# salamanders



## CellyBean (Nov 13, 2016)

so im pretty sure i have the eastern red backed salamander and either the lead back salamander or the valley salamander. can these guys be housed together? and how do i overwinter them?


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## CosbyArt (Nov 13, 2016)

CellyBean said:


> so im pretty sure i have the eastern red backed salamander and either the lead back salamander or the valley salamander. can these guys be housed together? and how do i overwinter them?


Nice, the last redback I found was a few years ago (but of course I don't go looking for them in leaf litter).  

The redback salamanders come in two varieties - the Northern redback salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) and Southern redback salamander (Plethodon serratus). Then the redback has two common color morphs, the redback morph where they get their name, and the leadback color morph.

You can keep them together if they are provided ample room and with a proper setup, to avoid excess bullying. Normally they have to be kept at 60-68F, but for winter they have to be kept at 55F. Here is a excerpt about the winter temperature setup...



> Ideally, these salamanders should be kept at 60-68 oF / 15-20 oC (reduced to mid 50s oF / 8-12 oC in winter for proper cycling) to mimic the naturally cool temperatures of shaded, forest leaf litter and all efforts should be made to keep their tanks from reaching 75 oF+ / 24 oC+. Heat stress is a well-documented cause of death in salamanders and _Plethodontids_, such as the redbacks, are particularly sensitive to heat. To achieve these temperatures, one might consider keeping them in a basement, next to an air conditioning vent, or a naturally cooler room of the house.


You can read much more from the very detailed care sheet for the redback salamanders. To be honest as salamanders are very sensitive to their setup/care/temperatures I would recommend you join the Caudata forum for help and assistance with the salamanders (much like I joined the Arachnoboards awhile back for my various arachnids).


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## CellyBean (Nov 13, 2016)

i think i have a good set up, its a glass terrarium with coconut fibers as the substrate and some rotting wood and maple leaves for them to hide under. they're not aquatic right so i dont have to worry about putting a water dish or water pool in there right? and how often should i feed them?


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## CellyBean (Nov 13, 2016)

i have 5 individuals in all, two of the leadbacks, one redback, then an orange redback and a yellow redback. is that too many to put together? i dont want them to kill each other


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## CosbyArt (Nov 13, 2016)

CellyBean said:


> i think i have a good set up, its a glass terrarium with coconut fibers as the substrate and some rotting wood and maple leaves for them to hide under. they're not aquatic right so i dont have to worry about putting a water dish or water pool in there right? and how often should i feed them?






CellyBean said:


> i have 5 individuals in all, two of the leadbacks, one redback, then an orange redback and a yellow redback. is that too many to put together? i dont want them to kill each other


One topic I found on the Caudata forum about them, a member said they had 5 redbacks and kept them in 40 gallon tank. If that is a habitat size requirement for that many redback salamanders or not I have no idea though.

After doing another reading of the care sheet I did find answers to your questions - no standing water, just water the soil/moss (read the care sheet for a proper setup) until damp but not excessive, bullying can be a issue (but I do not see anything about them killing each other), and for feeding they can eat anything small enough to make suitable prey (and seems to be as often as they want to eat, so I would say every other day).

However, such questions are covered in the care sheet, please read it as that is where I found the answers for you. Again I urge you to join the Caudata forum and ask your questions there as I have had very little experience with them and have reached the extent of my salamander help (reading the care sheet to assist you). In the meantime until you get a active account on Caudata the care sheet should hold/keep them safe.


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## CellyBean (Nov 13, 2016)

i tried to register but it said it was denied because they dont allow active spamming and i dont know where that came from. how big is a 40 gallon tank exactly?


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## CosbyArt (Nov 13, 2016)

CellyBean said:


> i tried to register but it said it was denied because they dont allow active spamming and i dont know where that came from. how big is a 40 gallon tank exactly?


Very strange, but they did have a lot of spam problems in the past, so the filter guards may be overly reaching.  I am a member there as well, so if you want I can contact the forum admin about it. If so send me a PM with the username you want, and the email address you are trying to sign up with and I'll see if they can figure out the problem and contact you, or let you sign-up.

A 40 gallon tank comes in two sizes, one standard/long version and a tall breeder (for fish) style. The 40 gallon (long) is 48" x 13" x 17" and the 40 gallon (breeder) is 36" x 18" x 17".


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## CellyBean (Nov 14, 2016)

okay im pretty sure the tank i have is smaller than the 40 gallon


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## Salmonsaladsandwich (Nov 26, 2016)

I keep a couple of these in a small setup in my basement. When the weather warms up I recommend setting termite traps or starting a termite culture, they're by far the best food for plethodontids (and most small insectivorous creatures for that matter.)


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