Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How do I go about cooling my Fire Sal? I read I can put it in a plastic shoe box with moist sphagnum and stick it in the fridge. Does this sound right? Are normal fridge temps fine? And how long does it stay cooled? I wanted to do this for a good portion of the summer since it'll get quite warm in the house. And how often do I feed? Thanks.
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G:
While these are not 'Fire' specific, you may be able to extrapolate the information that you're looking for. After all, Triturus newts and Salamandra salamandra share the same latitude ... and by implication, hibernation temperatures.
I hope it will be of modest assistance.
Cheers
Wes

HIBERNATION CONSIDERATIONS:
1. Start with healthy, plump newts. Since the animals will be 'resting' for anywhere from one to three months, depending on species, you only want to hibernate newts with the health and fat reserves necessary to make it through their 'winter'.
2. Allow the animal to empty its stomach and intestine (the 'gut'). Retained faeces and food in the digestive tract will putrefy in the body, which can cause death. 'Cleaning' should be done at normal temperature before cooling starts, as the metabolism then slows down preventing defecation. (At 25ºC/77ºF, a newt takes an average of 33 hours to empty its stomach and intestines; at 5ºC/41ºF it will take about 220 hours (yes, 9 days!).)
3. Allow three weeks for gradual cooling of the newts and reduction of their photo period.
4. Provide clean, airy hibernation quarters with a suitable deep substrate into which the animal can burrow. Substrates have included damp sphagnum moss (squeezed until non-chlorinated water no longer drips from it) and paper towel. The trick is to find something that won't rot. Please keep in mind that some plastic containers will 'weep' chemicals when filled with damp material for any length of time.
5. Place the hibernation container in a dry, frost-free situation and keep a routine check on the content's moisture; a maximum/minimum thermometer is useful. 5ºC/41ºF seems to be an adequate 'resting' temperature, though some species of Red Spotted Newts from northern climates will still be active at that temperature, and may in fact eat during winter if food is available. (Though it must be noted, winter-dining newts only consume about  of the food size that they do in summer; they eat smaller creatures than usual and less of them.)
6. Consult a reputable book on suitable temperatures and conditions for your species.
7. Do Not Hibernate an animal which shows any sign of illness or has recently been ill or injured.
8. Do Not Hibernate underweight animals or those who have not fed well lately. A low-weighted female newt that successfully hibernates will not usually develop eggs; and if she does, her chance of being selected for mating by the size-fixated males is doubtful.

References:
The main part of the above is text from: Davies, B&D. "Frogs and Friends". Aquarist & Pondkeeper Vol 60, No 8, Nov 1995. p.71.
Additional points added from:
A. Massey. "Notes on the Reproductive Ecology of Red-spotted Newts Notophthalmus viridescens" Journal of Herpetology Vol 27, No 1 pp 106-107, 1990
KM Ries & ED Bellis. "Spring Food Habits of the Red-spotted Newt of Pennsylvania". Herpetologica Vol 22 #2, pp 152-155, 1965?
Suping Jiang & DL Claussen, "The Effects of Temperature on Food Passage Time through the Digestive Tract in Notophthalmus viridescens." Journal of Herpetology Vol 27, No 4 pp 414-419, 1993
PA Verrell. "Male Mate Choice for Large, Fecund Females in the Red-spotted Newt Notophthalmus viridescens". Herpetologica Vol 41 #4, pp 382-386, December 1985

Ok, lets see if I got this..

I'm going to want to hibernate my Sal probably mid-May through mid-August.

1) So I should start giving it larger meals soon so I can be sure it's got the proper fat deposits and such.

2) Before I drop the temperature I want to wair 2 days with no food to make sure the Salamander flushes itself out.

3) I want slowly cool the Sal for a few weeks. I'd probably move the sal to a cooler part of my room, then into a cooler cabinet, then I guess the fridge..

I'm guessing after hibernating I want to slowly bring it up to warmer temperaturs and start giving it some large meals. Am I supposed to feed a Fire Salamander at all during hibernation? And I guess when I mist the container, I should use refridgerated water.

Sound good?
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0.1.0 Blue Tongue Skink
1.0.0 Pixie Frog
0.0.1 African Dwarf Frog
0.0.1 Ornate Horned Frog
0.0.1 Firebelly Toad
0.0.1 Firebelly Newt
1.0.0 Fire Salamander
2.0.3 Florida Bark Scorpions
0.0.1 Emperor Scorpion
1.0.0 Flatrock Scorpion
1.2.0 African Giant Millipedes
2.0.0 Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches
0.0.1 Chilean Rosehair Tarantula
1.0.0 Hamster!
1.0.0 Ugly Cat
1 Small freshwater aquarium
Grunngg@yahoo.com