When considering how to best feed a salamander, understanding their dietary needs is crucial for their health and well-being. Salamanders exist in a variety of breeds, each made up of different shapes, sizes, colors, and natural habitats. Just like with any other pet, correct nutrition and a balanced diet are crucial to their health and well-being. Like almost all amphibians and most reptiles, salamanders are carnivores. Knowing what and what not to feed your little buddy can help ensure that he lives a long, healthy life.
The Carnivorous Nature of Salamanders
Salamanders are predominantly carnivorous, thriving on a diet rich in protein. As amphibians, salamanders should be fed a carnivorous diet that consists of foods they would eat in their natural habitat. This includes both land and water environments. Your salamander’s digestive tract has a really hard time processing anything other than meat, so you shouldn’t feed him fruits or vegetables. Unlike tadpoles, salamanders are carnivores from larva to adult. They eat live, moving insects likes flies, ants, crickets, blood worms, and brine shirmp. Most amphibians are opportunistic eaters that swallow anything moving and small enough to fit in their mouth. Some amphibians occasionally consume plant food but, for the most part, salamanders are carnivores.
Wild vs. Captive Diets
In the wild, a salamander's diet heavily depends on the types of food available in their environment. Wild salamanders have access to a large variety of healthy insects. This is where they obtain the nutrients that keep them healthy. They eat flies, beetles, ants, true bugs, springtails, mites, wasps, bees, crustaceans, mollusks, worms, isopods, brine shrimp, and insect larvae. Large salamanders can also eat small fish, lizards, snakes, and crayfish.
In captivity, the variety and size of the food items you offer should closely mimic what they would naturally consume in the wild. In captivity, however, the variety of insects is limited to what you can buy in pet stores or raise on your own. And make no mistake, the variety is much smaller in captivity than it is in the wild.
Dietary Needs at Different Life Stages
Amphibians eat different types of food throughout their lives based on their habitat and size.
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Larva Stage
The larval form is the first stage of a salamander’s life when they begin eating things other than the yolk of their egg sack. This stage is akin to the tadpole stage of a frog’s life. Unlike frogs, baby salamanders are not called tadpoles; they’re larvae. Larval salamanders are carnivorous. They primarily eat insect larvae, roundworms, and small crustaceans. Salamander larva do not eat algae, bacteria, or plankton covering aquatic plants like tadpoles (the larval form of frogs). They’re carnivorous from larva to adult.
Juvenile Stage
The juvenile stage of a salamander’s life comes after metamorphosis. Newts begin venturing on land and aquatic salamanders take on the same appearance as their adult version but at a smaller scale. It’s at this point that their diet changes depending on their type. Newts are capable of surviving on land while fully aquatic species, like Axolotls, are not. Naturally, their diets are different depending on whether they’re terrestrial or aquatic. Regardless, both types eat small versions of what mature Caudata eat. Juvenile salamanders eat much of the same things as adults, just in smaller forms.
Adult Stage
Adult salamanders are fully matured and, just like their larval stage, they remain 100% carnivores. They’re opportunistic feeders, willing to eat almost any living creature small enough to fit in their mouth.
Feeding Land-Dwelling Salamanders
If your pet lizard is a land-dwelling breed, insects, crickets, mealworms, tubifex worms, and white worms should make up the bulk of his menu. For land-dwelling salamanders, include mealworms, crickets, and tubifex worms.
Feeding Aquatic Salamanders
For aquatic species, offer brine shrimp, bloodworms, and nightcrawlers.
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Commercial Food Options
Commercial food options, such as pellets, are another way to go. These contain processed insects and worms. Still, processed foods shouldn’t be the main part of your salamander’s diet. While commercial pellets can supplement their diet, they should not be the primary food source due to some salamanders’ reluctance to accept processed food. Reptiles are natural hunters, meaning they need to catch their food. Some will refuse to eat pellets for that very reason. As for aquatic feeders, you’re most likely to find brine shrimp, minnows, blood worms, tubifex worms, daphnia, and meat-based fish pellets. Salamanders are carnivores and should not eat plant foods. For this reason, only use meat-based fish pellets if you choose to use commercial fish pellets.
Live vs. Freeze-Dried Prey
Another option to consider is feeding your salamander freeze-dried insects instead of live ones. Feeding live food to salamanders is generally recommended as it encourages natural hunting behaviors and ensures nutrient-rich intake. Live prey like insects and worms provide mental stimulation and closely mimic their diet in the wild. However, for convenience and safety, freeze-dried insects can be a suitable alternative, especially if live food is not readily available or if there is concern about parasite transmission from wild-caught prey.
Feeding Frequency and Quantity
One common misconception about feeding salamanders, and amphibians in general, is that they must be fed daily. Actually, adult salamanders only need to be fed two or three times a week, typically at nighttime. It’s only the juvenile or younger salamanders that require daily feedings. The frequency and quantity of feeding depend on the species and age of your salamander, but generally, feeding them every few days is sufficient.
Importance of Water
You’ll also need to make sure your pet always has clean, fresh, chlorine-free water available. Salamanders absorb water through their semi-permeable skin. They’re heavily dependent on water but do not drink like mammals do.
Foods to Avoid
A salamander’s digestive tract can’t really process anything other than meat, so you should not feed your little buddy any fruits or vegetables. Fruits and Vegetables? However, salamanders do need the nutrients from produce. They just need to ingest it via those insects. Make sure the insects you feed him have been fed lots of these types of foods.
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Supplements
Most amphibians don’t need vitamins and supplements in their diets. But your little salamander buddy will still need calcium powder supplements for bone health. Also, make sure the calcium powder you use doesn’t include vitamin D3, since this can be toxic to reptiles. You may also need to dust your pet’s lunch with nutritional powders. For this reason, it’s important to dust feeder insects with supplements in powder form.
Appropriately Sized Feeders
It’s important to ensure that the food is appropriately sized-usually no larger than the distance between the salamander’s eyes-to prevent choking hazards. Feeder insects should be appropriately-sized. Feeder insects like crickets and dubia roaches should not be bigger than the distance between your salamander’s eyes.
Maintaining a Clean Habitat
When managing uneaten food in a salamander’s habitat, promptly remove it to prevent spoilage and maintain a clean environment. Leftover food can decompose, leading to poor water quality and potential health risks such as bacterial growth. Regularly inspect the habitat for any uneaten items, especially after feeding times, and clear them out.
Selecting a Healthy Salamander
When selecting a salamander at a pet store, observe its activity level and physical condition. A healthy salamander should be alert and active, not lethargic. Check for clear, bright eyes and a body free from cuts, bruises, or abrasions. The skin should be moist and smooth without any dry patches or discolorations, which can indicate health issues. Ensure the salamander reacts to its surroundings and isn’t unusually skinny or bloated.
Recommended Species for Beginners
For beginners, species like the Tiger Salamander and the Spotted Salamander are recommended due to their hardy nature and simpler care requirements. These species adapt well to captivity and are generally more forgiving of minor environmental variations, making them suitable for those new to amphibian care.
Varying the Diet
To effectively vary your salamander’s diet, incorporate a mix of live and freeze-dried prey that mimics their natural food sources.
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