Salamanders are underrated
- Thread starter jamest0o0
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Persnickety Parson's
Chameleon Enthusiast
I like the spotted and Tiger salamanders. In MN some of our Tiger salamanders are actually spotted, we also have a blue species too.
Also I love the new AVI, getting into the glorious anoles are you?
Also I love the new AVI, getting into the glorious anoles are you?
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
I remember seeing a tiger salamander as a little kid while camping... got me fascinated!
I figured I'd make my avatar of a chameleon
Persnickety Parson's
Chameleon Enthusiast
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
Need to get the whole forum to change their avatar's to anoles
Persnickety Parson's
Chameleon Enthusiast
Need to get the whole forum to change their avatar's to anoles
Yes, that would be epic, preferably before Bill strand checks in.
The best prank.
Coop
Avid Member
Rarely, but sometimes, I will find Pacific giant salamanders emerging from the creek on my property. However, we had to dig up a spring recently and there were loads coming out of the ground, about 15 in total compared to the 3 we had found before over the course of 16 years. I will do my best to find some pictures of the ones we found, here's a google image to at least show what they look like.
Mendez
Chameleon Enthusiast
Newts and salamanders are my favorite! I had a pair of Chinese firebelly newts growing up. I also got a fire salamander from a teacher that passed away. I honestly think that salamanders and newts make the best pets too. Salamanders could theoretically be kept in small tubs (the same size tubs that ball pythons are stuffed into) and that would be a mansion. They hardly move, and they come in all sorts of colors. While it seems like North America is lacking in biodiversity, the U.S has the most species of salamanders in the world.
Anyways, here are some pics:
Sierra Newt (below) found in Coloma, an old town from the Gold Rush here in California. A thirty-minute drive from my house. I love watching them walk along the bottom of fast-moving streams. Their orange belly and silver eyes are remarkable. Probably my favorite species mentioned.
Here is a slender salamander (below) that was spotted in my grandparents' backyard in L.A. These guys are thriving in the smallest yards. They don't seem to be impacted by human encroachment too much. They don't have much going for them in color. But what they don't have in color is compensated in body length.
Below are some salamanders I found in Boston, MA when visiting my sister.
Redback salamanders. These guys were tiny when we found them. They get slightly larger when fully matured. But, overall, they are a small species. The red on their backs are beautiful! I wasn't able to find any of the silver variety of this species. They are very proportional IMO.
Subadult spotted salamander that was probably the size of my thumb.
Here's a salamander that was too young to identify. It was either a juvenile blue-spotted salamander, a Jefferson salamander, or a hybrid between both species that is naturally occurring.
Anyways, here are some pics:
Sierra Newt (below) found in Coloma, an old town from the Gold Rush here in California. A thirty-minute drive from my house. I love watching them walk along the bottom of fast-moving streams. Their orange belly and silver eyes are remarkable. Probably my favorite species mentioned.
Here is a slender salamander (below) that was spotted in my grandparents' backyard in L.A. These guys are thriving in the smallest yards. They don't seem to be impacted by human encroachment too much. They don't have much going for them in color. But what they don't have in color is compensated in body length.
Below are some salamanders I found in Boston, MA when visiting my sister.
Redback salamanders. These guys were tiny when we found them. They get slightly larger when fully matured. But, overall, they are a small species. The red on their backs are beautiful! I wasn't able to find any of the silver variety of this species. They are very proportional IMO.
Subadult spotted salamander that was probably the size of my thumb.
Here's a salamander that was too young to identify. It was either a juvenile blue-spotted salamander, a Jefferson salamander, or a hybrid between both species that is naturally occurring.
Mendez
Chameleon Enthusiast
They are probably my favorite species of creature to search for. They run away slowly and are easy to catch (on land)--though I usually leave most of them alone. They are awesome creatures to show to family, friends, and strangers on a hike. Everyone is usually captivated by their strange, yet extremely beautiful appearance. They are an awesome indicator species.Amazing. Haven’t been searching for them for decades. Used to find them at walking distance.
I definitely want to get back into keeping amphibians. Out of all the amphibians for sale here, the majority are frogs and toads. Hardly any of them are salamanders or newts. The laws are pretty strict here in California--I can't even own an axolotl here haha (not that I would really want one). The strictness of the laws here is understandable though. The California Tiger Salamander is pretty threatened and can hybridize with many other ambystoma salamander species.
One species of amphibian I'm still highly debating about getting is Atelopus balios (a species of small toad from South America). I'll post a picture or two from Nick Stacy (@indicator_species on Instagram).
I have a spare exo terra terraium (24x18x24) laying around. So it's either these guys or some pygmy chameleons. I hate making decisions like this because I literally can't decide which one to go with. I will say that pygmy chameleons are much cheaper, but the green on these toads is incredible.
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
Wait, send me a care sheet on them! Lmao they're sick
Sonny13
Chameleon Enthusiast
They're amazing and that would be a difficult choice, because for them both you could make the same paludarium styled enclosure, I just love such enclosures.
Mendez
Chameleon Enthusiast
I'll post it here. All this info is from Nick Stacy (@indicator_species for IG and Nick Stacey on Facebook). He usually responds to PMs within a few hours.
This is how he keeps them, but you can change the parameters slightly. When in doubt, ask for help.
Atelopus care basics:
Temperature:
- Day: 70-72F
- Night: 65F (I did ask if they could take it down to the lower 60s since I have a jackson's chameleon, and he said that it shouldn't be a problem). There are also tips to keep an enclosure warm during the winter on dendroboards if your house/room gets too cold.
Humidity: Nick doesn't really measure his humidity. It's important to let the cage "dry out" in between mistings. He did note that "plant axils always have water and moss is moist, leaves and surfaces dry except right after misting." Most frogs/toads kept in terrariums don't need as much humidity as some believe them to need.
Terrarium: These are small toads, but they still need space to move around. They are semi-arboreal creatures that like to climb branches and plants. At night, they will perch off the ground, similar to that of a pygmy chameleon. Nick Stacey said that the minimum height terrarium that they should be kept in is 18 inches tall.
Personality: They are quite bold little toads. They hardly hide and are diurnal (awake during the day). Viewing them is much easier than some of the other well-known dart frog species that are prone to stay hidden.
Supplementation/UVB: He does supplement with D3 but does not provide a uvb light. This is how many small frogs are kept, though some people are experimenting with uvb lights. UVB lighting does seem to be beneficial, but I'd probably stick to what has worked for Nick, at least until you feel confident in experimenting for yourself.
Podcast Episode: AmphibiCast episode #19 "The Atelopus Project" with Nick Stacey of the Fragile Planet Wildlife Center.
Nick Stacey also has Atelopus barbotini. Pics from Nick below: freshly metamorphosed (top) and adult (directly underneath). Atelopus balios size reference at the very bottom.
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Mendez
Chameleon Enthusiast
Yep, that's what makes it so difficult. I eventually plan on getting both pygmies and Atelopus balios one day. But for now, I kind of need to focus in on one. Some of the small calumma species like C. boettgeri and C. nasutum are also appealing options to some of the brookesia species.
Sonny13
Chameleon Enthusiast
I don’t think he/she would survive the journey
