Dusky Salamander

[Devalight]

I bought a Dusky Salamander today. I have him in a large plastic container (like a 10 gallon but not as tall) with ventilation. He has a water dish and wet Exo-Terra Forest Moss moss to hide in. I still find him in the water dish this evening.

Does anyone have experience with keeping this species?

At the shop where I bought him the air conditioning had gone out and the place was burning up. I hope I got him out of there in time. He is a very lively fellow and when the guy at the shop picked him up he jumped clean out of his hand!

 

[Mark]

Hello, we have a great Desmognathus care sheet here: Caudata Culture Species Entry - Desmognathus - Blackbelly and Shovelnose. It might not be specific to the species you have but the care advice is generally applicable across the genera.

When I kept dusky salamanders I housed them in a large semi-aquatic plastic tub. Bricks and rocks created a land area with bark hides and moss stacked on top.The water was only a few inches deep and aerated. Once you figure out it's favourite hiding spots it's possible to feed it chopped earthworms by dangling them in front of the hide. This takes a bit of patience but it pays off in the long term.

As you've discovered they are fast and agile, a bit like eels with legs. When I needed to move mine I always used a net.

 

[Devalight]

I have it on damp moss with a shallow water bowl. The bowl is big enough to completely submerge the animal but now I am wondering if it needs to be deeper or just like you say, have mainly water with an airstone and then a land area with rocks and moss.

It seems to like to stay in the water dish.

 

[Jennewt]

What type of moss is it? Some types are highly acidic, and this may affect his behavior. If he truly does favor the water, you may need a more aquatic setup.

 

[Devalight]

Jen, its Exo-Terra Forest Moss, a new product I had not seen before - but that was what he was living in at the shop. It comes in a brick, like coco fiber. I admit it looks a lot like sphagnum moss but I don't know what it is for sure. Exo Terra : Forest Moss / Tropical Terrarium Substrate

 

[Devalight]

Almost a week later and I have never seen the salamander back in the water dish. He has been hiding underneath it. I put an earthworm in there yesterday. I held it in front of him, but no interest. Then I just let it go in there. There are also some crickets. I think I will take out some of the moss in hopes that maybe I can see him better or that he might come out. I can't even determine whether or not he has eaten any of the crickets there is so much moss in there.

I want to convert my 10 gallon fish tank into a half land half water setup. Maybe he would be happier in there and easier to look at. There are still some fish in it, however, and I will have to move them to the 30 gallon, which would then be overcrowded. So I don't really know what to do - I certainly don't want anymore tanks but might have to do it anyway.

I am excited by the prospect of putting together the half land/water tank since I have never done one before.