Alpine salamander (Salamandra atra)

Short answers

Alpine salamander: How big does the enclosure need to be?

60×40×30 cm for 1 to 3 animals; each additional animal adds around a quarter more floor space, height is secondary.

Alpine salamander: What temperature does it need?

Daytime 8–16 °C, briefly up to 18 °C, never permanently above 20 °C, basking spot No basking spot, at night 5–10 °C.

Alpine salamander: Does it need UVB lighting?

UVB: Not required.

Alpine salamander: How long do they live?

Life expectancy: 10–20 years.

Alpine salamander: Is it suitable for beginners?

No – better suited to experienced keepers (difficulty: Expert).

Climate

Daytime temperature

8–16 °C, briefly up to 18 °C, never permanently above 20 °C

Night temperature

5–10 °C

Basking spot

No basking spot

Humidity

85–95 %

UVB

Not required

Enclosure

Minimum size

60×40×30 cm for 1 to 3 animals; each additional animal adds around a quarter more floor space, height is secondary

Substrate

Damp forest floor, moss, stone slabs; no water section needed

Feeding

Food

Earthworms, small slugs, woodlice, springtails, spiders, soft insects and insect larvae

Feeding interval

2×/week

Key facts

Adult size

9–15 cm

Life expectancy

10–20 years

Origin

Alps and Dinaric Alps — montane forests, alpine pastures and scree slopes, mostly 800–2000 m, occasionally up to 2430 m and down to 420 m; prefers limestone

Protection status

STRICTLY protected (Habitats Directive Annex IV, German Federal Species Protection Ordinance) – registration required; keeping it only with proof of captive breeding

Brumation

Winter dormancy 16–24 weeks at 2–6 °C, frost-free, in moss, leaf litter, deadwood and rock crevices; no feeding during this period

Cohabitation

Solitary or in twos to threes, only animals of the same species and roughly the same size. There is no territorial behaviour; the animals simply avoid one another — so each animal needs its own hiding place and its own cool retreat area. Group housing is not a need for this species but a decision made by the keeper; kept singly, an Alpine Salamander lacks nothing. Young are born at four to five centimetres and are raised separately from the adults.

Notes

Live-bearing: after a gestation of 2–3 years it gives birth to fully developed young – no water section is needed. It needs permanently low temperatures; ordinary living rooms are unsuitable.

Do you keep this species?

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Related species

• Fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) – Beginner to intermediate
• North African fire salamander (Salamandra algira) – Intermediate
• Italian crested newt (Triturus carnifex) – Intermediate
• Anderson's crocodile newt (Echinotriton andersoni) – Expert
• Anderson's salamander (Ambystoma andersoni) – Intermediate
• Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) – Beginner to intermediate
• Alpine newt (Ichthyosaura alpestris) – Beginner
• Blue-tailed fire-bellied newt (Cynops cyanurus) – Beginner

All species in the care wiki →

What you need to start

To keep Alpine salamander (Salamandra atra) you typically need: a suitable enclosure (60×40×30 cm for 1 to 3 animals; each additional animal adds around a quarter more floor space, height is secondary), substrate (Damp forest floor, moss, stone slabs; no water section needed), a heat source with a thermostat, thermometer and hygrometer, a water dish and hides. You will find equipment in the Reptoria marketplace.