Amphiuma care ?

[andrei]

Can anyone direct me to information regarding the care of captive Amphiumas?

Any reasons to not keep captive Amphiumas?

Many Thanks,

Andrei W. Konradi

Burlingame, California

 

[nate]

There are currently no caresheets for amphiumas to my knowledge. The best information out there on them is James Petranka's Salamanders of the United States and Canada which essentially has all the natural history info you'd need to set them up and care for them properly.

Some reasons not to keep Amphiumas:
1) They grow up to 116cm and so need a very large tank for just one animal
2)They have a seriously painful (and bloody) bite
3)They're exceptionally slimy and powerful and so very difficult to handle and are powerful enough to push the hood off of most conventional tanks
4)They eat large amounts of food and excrete very large amounts of waste so you need some serious filtration and water changes

Anyway, if none of these reasons worry you, then great. They are one of the smartest, most impressive salamanders I've ever been around and if you've got the space/resources to keep a pair, they're fantastic animals. I envy anyone who is lucky enough to be able to keep them

 

[andrei]

Nate,

I am well informed about the size, power, and snappyness of Amphiumas. To me, these aspects are part of their attraction. I have no intention of directly handling an Amphiuma, except in emergiences. I've successfully kept snapping and softshell turtles, and I would plan to manage an Amphiuma similarly. Your point about the need for a stout and well-secured cover for the aquarium is well taken.

I thought I might start with one Amphiuma tridactylum in a 50 gallon aquarium (roughly 48" x 15" x 15"). From my experience keeping snakes, I thought such a tank would be big enough for an Amphiuma in the 2-3 foot range. Care to offer your thoughts about the adequacy of this tank for an Amphiuma of this size? Getting a larger tank as the Amphiuma grew would certainly be an option.

I gather from your post that captive Amphiuma pairs will tolerate each other. I had wondered about that. Can you confirm this? Not that I am considering starting with more than one.

Thanks,

Andrei

 

[edward]

Hi Andrei,
Depending upon the size of the amphiuma you get a 48 inch long tank would be insufficent. There is a big difference between sizing a tank for a snake and sizing a tank for an amphiuma (or even a large Siren lacertina). The salamanders are much more active than most snakes (with the possible exception to colubrids). Consequently, a large amphium in a 48 inch tank will likely bang its snout into the corners and ends if it is panicked or disturbed (which I have seen with large S. lacertina and intermedia). Also the animal may end up with sterotypical behaviors such as just moving back and forth. If you are getting a big amphiuma, the bigger the tank the better.
At least with A. pholeter, they can be managed in small groups, as long as sufficent cover is available.
Ed

 

[andrei]

Ed,

Thanks for the aquarium size info. Maybe I need to reconsider the whole Amphiuma idea. If I was still living in southeast TX, then I might give an Amphiuma a try, knowing I could release it conveniently, were problems to arise. Obviously, that's not an option here near San Francisco.

Hmm...

Andrei