Batrachoseps Attenuatus General Care Questions

[izzy36]

Hi I'm new here and this is my first post. I recently caught a Batrachoseps attenuatus or California Slender Salamander in my backyard. I'm sure its a full grown adult female because it was near a giant cluster of eggs. Right now i have it in about a 2 gallon plastic pet cage with about an inch of coconut substrate and at one end i laid some fish gravel with about 1/2 cm of water from my fish tank. I also wet the coconut fibers so the entire setup is pretty damp. I also have put a broken pot for it to crawl under and it seems to like it under there. Is this an OK setup? Also i tried to feed it live blood worms but that failed because they are near impossible to spot in the substrate, i tried putting them in a bottle cap and also moving her into a separate container to feed but nothing worked. I got her to eat 6 fruit flies today and wanted to know how many to feed her a day? Is there anything else I am missing as far as care goes or anything in general? I'm not usually one to keep wild animals as pets but I couldn't resist and i really want to do it right, if I cant, then i will let her go. Sorry for the long read and thanks for any help/comments.

 

[RobM]

Hi there,
I have already replied to your other post, where I suggested you return the salamander to the wild, and perhaps start the hobby with a captive bred animal.

Here is some care information:
Marc Staniszewski's Slender Salamander Care Sheet

Take special note of the legal section:
"Within California, you must have a valid California Fishing License to possess any reptile and/or amphibian and the possession limit for slender salamanders within California is 4. However, B.aridus is a strictly protected, class endangered species with require special licence conditions, while B.campi, B.simatus and B.stebbinsi also demand special permits for collection."

 

[izzy36]

Thanks for the link. I am 100% certain i do in fact have an Attenuatus. This isnt my first exotic pet, i have kept different captive bred reptiles and amphibians in the past, i also am an avid reef tank owner so keeping somewhat delicate/complicated pets is something im used to. I just wanted to hear some suggestions from people who were successful keeping them because i find that is the best way to learn. I have had luck with the attenuatus in feeding it fruit flies, ive gotten it to eat about 5-8 each night.

 

[dirtloving]

so, do you still have the salamander? how did things play out? i have some eggs that i am trying to save. all but three were destroyed. hoping to save those...
any suggestions?

 

[Jennewt]

I was about to write some suggestions for izzy, but I realized this is an old post.

Regarding the eggs that izzy found, the female may have been guarding and/or tending them. I don't know specifically about Batrachoseps, but there are many similar species where the female's attention (probably her skin secretions) are absolutely necessary for the eggs to hatch successfully. That may be why you are having problems, dirtloving.