PLEASE HELP!? My salamander larvae are starving!

[Aysvin]

I have 5 spotted salamander larvae and things aren't going well. Everything was GREAT until last week when I ran out of brine shrimp. The store I get them from his out and doesn't know when they'll get more and my larvae won't eat anything frozen, freeze dried, or anything other than live food. I have no source of live food for them at all. I've tried getting small organisms from ponds, lakes, and streams, but I can't seem to get anything. Besides, they're too big for those now anyway and would need a lot to fill them up.

Does anyone have any tips? Please, it's been a week since they last ate. I don't know how they're still alive!

 

[exhumed07]

worms or crickets. I've used those to feed mine. i freeze the crickets and then thaw one out at a time and hand feed it. i just wiggled it around right in front of it's face and eventually he got annoyed enough. as for the worms i broke it off into one inch chunks and just let them wiggle around in the tank.

 

[Aysvin]

They're scared of anything I try to hand feed them. I've tried it with both frozen and freeze dried blood worms. As for 1 inch chunks of worms, they aren't that big yet. It was a good idea though and one I'll keep for later...if they survive until then.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

You could try fruit flies. Either flightless as sold for feeders - and I have seen them in petco recently sold as betta food - or you could try leaving a banana or similar out and attract your own...

You also could try using frozen on a pair of tweezers / forceps to wiggle it around - or freeze dried bloodworms or similar.

If you have access to a pond or stream, grab an algae covered rock out of if and plop that in the tank - may have some sort of micro sized critters for them to forage off it.

Edit: Sorry, we apparently were replying at the same time - it is worth it to keep trying with wiggling frozen small bits around in front of them though. They might eventually take the hint.

Also call around - maybe there is a not quite as local store that has brine shrimp. Or search online to see if there is a local fish club, where someone may be able to help you out.

 

[Aysvin]

I've tried the tweezers too, they swim away. The place I get my shrimp at is about 30 minutes away and the places I've called farther away than that don't have any. Southern NH sucks for small live food I guess. If I can't think of something soon I'll put these guys in a pond. I don't want them to get eaten, but at least they may not starve to death.

 

[OrangeCones]

I've If I can't think of something soon I'll put these guys in a pond. I don't want them to get eaten, but at least they may not starve to death.

Releasing them into the wild is illegal.

 

[Aysvin]

Releasing them into the wild is illegal.

Mine are a native species. They're Spotted Salamanders, which are very common in my area. I actually got a clutch of eggs out of a pond and hatched them, which is where these guys came from. I'm not introducing an invasive species.

 

[OrangeCones]

Unless you do a 'catch and release' it is illegal to release fish or the salamanders into the wild. Once they have left the wild and are kept in human care, they are no longer able to be released. This is regardless of if they are a native species or not.

 

[Aysvin]

What, really? That's weird. I'm going to have to double check that with Fish and Games.

 

[Aysvin]

I'm not seeing anything, but I'll call them tomorrow and see what they can tell me.

 

[exhumed07]

the reasoning is that the aquarium trade has illnesses and parasites that can be accidentally introduced into the wild. it's not just about the species that you are releasing but the species of things they may now be carrying. In illinois we are no longer allowed to release fathead minnows into the water ways after we get done fishing. even though they are native. it's cause of what else they may introduce. so we dump them out in the grass up away from the water.

Now back onto the feeding subject, if there are any small streams near you there is a possibility of there being scud in the water. it's like a little shrimp that gets up to maybe a quarter of an inch long. flip over rocks or leaves or if there is a slow spot with lots of hair algae just grab a handfull of that and swish it around in a bucket of water and you should get plenty. just dump them in the tank and let the little guys hunt naturally. I've used them as treats for my fish for years as well as my salamandar larva (locally called mud dogs or mud puppies around here) i got out of a pond a while back.