Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Can hellbenders be purchased and kept?

I'm not sure. When I asked that, the reply was "Why would you want to? They're butt-ugly." I would say your best bet would be to catch your own if you live near where they live.

the bigger question would be could either of your care for them properly? They're a very demanding species needing cold fast flowing water, and large amounts of food (crayfish and such is their main staple). Could you provide this? Most institutions have difficulty providing this.

In some states it is still legal to capture them. I am unsure about selling them though, and if you move them from state to state you can hit some big trouble.

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Hope my opinions help,
Rob

Yeah, hellebdends are cool
I think you can cathc them (legally) in Penn.
But,
you'd need a huge tank,
180 gallons at least
and a decent chiller
and some powerheads , okay lots of strong powerheads
and about 150 pounds of super smooth river rock
and some driftwood
and probaly either a sump or a really, really good cannister type filter
and a way to get lots of crayfish and earthworms
but it think its do-able
Maybe ed k who frequents these forums sometimes will answer. i think he is knowledgeable about the species.

It has to be fast moving? i read that they dwell in fast rivers but also the are found in deep lakes... so i imagine if you had quite a large aquarium maybe 120 gallons to one salamander with a chiller on teh aquaroum keeping it very cold, it would be alright... foods another stopry but its not impossible.

They are not found in lakes unless one was accidently washed down stream and ended up in a lake. They need cool areated water and shouldn't be kept by anyone but the most serious collector or proffessional institution that can spend about $1,000.00 to $1,500.00 for the correct set-up alone. Other than this, it would be a crime to take one of these rare animals and incorrectly house it only for it to die.

Fast flowing clean and COLD water. Yes...that's what they need.
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Hope my opinions help,
Rob

I agree with you 100%. If you have to ask about their availability chances are you don't know enough about them to keep them. I work at a small museum where we have had two hellbenders thriving on exhibit for about 16 yrs, perhaps I can add to the knowledge of captive requirements.

They are housed in an exhibit not entirely designed for them. The tank holds roughly 200 g, it is chilled to the mid 50s and they are provided with lots of hiding spaces. One has taken up residence among the rock work right up against the acrylic for years. Even though it is really easy to see with the white fingertips, most people blow by it.

Diet consisists nightcrawlers and minnows. Ironically they have never eaten the crayfish we keep in there, infact they commonly share the same hidespot. They do occasionally gulp down a small trout when we restock the exhibit.

The water is NOT fast flowing, although there is plenty of water circulation. They rarely surface for air.
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*Humans aren't the only species on earth... we just act like it.

".the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without
spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

Easy easy easy... i was only interested in whether or not you could buy them or keep them as pets. Im not about to go out and buy one. Im leaving for college in 2 months, believe me i wont be buying another pet for at least 4 years and im quite sure it wont be a hellbender. I was simply curious of the status of owning them. So everyone just calm down a bit.

If I sounded harsh, I didn't mean to. I guess it is not what you type, but how you type it. Or is it what you "say"?

This happens all of the time. Posters who don't explain their motive leave their message open to interpretation. Next time just write it all out.
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*Humans aren't the only species on earth... we just act like it.

".the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without
spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

fast flowing water is not necessary to maintain these salamanders as long as the water is cold and well oxygenated. If the hellbender cannot get out of fast flowing water it can stress the animal. The habitat I've seen them in the wild was flowing stretches of water interspersed with pools where the water was slower with the hellbenders being found in the pools under the rocks.
Ed

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