Mandarin salamander set up

S

shonagh

Guest
Hi, could some of the people that have mandarin salamanders on this site post pictures of their set ups? I bought my little guy with his home and because it's plastic I'm a little concerned how lightweight it is.(I have five cats, they haven't shown ANY interest in him at all, but that doesn't mean they won't accidentally knock his home by accident.)
 
Hi Shonagh, i don't have any pictures right now of my Shanjing set up but basically it's just a couple of inches of soil (john innes no3) with a few pieces of natural cork for hides, you can add a few plants if you like, things like ivy,pothos or ferns. I will however change my set up in the future to a nicer looking one (my Shanjing are very young and only about 2 or 3 inches long, my present set up is more of a rearing set up) though that's more for my benefit...the animals i'm sure don't care!
I mist the tank a couple of times a week and that's about it.
If your worried about the cats knocking your set up over why not buy a standard two foot tank (10 gallon i think), they're only about £16 or so...but make sure you have an escape proof lid to both stop the mandarin getting out and the cats getting in!
 
Just out of interest, I was told this little guy wouldn't get any bigger and he's around two inches. So how big will he get and what size is his ideal set up? Is it a two foot tank?
 
I'd keep one adult in at least a 24" or even a 30" long set up. Adults can reach a length of about 7.5 to 8 inches from snout to tail end.
 
Unbelievable. I don't mind buying him a bigger tank, I think I've even got one that size in my outhouse, but I DO mind being mis-informed!

He's still lovely, so I'm not too annoyed, but if someone else had taken him on with the wrong information, they might not have been so laid back.

Gah! I missed a brilliant tank on EBay because I thought it was too big!

At the moment he's in an Extra Terra Faunarium that measures 18x11x7 inches. Is that far too small?

(Message edited by Cat_lady on May 16, 2006)
 
Hi Shonagh, the exo terra faunarium should be fine for now....but i would still move him to a larger aquarium in the future.
Actually, it can be quite a lot of fun setting up a terrarium for newts, you can create lovely looking set ups that will be a great centre piece in your home...complete with rocks, bark,plants etc.
 
Thanks, Andy. I actually have a few vivs that I had quite a lot of fun setting up, so I'm not dreading it. I just want to make sure I get the right type of tank. (Sounds odd, but I read that salamanders need quite a lot of ventilation and the tank I have has a solid lid.)
 
I keep mine in a 7 litre tuppaware box with a few holes in the lid. They stay on damp paper towels which are changed weekly. It’s embarrassingly simple. There are a few cork hides which they use for cover. Having a lid with only a few holes means the towels stay damp and the humidity is high.

It depends what you want from the set-up – my kind of set-up is not attractive but provides a good environment that is easily controlled. If you want them as display animals then you may want something as Andy describes. In naturalistic set-ups you lose a certain amount of control because waste is often hidden or harder to clean. In my experience, simple set-ups = healthy animals.
 
I agree there, it is more work but for some reason it's just how i like to keep my Tylototritons. I change the soil completely every six weeks or so and spot clean a lot. I do however keep my Salamandra in clinical set ups.
 
I tend to like to concentrate on the aesthetics of my vivariums/terrariums almost as much as cleanliness.(What can I say, I'm a girl!) But I do know what you mean about hidden waste. I did a full clean of my leopard geckos vivarium the other day and found out exactly where their new toilet spot is!
sick.gif
 
Another question I was wondering about; can bottled garden plants be used in a salamander set up? I would want to have some plants in my little guys new tank, but obviously only if they aren't harmful to him. Any suggestions?
 
Yes, i've used various house plants in set ups but they'll need a light for them to survive, which of course can add unwanted heat into the set up.
I usually take the plants out of the soil they come with...wash the roots and repot with john innes no3...i do this in case the plants have had any pesticides sprayed on them.
If you do use a light make sure the animal has plenty of hides as it will probably be a little more shy...
 
Hmmm....more shy? Is that possible? I never see Abe as it is! Fake plants it is, then! Thanks for the advice, guys!
 
Shanjing can get quite bold and even beg for food when they see you enter the room. Also, i had two Shanjing in a planted set up with a light....they didn't seem to bothered about it.
 
They actually beg for food? Maybe Abe just doesn't trust me enough yet!
 
Yeah, they become very personable and friendly...
By far my favourite genus is Tylototriton
 
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