Things to Know About Salamander Care
If you own a salamander you need to know about salamander care tips. Salamanders are cute little amphibians that are fun to keep as a pet during the summer months. Learning more about the salamander will help you enjoy your pet more and understand how to properly care for it.
When someone refers to an amphibian as a salamander, they are not being very specific. Salamander is used to refer to roughly 500 species of amphibians. They generally have slender bodies, long tail, and short noses. They have moist skin which requires that they live in environments near water or in wetlands. Some, but not all, salamanders actually live in the water. One very cool thing about salamanders is they are actually able to regenerate lost limbs. When threatened some species of salamander will actually shed their tail so that a predator will be distracted and the salamander can escape.
Since there are so many species of salamander, care for them is not universally applicable, but some aspects of care are the same regardless of species. A terrarium should be used for the salamander house. Salamanders do not need a lot of room and they can be housed with other salamanders. The environment should be cool and damp. Water should be available for swimming and to help keep the area humid.
The terrarium should contain at least a few dark hiding places for the salamanders to crawl into and rest. Salamanders require that their environment be well ventilated, but you want to make sure that the terrarium is also escape proof since they are able to climb walls. They use their moist stomachs as a sucker to climb the glass walls.
For water, use a small pan that is about one inch deep. Make sure that there are branches or sticks in place for the salamander to use to enter and exit the water easily. This pan of water will be used by the salamander to play and it helps with humidity. The water should be changed frequently and a couple sprays of water should be sprayed into the home once a day.
Put smooth rocks and pebbles all around the water pan. Place moss in the gaps between the rocks. These rocks and moss will become place for your pet salamander to rest and hide. Chipped bark should cover the floor of the rest of your salamander’s home. Mix into the bark some sphagnum moss and leaves. You could also grow small ivies in your terrarium. As you place the bark and other materials make sure that you create places for the salamander to hide. You will need to clean out the terrarium about every two weeks to prevent too much fungal growth.
Special lighting is not required for proper salamander care. If you grow plants in the terrarium, you may need to use UVB lighting. Your salamander, while nocturnal, does need light, but indirect sunlight will be sufficient. Direct sunlight might cause the humidity in the terrarium to get too low for the salamander to survive.
The temperature in the terrarium does not need to be closely regulated. Salamanders are generally tolerant of a range of temperatures. There are a few species that do require more temperature regulation, so research the particular species that you have as a pet. Heat stress, rather than hypothermia, is more common for salamanders kept as pets.
Salamanders in the wild usually eat small insects such as fruitflies, aphids, spiders, and crickets. They will also eat small caterpillars. Salamanders will eat mostly at night, so place the food in the terrarium before going to bed.
Salamanders generally hibernate for a short time in mid winter. To hibernate, salamanders prefer cooler temperatures of about 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Some people will use an old refrigerator and carefully monitor the temperature. During hibernation, you will still need to check on your salamander frequently.