Fire Salamander just came my home!

[morrissey]

I just got them home last night, and they already started hunting crickets today!

 

[dane]

they look pretty cool, I've been wondering what kind of substrate is that

 

[jonathan]

Alert!

I kid. Very nice pics, I'm also curious about your substrate.

 

[kamil]

Hi Morrisey,

I know that urodela can be kept in small tanks - but your tank seems much too small to me. Is this only temporary?

Greetings,

Kamil

 

[michael]

Oh. I get it. I was trying to get the species mixer joke. it is because they are mixed with a frog. What type would you call them and what do you know about their origination. I have a bunch of juveniles from a pair like that and am calling them striped terrestris. I really don't know anything about the origins of mine.

If that is the set up you are keeping them in I think you need some hiding places.

 

[peter]

I think a dirt,bark,or bed-a-beast substrate would be better than that gravel or whatever it is, also a larger tank with some good hides would be best.

 

[morrissey]

hi!
thanks for all the suggestions! The tank's actually longer than what you see from the picture! I just didn't pictured the whole thing, there's also a cave in the left side of the tank, and which's big enough for these 2 hiding inside.
the tank isn't very big i will say, but i will buy a bigger one sooner later.

I also don't excatly know what's this substrate, the pet shop recommanded me and said it's the best substrate for salamander...but I plan to put more wet moss as substrate now.

I can't tell what are the origination of them too, may be I should ask the shop next time.

 

[kamil]

I would say this is S.s. terrestris. But this tank is too small. I would make it at least 80x40x40cm (31.5x15,75x15,75 inch) for the two of them. Some say that a 60x30x30cm (24x12x12 inch) tank is ok for two but in my opinion that is too small for two adults. What genders are they? I would also add a flat waterdish for them. And as already said: much more place to hide!

 

[ingo]

Hi Morrissey,

I am 98% sure your Fire Salamanders are Salamandra s. terrestris.
Note, that Fire sals like hiding places, which are flat, so they hardly manage to crawl under. They don´t like hiding places with too much space.
Your tank is much too small for two adult terrestris, I would suggest a minimum of 60cm length and 30cm width.
I think the substrate you use is known as "Seramis" in Germany, it consists of small pieces of clay and has the ability to store humidity.
You can improve your tank, when you build lots of hiding places made of rocks, moss and pieces of bark stacked one on the other. So you (or your sals) can take full use of the height of the tank.

Greetings, Ingo

 

[jennifer]

Be careful about using more of this moss. It looks like sphagnum moss, which is acidic. Acidic substrates can (slowly) kill salamanders.

Is "seramis" a good substrate for sals? I have not used it. I think a soil-like substrate would be more natural, and maybe more comfortable for the sals.

 

[jeff]

Absolutely beautiful salamandras. I am quite jealous. I've had an idea now for a few years to put together a temperature conditioned 55-gallon tank for fire salamanders, and this thread has rekindled the fire, so to speak, to follow through on my idea. I doubt it gets done anytime soon, though, as I dont have the funds to take on such a project right now.

 

[ingo]

<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>Quoting Jennifer Macke on Sunday 21 January 2007 - 18:43 (#POST118441):</font>

Is "seramis" a good substrate for sals?<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>

Hello Jennifer,

I use Seramis not as the only substrate, but to fill in gaps between other substrates, e.g. Rocks and foam rubber, because it works as a drainage, which keeps the bottom of the tank humid.

In my opinion, a mixture of moss (self-collected in the forest), foam rubber, rocks and barks is most comfortable to the fire sals, because it leaves it up to them, to choose between the most pleasant substrate and areas of different humidity.

 

[morrissey]

hi guys & girls,

Thanks all the helpful information, I will change the setting in one or two days, to give them a better home. Is sphagnum moss a harmful one? I thought it's very common use for salamanders or frogs. But I'm sure I will change a soil-based substrate.

 

[dane]

sphagnum moss is to acidic for salamanders