Found a salamander. Need advice.

[samshepherd]

I just found a salamander in the road in northern IN in January! What is this creature thinking? I saved him from being squished. Should I put him back outside to find a new place to hide? We do mammals and birds on our farm. I have no clue what to do.

 

[mark]

Ideally, if the salamander is healthy, you should return it near to where you found it but away from the road. There are often strict laws, for good reason, regarding the release of captive animals back to the wild. However if you have kept it only for a short time and isolated from other captive animals it should be safe to release it, preferably on a mild night. If you plan to keep it you’ll need to identify it to ascertain the correct housing requirements.