BloodRuby
New member
Hello, I got a Yellow Spotted Salamander (presumably male, small, ~5 inches long) about 2 months ago named Hamilton. Hamilton surprisingly did not shy away from eating when I first got him. For the first month and a half, I fed him gut-loaded crickets, meal worms, and Dubia roaches every other day by holding them in front of his face using feeding tongs (cycled between them, not all in the same day), and he would nip and eat them from the tongs. I also fed him baby Canadian Nightcrawlers once a week by dropping it in front of him, and he would bite and eat it on his own.
Enclosure details: He has a 20-gallon, breathable tank with coconut soil substrate, a water bowl, sparse patches of sphagnum moss, and a couple other types of moss in corners for decoration. He has a half-log hidey spot, and I spray the enclosure with Reptisafe-treated bottled water (not distilled) every morning and night. The house temperature stays between 72-74 degrees F, and the tank is in a shaded area. No tank mates.
Two-week ago, my wife and I aired out our house by opening all the windows and doors for a couple hours to let some fresh Spring air in. However, ever since then, Hamilton has refused to eat. He jabs his head (almost like a headbutting or knocking away motion) at whatever I put in front of him and walks away. He will ignore and step over the baby nightcrawlers, and if I am too persistent, he will flick his tail and make faint sounds that almost sound like growling.
I have tried:
-Leaving food in front of him.
-Holding feeders in front of his face with tongs.
-Dropping live feeders in the enclosure overnight.
-Spraying, then slicing a baby nightcrawler in halves and holding it in front of him.
-Leaving sliced baby nightcrawlers in front of his dugged den.
-Putting him in a smaller container within the enclosure with 2 meal worms, 2 Dubia roaches, and a baby nightcrawler for 6 hours.
-Cleaning out the enclosure by replacing all the soil, moss, and water (we refill the water every week regardless).
Nothing works. He does not eat, and he backs away, walks away, or headbutts/jabs away the food. Everything I leave in there is accounted for at a late time. I read through various sources that Spotted Salamanders do not eat during breeding season and traced it back to an article titled, The Salamanders of New York by Sherman C. Bishop (1941). In the article, Bishop just says that the stomachs of [wild] Spotted Salamanders were empty in the breeding months, and that it indicates they do not eat during this time. I am assuming that something in the Spring air may have triggered this behavior, but I have found no other behavior studies or solutions to Hamilton not eating.
It has now been 2 weeks and I am worried that he will die of starvation if this continues. I would really appreciate some advice regarding whether this is normal or not, what else to try, or anything really.
Enclosure details: He has a 20-gallon, breathable tank with coconut soil substrate, a water bowl, sparse patches of sphagnum moss, and a couple other types of moss in corners for decoration. He has a half-log hidey spot, and I spray the enclosure with Reptisafe-treated bottled water (not distilled) every morning and night. The house temperature stays between 72-74 degrees F, and the tank is in a shaded area. No tank mates.
Two-week ago, my wife and I aired out our house by opening all the windows and doors for a couple hours to let some fresh Spring air in. However, ever since then, Hamilton has refused to eat. He jabs his head (almost like a headbutting or knocking away motion) at whatever I put in front of him and walks away. He will ignore and step over the baby nightcrawlers, and if I am too persistent, he will flick his tail and make faint sounds that almost sound like growling.
I have tried:
-Leaving food in front of him.
-Holding feeders in front of his face with tongs.
-Dropping live feeders in the enclosure overnight.
-Spraying, then slicing a baby nightcrawler in halves and holding it in front of him.
-Leaving sliced baby nightcrawlers in front of his dugged den.
-Putting him in a smaller container within the enclosure with 2 meal worms, 2 Dubia roaches, and a baby nightcrawler for 6 hours.
-Cleaning out the enclosure by replacing all the soil, moss, and water (we refill the water every week regardless).
Nothing works. He does not eat, and he backs away, walks away, or headbutts/jabs away the food. Everything I leave in there is accounted for at a late time. I read through various sources that Spotted Salamanders do not eat during breeding season and traced it back to an article titled, The Salamanders of New York by Sherman C. Bishop (1941). In the article, Bishop just says that the stomachs of [wild] Spotted Salamanders were empty in the breeding months, and that it indicates they do not eat during this time. I am assuming that something in the Spring air may have triggered this behavior, but I have found no other behavior studies or solutions to Hamilton not eating.
It has now been 2 weeks and I am worried that he will die of starvation if this continues. I would really appreciate some advice regarding whether this is normal or not, what else to try, or anything really.
