Redbacks

Inspired by Ian's success and Keith P's "homeless" redbacks, I decided to take a few in and see if they'll breed. I'm wondering if they are cannibalistic at all, if I have a couple that are adults (i.e. large), and a couple baby stumpy redbacks (tail missing) that found (i.e. about an inch long). I was reviewing other posts on them and people think they're territorial? Well, I'm going to give it a shot, but I'm wondering if the adults will eat the babies. Anyone know?
thanks

P. cinereus are territorial. I believe the females are more-so than males. This species will cannibalize. Do not mix the adults with the smaller ones, especially if they are unrelated. They may not eat them right away but they are definitely an option. I wish you luck in your breeding attempt. Also, they love termites. I've read that females may also select their mate according to their diet and prefer males who are feeding on termites as opposed to other foods, ants for example. They have been observed sticking their snouts into males' feces apparently to "sniff out" what they are eating.

Yes termites are a big hit. One time I caught a few redbacks and put them in a large container to obserserve them for an hour or so. I put in some termites and they ate the right away, i was surprised because the sals were just caught. I let them go of course. Also I've tried ants with no luck.

Good luck Dawn!

OK, so I'll keep the baby stumpies in a separate tank. Thanks!

I figured they were aggressive and ate the smaller ones because in the wild you dont see any bunched together only one or two per log.

And yes here there are termites and they do eat them, though to have a steady supply of termites you'll probably need to find them in the wild dont breed them indoors lol!

I think earthworms are second favorite.

How many mixed gender salamanders can be kept per size tank? And how do you recommend setting up a tank so they have ample places to hide without fighting over territory?

(5,10,15,20 gallon)?

in quebec i found two of them under a rock together but one might have been another lungless type of salamander i couldnt tell.

as far as i know any salamanders that have size mixtures can be cannibleistic also i think that a salamander will eat babies no problem. if there has been facts proving otherwise please let me know

good luck Dawn
a reminder of what you've got to look forward to.

Ian, you're just showing off

where do you find them? because i never have ( though that maybe because i live in williamsburg, one of the most boggy, acidic places you'll ever find )

Checkout this link http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/VHS/red-backed_salamander.htm
I'm not sure if Williamsburg is in one of the included counties or not (my geographic knowledge of the Eastern section of our state is somewhat limited). I am also not sure of how abundant redbacks are in the East but here in SW Va they are probably the most easily found species. I live in a residential neighborhood and there is a colony that has been living in my backyard for years (I have also frequently observed juveniles and adults under the same stones). The weather is so warm right now that I observed one Sunday while collecting slugs.
Chip

what do ya know, they should live here but i've never seen them and over here northern two-lines are the most abundent( flip over a rock near a steam and chances are you're found one)

Red Back salamanders

Hello all,i am new to this forum but not to the hobby and my collection is quite large and I am not an expert by no means but alot of research is done with the expert's in their fields.We can alway's learn something new everyday,anyway along with my scorpions I also keep sally's and newts and Red Backs are all over the place here and I've kept them for over 5 yrs. in a communal setup with plenty of moss hides and wood and with luck have had very little to none kill off or eat smaller one's,possibly due to the fact they are kept in a 4 foot long plastis tub.They do well in a cooler area and will not tolerate the heat well.Feeding them is easy as i use sm.crickets and any other sm.insect i can get,I also keep black worms in their little pond i made for them and when soaking they will eat them.Hope this helps out anyone that wish's to try these guys,they are one of the smaller variety's and by far not as easy as the bigger type's available.Thanks for your time and iI look forward to meeting people on this forum,Good-by from Snowy Pennsylvania lol
George

I was messing with the tank the other day. I have two baby stumpies (i.e. lost their tails) in there, and one seemed to have a nice start on a tail. I never did start an adult tank, I decided to concentrate on the E. bislineatas, but I'm going to put any baby stumpies I find in the spring in there until I get 4. I find stumpies all the time. All they have to eat in there are springtails and a couple of tiny red worms, but they seem to be doing just fine!

Well, I own two right now and I was reading that males actually are MUCH more territorial than females. The males will pile feces at the edge of their territory and if a female is interested in the male, she will sniff the fecial material to examine what kind of diet they have. That is how females choose their mates. Also, a quick tip, baby red backs enjoy aphids a lot. So if they are availible, I reccomend feeding them to the babies. As for the adults, I have been taking notes on mine, and I have noticed that red backs feed through sight, not scent. That is why when I feed mine, I break the pin head crickets' legs and I drop them near the salamander. At first, the cricket won't move. But, when Fred(my one salamander) turns his back and the cricket starts to twitch he will immedietly whip around and grab the cricket and eat him. Also, pools are a nice edition, but are not needed. The one con to a pool is that insects might drown in the pool if they are not provided a way to escape: via: stick, twig, rock. anyway, goodluck otterwoman!

Plethodonae