Handling salamanders?

[tyler]

I saw somewhere in a faq on this site that salamanders don't make the best interactive pets. Do you never hold them and when you do you're extremely careful? Was that statement just trying to keep salamanders and newts out of the crushing hands of kids? I like the feel of salamanders, but I don't want to cause them any harm or stress.

 

[ali]

Tyler, it's best if you don't handle newts and salamanders. They become stressed pretty easily. And yes, if you do, be very careful with them.

 

[edward]

One of the reasons that it is recommended to handle caudates as little as possible as the handling can remove the protective mucous coat from the skin of the animal. Some other reasons are that a lot of caudates are sensitive to temperatures above 75-80 F and body heat is 98.5 F, some caudates respire entirely through thier skin and abrading the skin can interefere with the process and most caudates have skin toxins (some very potent) and handling them puts you at risk of accidental poisioning.

Ed

 

[tyler]

Thanks for your help. I'm a little disappointed that salamanders aren't the best hand pets. I still think that they are awesome and I do plan to get one, but as an observational pet not an interactive pet.

 

[joan]

If you want something handle-able, I suggest bearded dragons. For all their fearsome looks, they're really sweet-natured and handle-able.

 

[gergify]

handling probably isn't a good idea. Just becuase it's stressful for the animal to be out of its eviroment and being touched.
What kind of Salamander do you plan to get? I had a tiger and those things get huge and eat pretty much every thing. There sweet to watch while they eat!

 

[lewis]

Hi there, a very wise man I know who has kept them for years says that they will get used to your presence once they have properly settled into their new environment. It would be best not to hold them too often at all, but if you really feel the urge to handle them, you do need to make sure that you wash your hands first thoroughly with cold water and leave them wet whilst you handle the salamander. They will absorb toxins from your skin and as above, their protective mucus layer can be removed too. This is the case with the usual Fire's or Tiger's anyway, for the species that breathe through their skin (lungless sali's) I'm guessing extra care would need to be taken but I've got no experience at all with those types. I hope this helps!

 

[ali]

If you wash your hands just before, I wouldn't really recommend soap, and some residue might still be on your hands which could be absorbed into the newt's skn.I generally wash my hands a while before I plan on handling my newts and use very little soap, but dip my hands in their water before handling, which I only do when moving from college to home (much less stressful than a net, in my opinion.)

 

[tyler]

I had a bearded dragon once and I hated it. I was thinking about getting a Tiger Salamander. I use to just keep the salamanders I found in my backyard. I've had a lot more luck with salamanders than I ever have with cold-blooded lizards.