Mandarin Salamanders(Tylotriton Shanjing)-

Housing:

Housing Mandarin salamanders is pretty easy. One Mandarin salamander can be kept in a 10 gallon aquarium, and it is recommended that you don't keep it in anything smaller than that. Of course, the general rule-bigger is better, applies here and if possible, get the largest tank you can afford.

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The set-up for a Mandarin salamander is easy to do. It can be a basic set-up, with paper toweling as the substrate(for easy clean up), a dish of water and a pothos plant or two for decoration. Remember that Mandarin salamanders aren't the best swimmers, so be sure that it can crawl in and out of the water easily. As a rule, the water shouldn't be deep enough that the head of the animal is submerged when it is in the water. The set-up can also be more complex, such as moss for the substrate, and several plants(still in their pots, which you can hide with the moss) for decoration. This is called a naturalistic environment. For the naturalistic environment, a plastic plant saucer can be used as the water dish, they even come in dark green, which blends quite nicely with the moss. You can use branches and bark to provide hiding places for the salamander(s) and medium to large sized rocks for them to climb on. Small rocks aren't recommended, because of the possibility of them being swallowed by the salamander when it is feeding. It isn't as likely that they will ingest small rocks and pebbles, like it is with most herps, but it is better to be safe than sorry.

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Lighting:

Lighting is pretty easy. A good 6-8 hours of light a day is fine for these salamanders, as they will usually hide during the day anyways. I like to use incandescent plant light bulbs, not only is it good for the plants, but also provides a softer light, as the bulbs are light blue in color. A word of caution: Frequently check the temperature of the tank if incandescent bulbs are in use, as they put out a lot of heat and can quickly heat up an aquarium. Do not allow to burn for more than 8 hours, or the plants will be singed and die off. If fluorescent lighting is being used, 6-8 hours of light is still enough. Make sure to periodically check the temperature of the tank, as fluorescent lights can heat up an aquarium also.

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Temperature & Heating:

Mandarin salamanders do well in a tank that has a temperature of about 70° F-80°F. Do not allow to rise any more than that, and also any lower than 70°F and your salamanders may hybernate.
To heat the tank, many methods can be used. You can use incandescent lighting to heat the tank, but remember to check the temp. often to be sure it doesn't rise too high. You can also use under the tank heaters, though these should be used at the end of the tank that doesn't contain the water dish. This allows the salamanders to escape into a cooler area if one side becomes too hot. If you notice your salamanders spending most of their time at the cool end of the tank, you may have the other end too hot, so adjusting the temperature should fix that.

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Feeding:

Mandarin salamanders will eat an assortment of insects. You can give them: dusted crickets, mealworms, wax worms(these are high in fat, so don't offer too often), earthworms, and cockroaches. Make sure to feed all insects a nutritious diet, for more info on that, click here . It is generally a good idea to feed 2-3 small insects, about every other day. I find these salamanders to be more active at night, so feed them after turning the tank light off(leave the light on in the room, so you can watch them eat to be sure they are eating).

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