Salamander doing well. Have another question.

[da24tis]

Thanks a lot for help identifying the salamander. This was the salamander from the State of Oregon that we found in our purchased Christmas tree in Alaska. The salamander appears to be doing well, eating meal worms and one wax worm so far. Ill include a picture of the glass cage we have him in. He just started climbing one of the pine branches I snapped off the Christmas tree we found him in. Do salamanders need things to climb? Does his cage look sufficient? Thanks again.

Dan

 

[da24tis]

Here’s the picture

 

[bhill368]

The cage looks pretty good for getting everything together at the last minute! Nice work ha ha. I am a big fan of having a TON of hides for my little critters. Maybe use some leaf litter or moss for a few addition hides. These can also help keep even more moisture in your container. Be cautious of what kinds of leaves you use though. Some can be toxic to our little friends. Also, be sure to treat them to get rid of any fungal matter or other harmful chemicals that may be present. Boiling them can go a long way in cleansing. As far as climbing, I don't think they NEED to climb around. I imagine that your little fella was climbing just to simply hunt for food.

 

[sde]

This species isn’t a climbing one, so you don’t need to add anything for it to climb on. I would recommend some more hides, though. Some pieces of bark flat on the ground (he’ll burrow under them), moss, or leaves would be great.
If you can get nightcrawlers or earthworms, I’d highly suggest feeding those mostly. Mealworms have very little nutritional value, and waxworms are very fatty.