Question: Vacation Salamander Care

[hcq33]

I am leaving town for Thanksgiving and I will be away for only a few days. What is the best way to take care of my salamanders while I am away? How long can they go without eating? Right now they are fed each day and they act like they are starving after only one day of waiting for dinner! They are feed earthworms cut into 1/4 inch pieces and they eat around three of these per day.
I have heard that they can go a few days without eating, but I wanted a "group decision" on this idea. I don't think any of my family or neighbors would be willing to cut up worms and feed salamanders

This is one of two of my longtoed sallies, who is about 1 inch long.
I have heard they will eat the flightless fruit flies. Could I leave several flies in their container and let them feed while I am away?

 

[Greatwtehunter]

Well I can tell you from experience that maculatums can go 4 days without food and no ill effects. I have even left them for a whole week before, but on that trip I put an apple in the fruit fly container about a week before I left. The day I left I just took the apple out and put it in the tank with the salamanders and they feed on the emerging fly larvae all week long. I'll tell you what they sure were healthy looking when I got back. I hope that made sense cause I think I just confused my ownself.

Later,
Justin

 

[Kaysie]

They'll be fine for a few days without food. Just keep them cool (one would assume you'll turn the heat down while you're away anyway).

 

[Jennewt]

I agree, they'll be perfectly fine for up to a week without food (despite their greedy feeding habits!) It would be quite OK to leave some fruit flies in the tank, but you might need to use some kind of cloth cover under the tank lid to prevent the flies from just walking out.

 

[hcq33]

Thank you all so much, I am feeling more comfortable about leaving them. I will make sure the heat is off and keep them cool. They are so funny about eating. They have such demanding personalities and just seem to beg for food. Just for my sake I am not going to feed them tonight and feed them tomorrow, just to get them used to the vacation schedule.

I liked the idea of the fruit flies in the apples. I have only used the flightless type of fruit flies that I bought at the pet store. If I keep them in a container, will the wingless variety reproduce like regular fruit flies?

Thanks

 

[hcq33]

Thank you so much for the feeding advice! As you can see they did quite well over the holiday.
I spent the two weeks leading up to vacation getting them on a new feeding plan. Eat one day
skip eating for two days and eat on the next day. They are doing well, although they are so eager to eat (at any and at all times) whenever I open the lid, they come running and make photo ops very difficult. I had to laugh about Jennewts comment "greedy little feeding habbits". Wow, talk about big eaters for little bodies!! But they are so cute and funny and eventhough there are only two of them, they have different personalities.:wacko: Thanks again.
Heather

 

[Nathan050793]

I'm glad the were OK! Thank you for posting pictures, they are so adorable!