Mudpuppies

[Vanilla_Rat]

Anyone have info on these guys?I rarely see them in the stores round here,but every now and then there will be one there.I always liked them.How different is their care then newts?

[Sasami]

I've never had one because it gets hot here and I think the aquarium temperature would get too high. They're really cool, though.

The thing is, they need cold temperatures...even moreso then other newts. Many people who have them keep them in the basement or other cool area and some people get chillers installed. If it doesn't get too hot where you live then it would probably be ok.

They are also more sensitive then many other newts and need a larger aquarium to be happy.

If you want, I could give you some links. When I was researching them I came across some pretty good sites .

[Vanilla_Rat]

I would love some links!I wonder if thats the reason they are not common here...because of temps?

[candyraver]

I don't even know what they are =P
I'll have to look them up

[Sasami]

Quote: Originally Posted by Vanilla_Rat I would love some links!I wonder if thats the reason they are not common here...because of temps?

http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Ne...aculosus.shtml

The link above is from the best website I've found for newt care . There's a great forum, too.

I know I had more links but I can't find them . Then again, it was nearly two years ago when I was researching mudpuppies!

I think the other reason they are not common is because they tend to be wild-caught and also grow very large. Plus, they are harder to care for then many other amphibians.

I only remember seeing them in a petstore once or twice. They are really neat, though!

[tarita2004]

oohhhh mi love mudpuppies my friend had one and 2 days after she got it i babysat it and fell in love! i took SUCH good care of it, then after she got it back she killed it within a week b/c she thought it would be 'interesting' to feed it popcorn ugh, i never forgave her for that! (now to think she just had a kid ) llol

[LuvMeBre]

Quote: Originally Posted by tarita2004 oohhhh mi love mudpuppies my friend had one and 2 days after she got it i babysat it and fell in love! i took SUCH good care of it, then after she got it back she killed it within a week b/c she thought it would be 'interesting' to feed it popcorn ugh, i never forgave her for that! (now to think she just had a kid ) llol

She killed it on purpose? How did she do that? How ruude!

[nik8806]

I love mudpuppies! Dont know much about them, ive seen them ONCE up here in Ak, I wanted to get them, and then they were gone! My mom wouldnt have allowed it anyway though.. she always ruins my plans with pets! haha

--thats sad about the chick feeding it popcorn! I never feed my animals "people food" Unless its grapes or something for my chins

[Ravnos]

Actually, the vast majority of things sold in pet shops (and bait shops, easy place to get them cheap!) labeled as mud puppies are actually just tiger salamander larvae. I buy a bunch every year from local bait shops and raise them up to salamanders. These pics are of the same animal.

[Carissa]

aww soo cute!

[LuvMeBre]

Quote: Originally Posted by Ravnos Actually, the vast majority of things sold in pet shops (and bait shops, easy place to get them cheap!) labeled as mud puppies are actually just tiger salamander larvae. I buy a bunch every year from local bait shops and raise them up to salamanders. These pics are of the same animal.

Cool! How cute How many have you raised up to be sallies & how much did they cost?

[Ravnos]

I've raised up at least a dozen, they cost about 50 cents to a dollar at a bait store, depending on time of year. They morph and fatten up in about 3-4 months and sell as salamanders for about 15 dollars. They're not high cost animals.

[Sasami]

Quote: Originally Posted by Ravnos Actually, the vast majority of things sold in pet shops (and bait shops, easy place to get them cheap!) labeled as mud puppies are actually just tiger salamander larvae. I buy a bunch every year from local bait shops and raise them up to salamanders. These pics are of the same animal.

Interesting! I would love to raise a salamander like that . Our store rarely has mudpuppies but when they do have them they are the true ones.

[Vanilla_Rat]

Thats interesting!

And the stores here haven't carried them in years,but I know they were the real ones.I wish they would sell them again soon,I want one!

[flytiger282]

I live in Maine and I can get the real thing by the hundreds. They're simple and easy to catch, and it's possible to catch a hundred in a day without a prolem. I never knew that people liked to keep them as pets. I find them to be a nuissance when I'm fishing. They steal all my bait. If anybody wants one, I think you can ship live fish through UPS. It would probably be a little pricy to ship but I could talk to my local UPS and find out if anyone is interested. If tropical fish can make it acroos the country in a truck so can these guys. I've had them freeze before, put them back in water and watched them thaw out and swim around again, so in that sense I can see why they would make a good pet. They don't die easy, they eat anything, and they are know to live more than twenty years in the wild. Also, check out how cool this is. http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...arch&plindex=0