WARNING! |
 |
WARNING! |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Last Updated: 3/29/08
Salamanders and Newts:
Salamander and Newt Species:
Because I have little experience caring for salamanders or newts, I refer you to Newts and Salamanders by Frank Indiviglio, Barron's, 1997 as a guide for their care. Due to the many requests for general information, I will provide a little information on their care.
Housing:
Larval salamanders and newts as well as neotonic salamanders (those that remain aquatic throughout their lives) can be kept in aquatic setups without land. Aquariums ranging from 5 to over a 100 gallons can be used depending on the size and quantity of the individual amphibians being kept. The water should be maintained at a temperature proper for that species. A good filtration system is important as are water changes of 20-50% every one to two weeks at least.
Once larval salamanders and newts are nearing the time that they leave the water, an area of land must be provided. Any non-toxic material that floats or acts as a land mass can be used. Gravel, rocks, plastic platforms, etc. can be used.
Adult salamanders and newts (efts) that are non-aquatic should be provided with mostly a land area that is kept moist and relatively dark. Sphagnum moss, logs, etc. can be used in a 5-100+ gallon glass aquarium. The cage should be kept moist. Small water dishes are all that are needed except for breeding. Extremes in temperature and high levels of light should be avoided.
Feeding:
Larval salamanders and newts and neotonic salamanders (those that remain aquatic) can be fed almost any small, live animal that will fit in their mouths. Preferred foods in nature are mostly small aquatic insects, mollusks, and worms. They will also eat the eggs and larvae of fish and amphibians. In captivity, it is easiest to feed brine shrimp (newborns for newborns and adult shrimp for larger larval salamanders) and black worms. Black worms should be cut up (but alive) for babies that are too small to eat the whole worms. Larger animals (mostly neotonic salamanders as they others do not grow large enough) can be introduced to tubifex worms, earthworms, small fish, ghost shrimp, crayfish, and other small animals.
Land salamanders and newts will eat small animals appropriate for their mouth size. Possible choices include earthworms, mealworms, crickets, and other small insects and worms.
Keeping Other Animals with Salamanders and Newts:
It is usually best to keep a single species of salamander or newt without other animals present
(aside from foods meant to be eaten by the salamander or newt). The main reason for this is that
all amphibians have an innate desire to try to eat any animals in their enclosure. For example,
one person put a frog (I do not remember the species) in with their fire-bellied newts. The frog
ate a newt and promptly died. Another person bought some small algae-eating fish (probably
plecostomus or otocinclus catfish) and put them with their fire-bellied newt. The newt promptly
ate the catfish. The spines on the catfish punctured the newt's mouth and gut which killed the
newt after a few days. The owner of that newt requested that I make note of this problem on my
web site. So, if you wish to add another species of salamander, newt, frog, toad, snail, shrimp,
fish, or whatever in with your salamander or newt, be sure you know these things:
On 3/11/07, Amber sent these photos to me for identification. They are salamander eggs laid in
her pond in Georgia. Three globs were resting on a shelf a foot under the water that they found
when they cleaned the pond.
Salamander eggs
Salamander eggs
Salamander eggs
Salamander eggs
Alan sent this e-mail in regards to the above photos on 4/10/07. I agreed with him and was
aware of what he says.
"On your Pond Egg Identification Page you show a salamander egg mass that you received from
Amber and dated 3/11/07. This is almost undoubtedly an egg mass of the Spotted Salamander
(Ambystoma maculatum) for two reasons. First, the size and shape of the egg mass
are pretty characteristic; also the time of year is just right for their breeding. This is a very
attractive and not uncommon salamander but it is rarely seen during 99% of the year because it is
active at night and spends the rest of its time in a burrow. But on the first warm spring night
when there is a rain the spotteds gather together in hundreds at pools and mate and lay eggs. The
pools are usually temporary pools that do not have fish."
Marbled salamander - Ambystoma opacum, named Sally sent by Guy to me on 9/13/06.
Amphiuma - sent by Petrea on 10/7/04; see below for the details.
Adult yellow spotted salamander - taken by Brock Hodgkinson in July of 2002.
Familiar Reptiles & Amphibians of North America, National Audobon Society Pocket Guide, Alfred A. Knopf, 1996.
Pond Life: A Guide to Common Plants and Animals of North American Ponds and Lakes by Dr. George K. Reid, Golden Press, 1967. A book chock full of information.
Newts and Salamanders by Frank Indiviglio, Barron's, 1997.
The Audobon Society Nature Guides: Wetlands by William A. Niering, Alfred A. Knopf, 1992.
There are few web sites on salamanders and newts aside from identification. If you know of a good site, let me know so I can add it here.
Caudate Central - this is "the ultimate information resource for newts and salamanders." If you have questions, check out their discussion forums on all sorts of salamander and newt stuff!
Species Identification Guide - the North American Reporting Center for Amphibian Malformations site with photos of over 100 amphibians!!
Herp forums - a place to ask questions about reptiles and amphibians
Amphibiaweb - dedicated to amphibian (mostly frog) abnormalities
Newt Webpage - information on the care of newts (specifically firebelly newts)
Salamanders of Virginia & Maryland
Mike's Life List - includes photos and a little information on about 27 species of newts and salamanders.
Living Underworld - salamander site.
enature.com - they have a guide to all animals including salamanders and newts. You can enter your zip code and find those species native to your area in the USA.
There are few places that sell salamanders and newts but I found these few. Local pet stores are the best place to find a selection of amphibians.
Carolina Math and Scientific, 1-800-334-5551 (North Carolina), catalog only sent to a business or school - eggs, larvae, and adults of mixed species (whatever they catch). I ordered eggs twice and they were all spotted salamanders. I ordered larvae once and got a mix of spotted salamanders and tiger salamanders.
William Tricker, Inc. in Ohio sells what they call "American salamanders" but they sound like Eastern newts. Their catalog costs $5. Call 1-800-524-3492 or use their web site.
Sirens, Mudpuppies, and Hellbenders
Sirens (Siren species), mudpuppies or water dogs (Necturus maculosus), and hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) are three species of salamander that spend all of their lives in the water. They grow one to two feet long and eat fish, crayfish, insects, and whatever else they can get. They are "ugly" to blend in with their habitat so prey cannot see them. Due to their size, eating habits, and varying rarity in the wild, they are not species you would intentionally add to your pond but they could show up if you have wild waters that enter your pond, etc. A bird could also drop their eggs in your pond. It is weird how things show up that seemingly have no way of getting there. These aquatic species of salamander are often sold as pets for aquariums.
The mudpuppy, Necturus maculosus, grows to 17" and is larger and ranges from southern Canada to the southeastern US. A few subspecies in the southern US include the 8" Gulf Coast waterdog and the 6" dwarf waterdog. All of these aquatic salamanders will eat live worms, insects, fish, and sometimes trout chow and crayfish. They are nocturnal. The mudpuppy female lays 30-190 eggs between April and June under stones or logs. They hatch in a few months. After about five years, they are ready to breed.
The hellbender, Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, grows to one or two feet! They breed in the fall when a female will lay 200 to 500 yellowish eggs in a male's nest. The male guards the eggs until they hatch in 2 to 3 months. They eat worms, snails, insects, and crayfish. In captivity, they may live up to 30 years.
The greater siren, Siren lacertina, grows from almost two feet to over three feet long! It breeds in the early spring and is only found in the coastal areas of the southeastern US. The lesser siren, Siren intermedia, only grows to from half a foot to a little over two feet. In the spring, females lay a few hundred eggs in a nest. It makes noises when disturbed. Unlike the other related salamanders, the lesser siren will eat some plant material as well as insects, etc. The dwarf siren, Pseudobranchus striatus is smaller at about half a foot. They live almost exclusively in Florida.
On 10/7/04, Petrea sent me this photo of an animal that they had found following the many hurricanes that Florida had the weeks before. It had washed up. At first, I thought it was a siren but then, seeing the photo, the legs were just too tiny. We decided it was an amphiuma which I had never heard of before (see, I'm no expert!). The two-toed amphiuma, Amphiuma means grows 1.5 to almost 4 feet long! The three-toed amphiuma, Amphiuma tridactylum grows 1.5 to 3.5 feet long. Amphiumas are nocturnal, aquatic, long lived, and apparently nasty. Most are in Florida but also in some other Southern swamp-type habitats. Here is the enature.com pages on the two-toed amphiuma and the three-toed amphiuma.
Petrea replied to me, "I just looked up amphiuma and I feel very strongly that that is exactly what it was! Thank you so much! You Rock! Thanks for all your help, it is quite unusual for us to have found something that we hadn't ever seen before!." They kept the injured salamander for a few days but it died of its injuries from the hurricane.
The axotyl or axolotl, Ambystomaa mexicanum, is a similar species that lives in Mexico, a close relative to the tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) with which it can interbreed. It only exists in the wild at the Xochimilco lake in Mexico. The axolotl is neotonic which means that it almost always remains in the aquatic form, retaining gills. They are sometimes also called water dogs as are the mudpuppies. It is a common pet salamander and as such, has been bred into albino, yellow, black, and other colored forms. They grow to 8 to 12 inches, live into their teens, and eat insect larvae, small fish, worms, etc. For more information on axolotls including a FAQ, newsletter, and links go to The Indiana University Axolotl Colony web site.
I had this link request for VCI which sells adult axolotls.
Axolotls
The Eastern newt's scientific name is Notophthalmus viridescens. It spends two stages of its life in the water. The newt is born in the water, turns into an eft and lives on land, and then returns to spend the rest of its life in water as it breeds. It grow 3 to 5 inches long and eats small animals. Efts are red while adults are a mix or greens, yellows, and reds. Females lay a few hundred eggs in the spring among aquatic plants. In one to two months, the eggs hatch. By the fall, the newts leave the water as efts or skip that step and become aquatic adults. They eat worms, insects, fish and amphibian eggs and larvae, and crustaceans. Newts secrete toxins that make them unpalatable to fish.
I bought and added three adult Eastern newts to my pond in 1998 and have not seen them since. One of my female green frogs was eyeing them with interest.
The dusky salamander, or Desmognathus fuscus, is brownish and lives in the Eastern United States. Growing from 3 to 5 inches long, it must stay near water. Unlike most land salamanders, it lacks lungs and breathes through its skin so it must stay wet. Females lay a few dozen eggs in summer near water (not in it). The larvae hatch in 2 to 3 months and turn into adults in 6 to 12 months.
Pseudotriton montanus is the mud salamander. It lives in cool, wet mud and grows 3 to 7 inches long. It has brown speckles over a red or orange body. Females lay 100 to 200 eggs in the winter that hatch in late winter. It takes a few years for them to turn into adults.
The red-backed salamander, or Plethodon cinereus, lives in moist places and grows to 4 inches. It has a red stripe down its back and is black elsewhere.
Pseudotriton ruber is the red salamander. It grows from 4 to 8 inches long. Like the mud salamander, it is red with black flecks. Females lay 50 to 100 eggs in the fall. Larvae turn into adults after a few years. They prefer to live around leaf litter near natural springs and damp woodlands.
Ambystoma maculatum, or the spotted salamander, is the only salamander species with which I have experience. I bought a few egg masses in early 1998 which hatched. All but five larvae went into my ponds to live. Five were raised to adulthood. They lost their gills and changed from brown to black with yellow splotches. They ate baby brine shrimp and cut-up black worms like little vacuum cleaners. I released the remaining five in May, 1998.
Most of the time, spotted salamanders are half a foot underground or under moist humus or leaves. Adults can grow to 6 to 9 inches long and live 20 years. They feed on whatever comes their way that is small enough and slow enough to catch. Adults have a mass migration to breeding pools in late winter. Females lay a round ball of about 100 eggs in the winter. They hatch in a month or two and turn into adults after another 2 to 4 months. Many spotted salamanders have died out because acid rain has killed off the eggs.
I got some more spotted salamander eggs in March of 2001 that began to hatch by early April. In April, I put many in my 50 gallon lotus pond because it is my largest fish-less pond. All the salamanders were outside by 4/14/01. By 6/5/01, the larvae, now larger, can still be seen in the 50 gallon pond occasionally coming up for air. I feed them blackworms.
On 9/16/07, Jon sent three photos of his baby leucistic (similar to albino but not exactly the
same) spotted salamander.
Baby leucistic spotted
salamander
Baby leucistic spotted
salamander
Baby leucistic spotted
salamander
Ambystoma tigrinum, the tiger salamander, is a rather large salamander that spends most of its life underground. It is an orangey-red with black spots. It can grow from about 6 inches to a foot long. It is the world's largest land-dwelling salamander. Eggs are laid in the spring. By summer, the larvae leave the water. Tiger salamanders eat earthworms, insects, frogs, and even mice!
A related species, the axolotl can interbreed with the tiger salamander. See above for more information.
The two-lined salamander, Eurycea bislineata, hides in wet spots during the day and comes out at night to eat insects, worms, etc. like most salamanders. It has two black lines down its yellow back and only grows to about 2.5 to 4.75 inches. Females lay and may guard 12- 100 eggs under plants, logs, etc. It may be one to three years before the larvae leave the water. Some may never turn into adults.
Return to main amphibian page.
|
Pet Link Banner Exchange: |
|
   |
There have been 11,681,560 visitors (file views since 2006) to Fishpondinfo from October 1, 2003 through May 3, 2008. |
|
Copyright © 1997-2008 Robyn Rhudy
