Re: NANFA-- Columbia trip gear

Steffen Hellner (steffen_at_hellner.biz)
Tue, 06 Jan 2004 10:02:09 +0100

In fact it is not easy to keep hellbenders or other giant salamanders. But
none of them needs 100 C around the year. That4s only to keep metabolism
down. There is one private person being awarded for breeding Andrias
davidianus, the chinese giant sal.

For me, I have about 20.000 square meters land on which is enough space for
some concrete ponds to keep the hellbenders outside all year safe. They
won4t be able to escape. Feeding is not a real problem. They4ll eat
everything from crayfish to fish and meat. And most probably even chicken
and duck babies, mice or rats.
Where I live we have many pond farmers and I can easily get tons of
"garbage-fish" for free.

Again, if there was another opportunity than collecting them, I would
appreciate it. But I highly doubt that. And I don4t think that 2 or 3 pairs
from a location/area would affect the population. There was a report on
discovery channel on Jan. 3rd which showed 60 hellbenders removed from a
stream section of about 100 meters. This is unusual I know but shouldn4t be
a single occasion.

BTW does anybody have the opportunity to tape the coming report of
hellbenders in the US discovery channel? I4d like that.

Steffen

> Von: "Bruce Stallsmith" <fundulus_at_hotmail.com>
> Antworten an: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
> Datum: Mon, 05 Jan 2004 18:30:23 -0500
> An: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
> Betreff: Re: NANFA-- Columbia trip gear
>
> In truth I have never heard of anyone selling or raising hellbenders.
> Keeping them would seem to be a major challenge, since they need cool water
> that's very clean, and they probably need high quality live food feedings.
> Plus they're big... how many individuals have facilities for keeping a 0.7
m
> carnivorous, cold-adapted aquatic salamander? I saw their Japanese cousins
> at the Buffalo, NY, zoo in a large pen held at 'bout 10 deg. C year-round,
> with low lights.
>
> I guess I just question removing any hellbenders.
>
> --Bruce Stallsmith
> Huntsville, AL, US of A
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