Blue Spotted Salamander???

[sheldon]

I came across a blue spotted salamander today and thought I'd bring it home. It's about 2" from nose to tail tip.
Does anyone have any information on how to keep these happy?
I gave it to my daughter and we want to make sure it has what it needs(food, proper housing, etc).
Thanks.

Sheldon

[Dozer]

This would be your best bet. Let the salamander go. It is a WC species and its really not fair for the animal. Go to the store, buy some friebelly toads. These are mostly captive bred ( CB ), they are great to watch, cheap and they are REALLY hardy. Salamanders tend to go into hibernation most of the time and they just chill under substrate and you can see it every 3 months or so. Do it for the animals please.

[sapphire_moon]

I do not keep salamanders. But let it go. How would you like to be yanked out of your "world" by some huge weird looking thing, only to be put into something about a million times smaller than what you were living in and try to keep YOU happy?

[sheldon]

I understand your views, and wasn't planning on keeping it.
As for frogs and toads, that could be interesting. Any suggestions for those would be great.

[Dozer]

Read the post about "Starter Frogs". Good choice you made :) Its for the benefit of the animals :d

Mike

[LurkerAccount]

Well for those of you who don't know, the blue-spotted salamander is a tiny salamder found primarly in the North. If he is 2" he probly won't get any bigger.
And as for the "Yank out of the WIld. A million times smaller." part, these salamnders don't roam for miles around though the forest canopy.
And just remeber, the fire bellied toad did not materialize in someones tank one day, every single herp specisies was once collected from the wild.
I mostly do not support wild caught species, but for anamials as small, and as docile as these, I do not see a problem, and they CAN be kept happy.

Now to answer your question, I would keep him in a small rubermaid, say, 9" x 12" or around there. Put in moss and some peat moss or soil, and allwase keep it moist, and mist daily. You can feed it Houseflies with there wigns torn off, pinhead crikets, small earthworms, and other such invertebrase(sp?).
If it is not eating within a few days, then realese it as it is stressed.
Never handle it with your bare hands, as it will most likely die.

All in all, if your daughter is young, I would definetly not recommend keeping it.