Herpetoculture: Reflections on the will to survive and a salamander named Neli

Just after Valentine's Day, I was ironing sheets by myself in the Housekeeping room when Miles, one of the ranch hands, came in with a shovel full of sludge. He had been cleaning out the 8 inches coffee grounds, mud, motor oil, and general filth that had accumulated in the drainage ditch in the wash bay, the garage area where we clean off ranch vehicles before picking up guests.

The sludge moved. I saw a tail...then a face...then ran to grab a jar.

Since she lost her sludgy home, I decided to adopt Neli the salamander as my pet. I was so impressed by her ability to live in car runoff, coffee grounds, and Lord-knows-what-else and will to make it through the -20 degree mornings of a Colorado winter alive that I was immediately drawn to her. (It is still unclear whether Neli is male or female but most people refer to her as "she") Despite warnings from other staff members that she wouldn't live more than 24 hours, she has been alive for nearly a month.

Note: Neli is pronounced "Nelly"

Here is a photo of her in her new home.



For her first few days, I just fed her dead flies since they're the most readily available food here during the Winter. Since then I've been experimenting with meal worms, night crawlers, and crickets. Somehow no one that I live with has complained yet about their presence in our kitchen and refrigerator...

With my latest library finds, I've been learning that I'm a part of a much larger community of domesticated amphibian caretakers.

The hobby of herpetology has evolved into one word, herpetoculture, which by definition means "the keeping and propagating of reptiles and amphibians in a domestic setting." In today's hobby there is a somewhat one-sided view of things--reptiles are much more popular than amphibians. Reliable statistics tell us snakes and lizards far outnumber frogs, toads, salamanders, and other amphibians in terms of what is being kept and bred. This is rather unfortunate. In this book you will be introduced to the wonderful world of amphibians and discover what fascinating creatures they are. After, you may find yourself thinking about keeping a poison frog or a Spotted Salamander rather than a garter snake or a Leopard Gecko.
- Introduction to Amphibians Look-and-Learn, p4

The New York Times recently published an article called "Bucket Brigade Gives a Lift So Salamanders Can Live to Mate" that begins with the sentence "Salamander people are special people." We are indeed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/22/us/volunteers-offer-salamanders-a-chance-to-mate.html