Slugs and Snails for Eurycea?

[neonsal]

I am new and working on getting my Eurycea to eat. He is hiding in the shadows of his shelter, peering out into the world. I have dropped some red wigglers at the entrance of his shelter but he does not make a move and they eventually slip into the gravel.

I put the smallest slug I can find in there which still may be too big. Do these salamanders swallow whole or do they bite food apart?

I also read they eat snails so I have put in a few snails I found under some debris (I guess he would have to bite to take these apart? But his jaws look too delicate to bite apart stretchy snail).

Am I on the right track or do I need to take another approach?
Thanks

 

[fishkeeper]

They must swallow food whole.

I'd look for some very tiny insects to put in...aphids or something. When possible buy some live blackworms and offer them in a little water filled dish.

 

[Jennewt]

They swallow food whole. I agree with Joseph, I think you'll need to find very small bugs. If you have to buy them, the best bets are wingless fruit flies and pinhead crickets. You may be able to attract natural fruit flies to the tank by putting in a slice of banana (better yet, sprinkle the banana with yeast), but you need to make sure this doesn't foul the enclosure as it rots.

When you say gravel... what kind of setup do you have? In my experience, damp gravel doesn't work well as a substrate. I'd encourage you to use plain old dirt or any soil-type substrate.

 

[neonsal]

Thank you. I will check for aphids on my roses. I will also look for wingless fruit flies.

I am using a small natural looking river-like gravel used for aquariums. I set my tank up in a hurry and I do not like what I did. I have half water/half gravel.. probably way too much water. I want something natural for a cave dweller. Here is a picture of him and gravel size:
http://www.caudata.org/photoplog/file.php?n=1519&w=o

 

[taherman]

You will want to try primarily insects for an adult Eurycea lucifuga. They love maggots, flies, medium crickets, and just about any other insect smaller than their head. They will not be able to tear apart food, and I have never seen them eat slugs, snails, or earthworms. They have a ballistic feeding mechanism above water for rapidly snagging small insects. However I have seen them feed underwater even as adults. Once it settles in it should be a very eager feeder, feed once every week or two. I would aim for a temperature range from 50-70F, do not go much warmer than that. Maintain dim lighting during the day, it will be most active at night.

Gravel should be fine, it would be good to add a (stable) stack of large flat rocks to create a number of crevices of varying size. You might want to add a canister filter or small pump such as a minijet to trickle water over the stack of rocks. They make very hardy captives if kept properly, I've had some at work that lived in captivity for 10+ years. You can actually just maintain an inch or two of water in the bottom and make large rocks the only terrestrial area available. It will be most comfortable on large solid surfaces, not loose substrates such as small gravel or soil.

HTH,
Tim

 

[Jennewt]

When I suggested dirt, I wasn't remembering that these guys like water, I was thinking terrestrial. T. Herman's setup suggestions are probably better.

 

[taherman]

And in her defense, Jen's suggestions would be fine for some other Eurycea species before we knew which it was But this one in particular is usually not found far from caves and rocky springs.

 

[neonsal]

It was a incredible to see how it eats. I first tried fruit-flies and it would only eat at night when it goes on the prowl. Yesterday, I decided to test out small crickets and it rushed out of his house to snatch them up (while the lights were still on in the room).

I just read the latest comments about the large hard surfaces. I like that idea. Does the hard surface have to be smooth or would garden bricks from lowes work?