What Do Small Salamanders Eat?

Salamanders are amphibians, meaning that they live in or near water, but also spend time on land. Often mistaken for reptiles, "sallies" bear a certain resemblance to lizards. Three types exist: aquatic, semi-aquatic and terrestrial. Each term describes where the species spends its life cycle. All sallies are carnivorous, no matter where they live.

  1. Feeding

    • Salamanders are carnivorous in every stage of their life cycle, and are usually only attracted to live prey (e.g., small insects and worms). Aquatic species will respond to the touch, movement or smell of their prey, while terrestrial species respond to movement. If you wish to feed a salamander, you should provide it with live prey. It may be possible to get them to eat small pieces of raw meat, but their appetites are only stimulated by live food.

    Types of Food

    • Aquatic salamanders eat insects, larval worms and small aquatic invertebrates such as Daphnia, water fleas and brine shrimp. Terrestrial species tend to have a more varied diet. For instance, the spotted salamander eats centipedes, crickets and spiders, while the blue-spotted salamander eats earthworms, slugs and pill bugs. Larger salamanders may eat small fish and crayfish; some will even prey on other salamanders.

    Feeding Time

    • Feed a salamander once daily, giving it only as much food as it normally eats at one sitting. Sometimes, a few live insects will remain in the tank after feeding. It's okay to leave them in the tank, but don't put any more food in the tank until the salamander eats all of the remaining insects. To improve the winter diet of a non-hibernating salamander, dip its prey in vitamin powder or solution once or twice a week. The tank should also have a small, shallow bowl filled with clean water, so your sallies can wet themselves and drink. Change this bowl regularly.

    Where to Find Food

    • Mealworms appeal to most salamanders, and should be readily available from your local bait shop. However, they won't satisfy all of the salamander's nutritional requirements. You may need to go hunting for other prey -- like crickets, earthworms and beetles -- to fulfill its needs. For terrestrial sallie food, look under tree limbs and rocks, or dig in the dirt. For aquatic sallies, take a small net to ponds and streams to gather aquatic invertebrates and larvae. Alternatively, you can order appropriate prey from mail-order companies that specialize in reptile and amphibian foods (see Resources).