Redback Salamander Care

[A Happy Seedling]

So I have a new wild-caught redback salamander, about 1.5 inches long. It is currently in a box with its lid askew, with several earthworms, soil, some millipedes (the long skinny kind that roll up, not the fat short ones that roll up), one quite inactive curled-up beetle larva that might be dead (I THINK that's what it is, anyway, and yes, we found it like that), one sunflower seedling from my birdseed, and maybe a few accidentally caught small centipedes. I'm planning to release this in about a week, but how do I care for it until then? Yes, the soil is moist. I'm trying to find my dried mealworms, but I can't...
Don't say I should release it RIGHT NOW. I'm asking how to care for it. If you want to tell me to let it go, just don't reply.
I'm worried the birds will get to the worms and things that the salamander is supposed to EAT...
I hope not!

[AnnaIkona]

May I ask why you decided to keep a wild salamander in the first place? make sure that catching wild animals isn't illegal in your area.
And if you do want to keep it, I'd get some live insects and bugs from the pet store.

[ButterflyLady29]

Cool! I have temporarily kept a few myself. This site will give you the info you need:
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Plethodon_cinereus/

[A Happy Seedling]

It escaped! Thanks though

[HoneyBerry]

I'm glad for the salamander. Now the salamander is telling all his friends and family - who were wondering where he was - all about being trapped in a box and escaping.

[AnnaIkona]

I agree...now the salamander can live the life it deserves.

[A Happy Seedling]

I'm glad for the salamander. Now the salamander is telling all his friends and family - who were wondering where he was - all about being trapped in a box and escaping.

I was going to let him go after a few days anyway

[HoneyBerry]

They used to sell salamanders at the county fair here. They had little collars and were pinned to people's shirts. I don't think they do that anymore, at least not at that fair. I'm sure that the salamanders didn't like being pinned to a human. I'm sure they didn't live very long. The poor little things.
Thank you for having good intentions for the salamander.

[A Happy Seedling]

Awwww! Glad to help him!

[A Happy Seedling]

Glad to help him!

Does "him" refer to the salamander?
Pray tell, how does capturing him and putting him in a box "help" him?

By wanting to let him go.

[HoneyBerry]

My approach to wildlife is to leave them alone as much as possible. Sometimes when we try to help them we hurt them instead. For example, when in California, my btother's friend "rescued" a turtle that was in the road. He put the turtle in his truck and drove it to a wooded area with a stream, far from where he found the turtle. Now I think that leaving the turtle alone would have been better. The turtle probably had a turtle community and so taking it to another location separated it ftom it's family.

[A Happy Seedling]

Ah. I once rescued one--but put it in the woods on the other side!

[ButterflyLady29]

Marlingardener, thanks for posting the information about the volunteer naturalist program. It took some searching but I found the contact information for the Ohio programs.

[ButterflyLady29]

It sounds like the courses I studied in college. I thoroughly enjoyed those courses and would love to get back into the field. I'll let you know what I hear from the program coordinators.

[A Happy Seedling]

[ButterflyLady29]

Well, we don't have a volunteer naturalist program planned until sometime next year. I can be put on the info list so I can be notified when the program details are available.