to be free or not to be free???

[spoolin93]

Hey guys im new here and a beginer none the less. I was walking down the road after a huge storm and noticed a yellow spotted salamander in the sun shrivled up about to die. I threw him in a cup with some water and revived him back to life. i decided to keep him as a pet and set up a tank ex.. I have tried several times to feed him but he will not eat. He looks very active and alert and doesnt appear to be afraid of my hand near him or even crawling over to me. But he wont eat a single thing i put in there and will not come out from his hole at all. I've tried to feed him small pieces of worms fruit flies and pill bugs but nothing. I jsut threw a moth in there with clipped wings but he jsut ignores it. It has now been 4 days and he hasnt eaten. How long should i wait before i have to let him go?

 

[antcatcher11]

Hey guys im new here and a beginer none the less. I was walking down the road after a huge storm and noticed a yellow spotted salamander in the sun shrivled up about to die. I threw him in a cup with some water and revived him back to life. i decided to keep him as a pet and set up a tank ex.. I have tried several times to feed him but he will not eat. He looks very active and alert and doesnt appear to be afraid of my hand near him or even crawling over to me. But he wont eat a single thing i put in there and will not come out from his hole at all. I've tried to feed him small pieces of worms fruit flies and pill bugs but nothing. I jsut threw a moth in there with clipped wings but he jsut ignores it. It has now been 4 days and he hasnt eaten. How long should i wait before i have to let him go?

Do you leave the food for him over night and count it in the morning?

 

[Repguy27]

This is fairly common in wild salamanders and newts. I have heard that it may be because they may be picky eaters or are having a hard time adjusting to captivity, so choosing something it may eat in the wild might help. I am not sure if they would normally eat moths in the wild so I would suggest researching what they eat in the wild. I have also heard that putting them in a container full of food they like for about ten minutes each day should help. I am not an expert though and this is just what some other people have recommended doing when something like this happens.

 

[Jan]

Here is a thread with the same discussion regarding a 'dryed out' and traumatized sal:

http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=56783

Spotted sals can be maintained in the same manner as tigers, here is the information for appropriate care:

http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Ambystoma/A_tigrinum.shtml

Also, please amend your user profile to include a country of nationality and your surname per forum rules. Thanks.