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Anybody know anything about salamanders?

julieanne912julieanne912 member
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in Chit Chat
So, we've got a baby salamander trapped in our sump pit in the basement.  He must have made it in a few days ago when we had heavy rain/snow and the sump pit filled up more than normal while the pump was working it all out.  

I'm guessing he's a baby because he's only about 6-8" long, and we think he's a tiger salamander.  There's about 9" of water down there, but there's no way for him to get out.  My plan is to go buy an aquarium net to try and fish him out, but my question is, what do I do with him after that?  I was thinking I could put him in the culvert at the front of our property as it's a bit wetter in there than normal... but will it be enough water?  I could probably go find a pond nearby to release him if that would be better.

I'm hoping there's a wildlife expert in here, or at the very least, someone knowledgeable about lizards? 
Married 9.12.15
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Re: Anybody know anything about salamanders?

  • WinstonsGirlWinstonsGirl member
    Knottie Warrior 2500 Comments 500 Love Its 5 Answers
    My brother found one last summer in a window well, or a similar lizard.  I didn't know we even had them in the city.  He released it in the field behind his house.  Not sure where they live though, or what they need to do well.  I would think that if there is some place to hide and some water nearby, they'll make do, but that's just a guess

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  • novella1186novella1186 member
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    edited April 2015
    If you're talking about a salamander and not a newt, then there's no reason to put it in a pond. Salamanders don't live in water, they just like very damp environments. It's really common to find them near river beds in the woods (even dry river beds) living under big rocks where it's dark and damp.

    If the pond is the only place in the area where you think there's any dampness, then sure, put him somewhere nearby, but just in the grass, and he'll figure it out from there (and don't release him on the bank or out in the open. Those guys are easy targets for birds)

    ETA: if you have a big empty jar, you're probably better off scooping him out in that rather than a net, and then you can keep him in it till you get to where you'll release him at. Sometimes they move a little quicker than you'd expect and he might just hop right out of the net
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  • hellosweetie1015hellosweetie1015 member
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    ...I'm going to be unhelpful and say that pretty much the only thing I know about salamanders is that Fred and George nicked some from Care of Magical Creatures and fed them a Filibuster firework. :(

    The "salamanders" I've had experience with are little blue-and-black shiny things that are impossibly fast, and capable of climbing on all sorts of things. Is it possible he can climb back out? If not - definitely use a jar and catch him in that; again: impossibly fast. 
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  • APDSS22APDSS22 member
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    Yeah, they just need a dampish environment, the culvert's probably fine.  If he's unhappy there, he'll go back where he came from. 
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  • julieanne912julieanne912 member
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    edited April 2015
    Yeah the pit is about 4 feet deep, with the water only in the bottom 6 inches or so, so no way to scoop him out unless I use a net attached to a long stick.  So far an aquarium net taped to the swiffer sweeper handle is my set up.  My hope was he would either swim into the net or I could scoop him out, and then immediately put him into a spare small garbage can with water in it.

    Today I bought the net and the aquarium guy at Petsmart told me to just set him near a body of water, rather in one.  There's a pond up the road so I can just go deposit him near that if I can ever get him out.  Today he stayed a the very bottom of the pit and  swam under the inlet pipe so there was no way to get to him.  Yesterday he was swimming at the surface so it would have been easier to net him.  

    I just feel bad for the poor guy.  There's no bugs that I can see down there for him to eat :(  
    Married 9.12.15
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  • julieanne912julieanne912 member
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    Oh also  based on his coloring this is why we determined he's a salamander: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_salamander  

    The aquarium guy told me my problem isn't uncommon this time of year...they get stuck in people's pits and the window wells often.

    Married 9.12.15
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  • lurkergirllurkergirl member
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    hellosweetie1015 said:

    ...I'm going to be unhelpful and say that pretty much the only thing I know about salamanders is that Fred and George nicked some from Care of Magical Creatures and fed them a Filibuster firework. :(


    The "salamanders" I've had experience with are little blue-and-black shiny things that are impossibly fast, and capable of climbing on all sorts of things. Is it possible he can climb back out? If not - definitely use a jar and catch him in that; again: impossibly fast. 
    They're skinks. 

    I had one run in my house as I opened the door one day.  It got kinda stuck and I freaked, stopped the door, and it started to scurry.  I went to grab it by the tail to throw it back outside, and IT"S TAIL BROKE OFF IN MY HAND!!!  And it fell down and kept running around.  It eventually got back out, but I was out of breath and had a huge adrenaline rush from my close call with the tiny beast.




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  • huskypuppy14huskypuppy14 member
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    Salamanders are amphibians not reptiles. Lizards are reptiles; therefore salamanders are not reptiles. Sorry that's the extent of my knowledge on the topic :)

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  • WinstonsGirlWinstonsGirl member
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    lurkergirl said:

    hellosweetie1015 said:

    ...I'm going to be unhelpful and say that pretty much the only thing I know about salamanders is that Fred and George nicked some from Care of Magical Creatures and fed them a Filibuster firework. :(


    The "salamanders" I've had experience with are little blue-and-black shiny things that are impossibly fast, and capable of climbing on all sorts of things. Is it possible he can climb back out? If not - definitely use a jar and catch him in that; again: impossibly fast. 
    They're skinks. 

    I had one run in my house as I opened the door one day.  It got kinda stuck and I freaked, stopped the door, and it started to scurry.  I went to grab it by the tail to throw it back outside, and IT"S TAIL BROKE OFF IN MY HAND!!!  And it fell down and kept running around.  It eventually got back out, but I was out of breath and had a huge adrenaline rush from my close call with the tiny beast.




    Skinks are designed to lose their tails if caught by predators. They just grow them back. But it would freak me out too if it happened to me

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  • southernbelle0915southernbelle0915 mod
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    I've never known of salamanders as living in water? The only ones I've ever seen are the ones that live in the dirt under damp logs and leaves. 

    Have you consulted Google Scholar to figure out exactly what you're looking at? Once you do, that might help you better figure out what environment makes sense for it. 
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  • julieanne912julieanne912 member
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    southernbelle0915 said:

    I've never known of salamanders as living in water? The only ones I've ever seen are the ones that live in the dirt under damp logs and leaves. 


    Have you consulted Google Scholar to figure out exactly what you're looking at? Once you do, that might help you better figure out what environment makes sense for it. 
    Yes... it seems they live in water when they're young?  And then just in damp environments. 

    What happened was, poor guy guy ended up in there during some heavy/rain snow.... so he was probably living somewhere around our house in the ground, but the perimeter drains got him and he ended up in there.  So, I'm sure it's not his (or maybe it's a her?) ideal living spot, which is why I'd like to help him out!  
    Married 9.12.15
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