# Fire Salamander Breeding



## stephengoff (Mar 12, 2008)

I have a pair of fire salamanders (salamandra salamandra facousa), i got them about in November when i was told the female was gravid, i haven't had any problems with them so far, but i'm just worried as the female should give birth very soon.

I'm jus wondering if anybody could give me some good breeding tips and how to clearly indicate the gravid(ness) of the female.

I may worry to much, but alot of infomation on the web and in books contradicts there selves and can be confusing.

Many Thanks


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## EdRafferty (May 27, 2009)

In captivity, _Salamandra salamandra_ usually mates in early autumn and produces larvae after a cool winter period, from February onwards. This can be modified in captivity by cycling the temperatures to fool the animals into mating and depositing larvae at other times of the year. Mating takes place on land, and the male solicits the female by touching and rubbing the female with his chin. In Alpine Salamanders, this chin rubbing is focused on the female's head. The male crawls beneath the female and grasps her front legs with his own by hooking them over hers. He may further stimulate the female by rubbing his head against her chin. Eventually, the male deposits a sticky spermatophore. He then manoeuvres his hind quarters out from underneath the female's and, in so doing, attempts to lower her cloaca over the spermatophore, which then adheres to her. Sometimes he misses and it can stick elsewhere on female's body. Four-to-nine months after fertilisation, the female deposits young larvae (or metamorphs in the case of some species/subspecies). In the alpine salamanders this procedure is extended, and generally only two metamorphs are produced every two years in some populations. Mating behaviour is similar in all species/subspecies. In species/subspecies that inhabit warmer countries, reproduction can take place entirely during the autumn, winter and spring.

In species that bear larvae, females deposit their young in relatively shallow, usually slowly moving water. The female crawls backwards so that her cloaca and tail are immersed in the water. She then releases 15-70 larvae. Numbers vary between individuals and races, and the number and size of larvae are not necessarily related to the size of the mother (Kopp et al. 2000). When providing water for the female to deposit her larvae into, care should be taken that the water is not deep enough for her to drown in because _Salamandra_ are quite inept in the water.

Larvae typically measure 2.5 cm at birth, though they may be smaller or slightly larger. It's usually a good idea to remove them from the mother's presence as soon as deposition takes place. If fed adequately (see above), they can reach metamorphosis in as little as 4 weeks (Herbert), typically at a total length of 5 cm. Metamorphs are prone to drowning, so be sure that they can leave the water easily. In the case of most larvae, the colouration and patterning of the young fire salamanders becomes evident a few days before metamorphosis. The familiar intense yellows and reds of fire salamanders become more vibrant after metamorphosis, and by the end of the second week the juvenile colouration is fully developed. During these few days after metamorphosis, the shape of the head changes, the parotoid glands develop, the eyes bulge up from the head and the pigmentation of the eyes fades to black. It may take a month before the metamorph shows full adult shape. Metamorphosing animals usually won't eat until a few days after metamorphosis.

In _Salamandra salamandra_, sexual maturity is usually reached in captivity in the third or fourth year, though some sources report maturity at just 2 years. In captivity, _Salamandra atra_ and _Salamandra lanzai_ can mature in less than 4 years. Accurate sexing can be carried out when the animals are about 12.5-14 cm long.

That should help you .

Ed


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## cpiggott22 (Apr 1, 2009)

hiya, sals birth when they birth! Although she probably should have had them by now there's no real way to be certain (BenW on here will be able to tell you if I'm wrong in that!). She'll probably have them in batches over a period of days or weeks. The larvae should be kept in about 1" of aged tap water as they like to swim to the surface to take air occassionally. I don't bother with substrate as live food will crawl under it and go manky but I do use a few live plants (elodea is the best as it's highly oxygenating and very hardy). 100% water change every 2/3 days with regular spot cleaning in between and they can be fed bloodworm, brine shrimp, daphnia, whiteworm, glassworm and tubifex. You can tell they're about to morph when their gills begin to curl up and their eyes will become more hooded (you'll know what I mean when you see it!) but they won't necessarily develop adult colouration as such. at this point make sure the tub is covered as they're good at climbing smooth surfaces and give them a rock with a little hide on it if you can. When they emerge don't remove them for around 24 hours as they may return to the water a few times. Um, I think that's about it!! Feel free to PM me or as I said, BenW is briliant and knows his stuff :2thumb:

EDIT: our females are pretty much always big except for the month after they gave birth so we found it really hard to tell when they were gonna have them (and even then they birthed 3 months apart)


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## stephengoff (Mar 12, 2008)

Thanks alot cpiggott22, i'm quite new to breedin salamanders, i heard they was hard, but i do have some knowlegde about there husbandry etc. I just wanna question some thing, i heard that you can try and hold a fire salamander up near an u.v light and u can see her batch off eggs ? Is this true, i haven't tired it yet as mine salys are a bite timid.

I have temps at about 18c durin the day and a drop of 14c durin the night, humidity levels are always at 70-80%, and there pool area is regularly changed. Do you think everything ok ?

Is it just a waiting game, where they suddenly suprise you i guess.


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## cpiggott22 (Apr 1, 2009)

I'm quite new to it as well but we didn't even try with our guys, they just got on with it! I've never heard of holding them up to UV so never tried it. I'm not sure if it would work because their skin is so dark and thick...if you try let me know how it works out! Even if you could see them I doubt you'd see much or be able to count them. They do come out mega skinny so be prepared to feed them up as they eat a lot in the first 24 hours. I leave live food in at all times so they can eat as and when. I know Ben keeps his in small groups to prevent cannabalism but I think he feeds whiteworms so I guess group size depends on food and personal preference

Those temps are fine but you may want to consider cycling them throughout the year to initiate mating again. We just keep ours in the living room as we don't really use the heating....that way they get natural light and heat cycles


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## Ben W (Nov 18, 2008)

Hi
Glad you joined the salamandra club!!!
Fastuosa are lovely creatures, mainly inhabiting the Pyrenees but into France as well as Spain, i would say 90+% will produce aquatic larvae, but the odd poulation which maybe found high in the mountains produce fully formed miniatures of the parents, missing out the aquatic stage.
As to how gravid the female can appear before birth, is a bit hit and miss with recently aquired specimens as you have nothing to gauge her against. I have had females in their first year of breeding hardly look any fatter than if they had fed well and then surprise me by dropping 5 or 6 larvae, they next time she was gravid she produced substancially more, the problem is that you may not know how old the female actually is to assertain her breeding potential.
As Charlie has said, i keep my larvae in small groups, feeding them first on whiteworms, easy to culture, and then moving onto daphnia and bloodworm. I find the food really needs to move to provoke a feeding response, but not always the case, number one rule is never underestimate how much food the larvae eat.
As a result of the heavy feeding, will need to change the water frequently, and what water you use is up to you, i use rainwater as my tap water is really grim. DONT use brita water!!

The larvae are aquatic for 4-6 weeks, then they will start to morph, clours may be more visible, eyes change position and they will need access to a dry area, or they will drown.

Would love to see pics, and maybe able to see if your female is gravid.
Good Luck

Ben


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## cpiggott22 (Apr 1, 2009)

I told ya Ben would know :no1:


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## Ben W (Nov 18, 2008)

:Na_Na_Na_Na:


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## stephengoff (Mar 12, 2008)

Thanks BenW for the advice, i was considering to use brita water aswell, i always used mountin fresh bottled water. 

I have a pic of the male. I get photo's of the female soon..




This is the male, i worry for him as well as i've never really see him eat and he never take hand offered food, compared to the female who would snatch out of my hand. I always leave a crickets and worms in the cage for them. He should be alright though.

As for the female i guess i will jus have to wait, and keep a close eye on her.

Thanks people for the advice i like hearing from peoples own experience of breeding and keeping these wicked creatures.


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## stephengoff (Mar 12, 2008)

Also i was jus wondering how would you lot would handle the miniture fire salamanders ? Any good techniques ?


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## cpiggott22 (Apr 1, 2009)

lol, baby sals are teeny tiny. I tend not to handle sals anyway cos of chemicals etc but when I do need to move the littlies I moisten a spoon. Your chap looks slim but by no means underweight. Sals can go a heck of a long time without food...we only need to top our viv up with grub about once a month as they have such slow metabolism. I'm sure he'll adjust to his new environment. Are they wild caught? If so, remember he could be carrying any number of nasties and if he doesn't eat or seem right you may want to consider a decent vet.


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## Ben W (Nov 18, 2008)

The male is a terrestris, not a fastuosa, sorry!

Nice specimen though.

Ben


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## cpiggott22 (Apr 1, 2009)

I'm glad you said that! When I saw him something registered in the back of my brain but was too scared to tell the rest of me. Fatuosa have much more yellow don't they?


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## Ben W (Nov 18, 2008)

Indeed, they are more striped generally, although not always,thats why i like location details or i tend not to buy, you can be a bit more certain, although populations do overlap.

If you look in my fire album you will see the difference between a fastuosa and a terrestris


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## stephengoff (Mar 12, 2008)

Thanks guys for the great feedback. 
I thought they were fastuosa as my sals are more stripped than spotted. But thanks for pointing that out to me.

I also think the male is slightely under-weight, but nothing to serious, taking into consideration there metabolic rate etc.

The female is larger than the male, i'll put sum photos on 2moz. Promise.....


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