salimanders

Posted by tina hollywood on September 28, 2005

Q: what would i feed a salimander in captivity?

Habitat: suburban/yard

State: Ontario

Habitat: suburban/yard

A: You found a Red-spotted Newt. But not an adult, you've found a young newt that's called a Red Eft at this stage. These interesting salamanders begin life in a pond, metamorphose (change) into an eft and live on land for 1 to 3 years then return to the pond (usually the same pond they were hatched in)and metamorphose into an aquatic adult form.

All salamanders are carnivors and eat a variety of small animals. Your little guy will be especially difficult to feed because he's so small so I strongly recommend that you return him to a natural area. Don't worry, the cold won't bother him at all - he'll find a nice place to crawl in and overwinter where he'll certainly be cold but won't die. An especially good time to release him is on a rainy evening.

Thanks for asking. Take a look at this site and learn some more about these interesting animals. www.loxosceles.org

John Wiessinger ( September 28, 2005)