How to take care of a salamander? I just found it in my pool!

Have you just found a salamander in your garden or pond, and are you wondering what to do?

Release the salamanders!

The best attitude to adopt: leave them in the wild! It is best to avoid removing them from the wild or keeping them as pets. Indeed, these practices that are considered harmless have a significant impact on the local ecosystem. Removing salamanders from the wild will cause and amplify the decline of local populations.

Did you know ? Globally, half of the salamanders are in danger of extinction. This is simply not acceptable!

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The salamander: the amphibian cousin of the lizard

The term salamander refers to many species of amphibians. The most famous in the world is the one in the photo below. In this case, it is the common salamander, also known as the spotted salamander. A salamander is a slow moving animal.

Like her cousin, the Lizard, she is able to quickly regenerate parts of her injured body. With its short nose and long tail, the salamander can reach a size of 20 centimeters! This animal can live for twenty years. In the wild (outside the land), it's not uncommon to see it live for more than 40 years!

In general, we therefore advise you to release the salamander into the wild. However, if it behaves strangely and you wish to preserve it until adulthood, you can move towards a terrarium.

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Caring for a Salamander

Habitat suitable for salamanders

Salamanders prefer a damp, moist habitat with plenty of places to hide. Cover the soil with bark chips, potting soil or moss. Make sure the terrarium is kept cool, especially during the summer. Salamanders need to be moist, so be sure to put an area of ​​water in the terrarium.

The diet of salamanders

Salamanders are nocturnal, it is best to feed them at night. What will the salamander eat? You can use water turtle food or as salamanders are carnivorous and should be fed earthworms, slugs, wood lice, etc.

Adopt good habits

Handle your salamander as little as possible. Their delicate and moist skin does not support too much handling. Do not use chlorine either, which risks injuring the salamander. His skin is actually his respiratory system. This animal needs a wet area at all times.

Here is a photo of a salamander that you can find in the northern regions of France and Belgium

The salamander, in a nutshell

The salamander can absolutely act as a useful auxiliary to your vegetable garden, and even more particularly in permaculture. They feed on spiders, woodlice, beetles, insects and slugs.

At the same time, salamanders also appreciate newts such as small frogs and earthworms. Finally, salamander larvae essentially eat insect larvae as well as other small animals.