Need help! Larvae of some kind, found in pool.

[Mrpk86]

A few years ago while getting our pool ready for the summer we found salamanders hiding under the edges of the cover. I wish I would have gotten a picture of them because I bet these larvae we just found are the same kind. I did a bit of googling and from what I can tell, based on the area, pictures and descriptions, I think they are the long-toed salamander, but I'm not sure. Would really love some confirmation. Also, I'm confused about how to care for them. Since I don't know how far along they are, growing-wise. There are approximately 75 of them. Some are bigger and some are smaller. They're in a big plastic tote tub right now with some of the gunk that came off the pool nets when I was scooping them out of the water that was ontop of the pool cover. I cut some worm pretty small and plopped that in there for them but as far as I can tell they aren't eating yet. I realize this could be because of stress. I have no idea if they are overcrowed or I have enough water anything bad in there with them or anything. I'm going to change the water tomorrow and I'll take a picture of the tote tub and them, the water level, etc. Anything at all anyone could tell me about raising these little guys would be very helpful. I don't know anything. Once they are adults I'm going to release them around a pond we have on our property. I need to know how long that might take. Thank you!

 

[Greatwtehunter]

What part of Canada are you located in?

 

[Mrpk86]

Kamloops, BC. The Thompson Okanagan area. Apparently the long-toed salamander is all over BC?

 

[Greatwtehunter]

Well it looks like some type of Ambystomid but given that there are 3 species in BC it would be hard to say for sure until it morphs. With that being said, if I had to guess, I would also say it is a long-toed salamander.

 

[Mrpk86]

Ok. Thank you. So I'll just treat them like long-toed salamanders then? I hope they aren't something else and they are too different from the long-toeds that I'll be doing something wrong? Or would they be similar enough I shouldn't worry? So, what now? I don't know how to care for long-toed salamander larvae. Or any salamander larvae, for that matter.

 

[Greatwtehunter]

Larvae care for most Ambystomas is pretty much the same. You can read through this care sheet for the marbled salamander to get an idea of what to do during their larval stage and what to do when they begin to morph.

 

[Mrpk86]

Ok. Thank you. That's helping. But since some are smaller than the others and some are larger should I have both small live food and larger food that doesn't have to be alive (like the worm)? I don't know what stage their development is in so I don't know how big the food should be.

 

[Greatwtehunter]

If there is a considerable size difference then you may want to split them up to prevent cannabalism. As a general rule, you'll want to feed them items that are no bigger than their head is wide.

 

[Mrpk86]

Ok. Good to know. All the worm was fine then, and this morning it is almost completely gone so I guess I'll be out looking for more worms! I killed a spider that was in my bathroom and tossed that in just to see and last night I saw one had it stuffed in its mouth. Took a bit for it to swallow it all down so I guess it might have been a bit too big but at least now I know they like spiders as well. I'm going to change the water and get all the dead leaf stuff out of there and I was thinking I could put a big rock in with them that sticks a bit out of the water? I read that if they get tired or stressed it's good they sit in shallow water so maybe they could climb up the rock a bit and sit on there? Unfortunately I don't have much in the way of vegetation to put in there with them. There aren't a lot of aquatic plants here and I'm wary of just putting anything in there with them in case it's toxic to them? If not should I put a branch with lots of leaves in there instead? I have a feeling I should be changing the water at least every second or so day? Especially since it's still and isn't circulating, but I still don't know what the water level should be.
Thanks for all the help so far. It's been great. I was worried about the little guys.

 

[SpaceCadetHayde]

I'd recommend getting an airstone if you're wary of aquatic plants. Otherwise, you can get some aquatic plants from a local fish shop. Your LFS might also carry live blackworms which are great food for the larvae.

 

[Kaysie]

If you have a pond on your property, why not release most of the larvae into it? Then you can focus on raising just a few, and making sure they get the proper care they need. Raising too many can be quite time-consuming!

 

[Mrpk86]

There is a pond of sorts, yes, but most of the time it's bone dry. We've been having a very wet couple of months so it now has some water in it but I wouldn't want to release them in there and it to dry up before they fully develop. Time isn't really an issue. I'm a jobless student and it's summer so I have loads of time. I'm definitely willing to care for all of them. I'm not planning on keeping them though, once they develop into adults, (because if they really are long-toed salamanders they don't need water once they're adults, right? So I'd be ok releasing them just about anywhere, I think) so I don't really want to buy a lot of stuff (besides food if they stop eating the worms) unless I really have to. If changing the water every second day or so isn't sufficient I'll buy an airstone. I don't know what that is though, I've never heard of it before.
Thanks again, to everyone.

 

[Kaysie]

These salamanders are adapted to live in vernal ponds, ponds that dry up in the summer. That's because in vernal ponds, there are no predators (like fish). In the wild, the adult salamanders migrate to the ponds as the snows start to melt and the rains start to fall, and lay their eggs. The larvae are in a race against time to grow up quickly and morph before the waters dry up.

 

[Mrpk86]

Oh, okay. Well the pond doesn't usually have water in it. It only does now because it's been raining, but all it would take is about three or four really hot, dry days in a row and the water would be gone again. I think I'd feel better just doing the best I could and if something starts to go wrong and it's still wet out I'll think about releasing them.

 

[Kaysie]

That's admirable!

Good luck with them. They're a really cool species.