Help with ID

[lrushton]

Hello everyone,

I've posted an introduction on the intros page and was hoping I could get some help with my salamander. He/she was found in a quickly emptying pond a few weeks ago and has since been living in a tank on my patio. It ate all the other salamanders that were in the tank with it (except one who has now been separated). He (the big one) seems to be doing really well (from what I can tell). I have a whole lot of questions about his care but thought I should start with figuring out what kind of creature he is before progressing any further. I've attached a photo, he's about 1.25" long at this point and has almost doubled in size in the past three weeks.

I'm also worried that since he has eaten all of the other salamanders he doesn't seem very interested in other food I've offered. Until they became lunch themselves the others seemed happy feasting on bloodworms, but this guy isn't interested. I've also tried mealworms but they seem to drown before he's interested. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

Lauren

 

[lrushton]

I forgot to add that I'm in Vancouver, BC.. to help with the ID.

Thanks!

 

[n00b]

A lot of the larvae in our area look the same but to me it sooks the same as what I've got, a Western Long Toed Salamander. A care sheet for the Tiger Salamander, A cousin can be found here ---> Caudata Culture Species Entry - Tiger salamander

If when it morphs it turns black with a greenish stripe down the back it's definitly a Long Toed. Pictures of this species can be found here ---> Caudata Culture Species Entry - Ambystoma macrodactylum

Larvae ----> Long-toed Salamander | Ask.com Encyclopedia

Hope this helps!

 

[Kaysie]

I don't think that's an ambystomatid larva. I'm leaning more toward Taricha granulosa.

 

[lrushton]

Thanks so much for the help so far. I guess I'll find out for sure when he/she gets bigger and starts to develop its colouring. In the meantime, would it being one or the other affect the way I should care for it? I've got some rocks in there for it to crawl up on but I'm guessing it's not near the non-aquatic stage yet.
I've been reading a lot of the articles on this website, they're very helpful. Should I keep putting the frozen bloodworms in there in hopes that eventually it will eat them? I take them out after a few hours of being left untouched by the little guy. I've been to a few pet stores and have yet to find one with aquatic live food for him.

Thanks again for the help!

Lauren

 

[Kaysie]

The care of most larvae is pretty much the same.

Try live food. Many larvae, especially wild-caught ones, will only respond to live food. Try earthworm chunks of the appropriate size, and call around to smaller fish shops (rather than the big chains) and ask for blackworms. Or you can go collect food from your local ponds. Since that was what this guy was eating before, you won't have to worry about introducing parasites or anything.

 

[lrushton]

Thanks for the advice, I'm still searching for live food small enough. In the meantime I've been waving bloodworms and bits of mealworm in front of him to no avail. I'll keep trying while the search continues. Thanks so much for the help!

Lauren