is all along the California coast. His skin is smooth and damp.

The time lapse movie I posted showed him ignoring crickets in the terrarium and going for the waxworms. Perhaps the crickets were too big.

But my main question is, how often must they eat? Every day? If he doesn't eat for a week will he starve, or can salamanders go for days when food is scarce?

 

[Jennewt]

Oops, my mistake. Yes, it's an arboreal sal. I was thinking of Bolitoglossids, doh. Most adult sals can be fed 2-3 times per week, and can go for a couple of weeks unfed if necessary. This one looks young, so maybe a bit more often. Also try cut up earthworms - they are less fatty than waxworms, and most sals go for them.