Should i release????

[geganewt]

should i release my two-lines? they were wild caught (by me) in the fall and i've been over wintering them, i've been feeding them well, so they are plump and i have no other amph. in my house that aren't from around here, so there is no risk of spreading disease to the wild pop. of amph.
( i'm using abrevetions because i don't have much time to write this and can't look up the real word, plez exscuse it)

 

[ben_tajer]

That's your call. Do you want to release them? If they're well and healthy, and you feel as though they could lead "fuller" lives outside, then it might be an idea, you've potentially done them a service by fattening them up at a time of year when others could be hibernating. On the other hand they might be disadvantaged if you've prevented them from having a winter cooling period (I'm not too familiar with this species so I wouldn't be able to tell you whether this species needs one), or by making them comfortable in the presence of much larger animals. When I was a kid I caught a male wall lizard in southern France. I kept him for a year, and even though he was already an adult he grew about 50% in length in captivity and became much more heavily built, despite this he had also become more tame around humans. After releasing him (because we figured that in captivity we wouldn't be able to breed him) at the same location in southern France, I am unsure whether his large size and increased muscularity made him more competitive than the other lizards, or if this, combined with his more outgoing disposition led to a fate as food for another animal, roadkill, or the victim of a passerby's foot.

The ethics of taking a wild animal into captivity are complicated, though often minor, it may have unforeseen affects on the individuals and the local populations.

 

[geganewt]

they don't really need a winter cooling period because the winters here are pretty mild it almost never goes below 32° and never goes 20° and this species won't hibernate they just move to springs

 

[ben_tajer]

Just because it rarely goes below 32º doesn't exclude a cooling period, cooling them from 60º-70º to 50º or 40º still could be important for breeding. That said, I don't know too much about this particular species.

 

[freves]

I would advise against releasing them. You mentioned that you have other amphibians. What species do you have? Currently the chytrid fungus is a major cause of concern with both wild populations and captive animals. Some species of salamanders can carry it without exhibiting any health problems. It is very possible to spread an infectious agent back into the wild without even realizing it. Since you are in Virginia it is illegal to sell them however perhaps you could trade them to a serious hobbyist (or even give them away).
Chip

 

[geganewt]

well with the cooling period, my dad keeps the thermostat below 65° at all times and i live in a middle-aged house (80s or 90s house) so the temp. changes between summer(temp+) and winter(temp-) and they are very healthy so i could trade them, though they have not gotten used to humans yet, oh and freves i have no other amph., you must have missed that.

 

[onetwentysix]

What Foster said. Chytrid is becoming present in more and more captively kept species of amphibians, and there are other diseases to consider. It would be far better to euthanize the animals in question than to release them (obviously, that would be a bit drastic; you should be able to find someone to give them to at the very least).

Additionally, many diseases can be contracted via food sources such as crickets or other invertebrates. It's just not worth the risk.

And finally, many states complete outlaw releasing animals into the wild.

 

[freves]

<<<i have no other amph. in my house that aren't from around here>>>

Sorry but I did misread this. I was thinking that you may have had some exotics. In any case even if you just go to the petstore for feeders and so on you could potentially bring something back to the salamanders. This may or may not be very likely depending on what you come into contact with. That is also a good point brought up by 126 concerning the legality of releasing them. I am not sure about that one myself but it would be posted on the VA Dept of Game and Inland Fisheries website.
Chip

 

[ben_tajer]

What food did you give them, was it wild caught, from a pet store, supplier, or from a fish bait store? Some sources are better in terms of safeness. If you've fed your animals on exclusively wild caught food, and you've kept them on substrate that is from outside, or has been sterilized (ie. via micro wave or bleach), I don't see any reason why disease would be a huge risk. I think that some aspects of your husbandry need to be clarified before people can decisively say whether or not it's safe to release the animals. It's always good to err on the side of caution, but I think people are being a bit fast to exclude release as a possibility. If it is an issue of legality, however, there is no debate.