Caring for Pet Salamanders
Pet salamanders are often owned by small children or little boys who enjoy slimy little creatures that they can watch and take care of. However, if you are going to have a salamander in your home, you are going to want to care for it properly so that it will be happy and survive. You will want to know how to take care of it before you bring it home so read this article in order to prepare for your new pet.
You are going to need a place to keep your pet salamanders. The best home for your pet is an aquarium or tank of some sort. You will want to purchase one that is medium to large in size. You have two choices with this purchase. You can go to the nearest pet store or you can look online. As long as you have the correct size, anything will do.
Once you have the tank, you are going to need to get the bottom of it covered with some type of dirt or soil. You can ask the pet store what they would recommend or you could get some dirt out of the yard and cover the bottom of the tank with that. As long as the bottom is covered your pet salamanders will be good to go. You will then need to add in rocks for you pet salamanders to climb on. You may also want to add some tree bark to the tank so that your pet will have a nice place to hide when they want to be left alone.
One thing to keep in mind is that your pet salamanders are going to need to remain moist. Because of that, you will want to get a small bowel and fill it with water. You will place it in the tank and make it level with the soil that is in there. You will find that your salamander is going to drink this water and also lay in it so that they can get the moisture that he or she needs to be comfortable. It is very important to be sure that you keep the water full at all times.
Pet salamanders eat bugs and other things such as crickets and earthworms. You can either purchase these at the pet store or take the time to go outside and catch them yourself. You will then place them into the tank and let your salamander eat at its own pace. Be sure to keep at least two live insects in the tank at all times for your new pet.
These pets are also going to shed their skin one time per week. You may find that at times, some of the skin does not come off. If you notice that this has happened you are going to need to remove this skin so that the blood flow of your salamander is not restricted. You will need to soak that area in water and then use your finger to gently message the skin off.
Not all pet salamanders are going to want to be handled by their caregivers. Therefore, you will not want to touch them unless you have to. You do not want to irritate their skin. Also, sometimes they may produce an oily like substance that is going to irritate your skin. Therefore, it is best to simply avoid touching the pet unless it is necessary to do so. If you do need to touch your pet, be sure that you do not have lotions, creams, or perfume on your hands. Your goal is to keep your pet healthy and avoid harming him or her.
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