AW: My newly metamorphosed fire sal isn't eating!
Hi,
there are lots of insects and other critters you can collect in the garden or in the woods.
Of course it is important to be sure that no toxic agents are used in the garden that might contaminate the food organisms.
Some examples what I fed my newly metamorphosed fire salamanders:
Isopods (wood lice), springtails, tiny slugs, small earthworms, white worms (Enchytraeus) from the compost heap, tiny (!) spiders and harvestmen, plant lice, caterpillars (from not toxic plants and not those with hair!) and fruit flies.
All those I collect in our garden or from the woods around here. It is important that the food is small enough and that you avoid dangerous critters like toxic ones or predators like some kinds of ground beetles.
And if there are toxic spiders where you live, I'd avoid spiders, too. Even very small ones could be dangerous for a salamander if it is the wrong species. But where I live (northern Germany) little spiders belong to the natural food of salamanders and terrestrial newts.
If you are not sure if a potential food organism could be dangerous than simply don't feed it.
To make collecting food easier, you can put some wooden planks on the ground at a shady place in your garden, keep them a bit moist and put some food (for example lettuce leaves or some fish flakes) under them. Soon you will find lots of different little springtails, slugs, isopods, worms and other critters under the planks.
You can also feed bigger female isopods that already carry eggs or larvae at their underside. They soon will release the little isopods as a good food source for the salamanders.
And you can also feed the little larvae that you find in pea pods, plums and other crops and fruits.
If you prefer to buy your food you can try white tropical woodlice (good calcium resource!), springtails, fire brats, white worms, fruit flies (those that are unable to fly) or pea aphids. All these are offered by pet shops or special mail order businesses.
Good luck with your little salamander!
Peter
I'm giving him chopped up earthworms and he just doesn't want them. All he wants to do is hind under his moss and bark. 
