just caught a salamander

[K-TRAIN]

i just caught this salamander thats about an inch and a half long. but i dont know what to do with it now. it looks like a red backed salamander, (im not sure thats right though. i just looked at it and guessed) but how do i take care of it? and what do i feed it?
should i release it? the reason i took it in was because im in pa and its pretty cold today, and i thought that the reptiles and amphibians were hibernating.
i dont want it to die, so could anyone help me?

 

[scottyk]

If it were me, I'd take it into the woods, pull up a nice chunk of rotting log and get it underneath there before the next hard freeze.

I've had mixed results keeping Redbacks alive, but if you want to try it here are some tips based on my experience:

Set it up in a critter keeper or equivalent with some organic soil, a piece of rotting wood to hide under and some live moss. You will need to keep everything moist but not too wet. The equivalent conditions of a dart frog terrarium are what you are going for. From here your best bet may be to try to research the right temp to hibernate him, and see if you have an area in your basement or garage that will suffice.

If you keep it warm you will need to feed it, and this will probably be your biggest headache. These guys need small soft bodied insects that are close to defenseless and will blunder right into the them. You could culture fruit flies or buy feeder termites if you have a herp store nearby that sells food for dart frogs. You could also try de-jumping tiny pinheads and placing them right in front of the salamander.

Ready to walk it back into the woods now? Good luck with it whatever you decide....

 

[K-TRAIN]

If it were me, I'd take it into the woods, pull up a nice chunk of rotting log and get it underneath there before the next hard freeze.

I've had mixed results keeping Redbacks alive, but if you want to try it here are some tips based on my experience:

Set it up in a critter keeper or equivalent with some organic soil, a piece of rotting wood to hide under and some live moss. You will need to keep everything moist but not too wet. The equivalent conditions of a dart frog terrarium are what you are going for. From here your best bet may be to try to research the right temp to hibernate him, and see if you have an area in your basement or garage that will suffice.

If you keep it warm you will need to feed it, and this will probably be your biggest headache. These guys need small soft bodied insects that are close to defenseless and will blunder right into the them. You could culture fruit flies or buy feeder termites if you have a herp store nearby that sells food for dart frogs. You could also try de-jumping tiny pinheads and placing them right in front of the salamander.

Ready to walk it back into the woods now? Good luck with it whatever you decide....

wow. lol it seems harder then it looks. i have a hard time with salamanders myself. and newts. i caught red spotted ones before and they are hard to keep. thanks for the information though. i think i'll try to keep it for awhile, then release it on the next warmer day.

 

[bugmankeith]

If it's a redback they eat earthworms,pinhead crickets,fruit flies, and small waxworms.

Small ones eat the springtails you find under rotted wood.