The animals should be skittish, wary of you, always trying to escape. Putting a sick one in with an established colony may well wipe them all out. Common Ailments Relating to the Captive Environment Nutritional disorders occur when inappropriate or unvaried diets are fed. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can deform and stunt growth, affect the functioning of the nervous system, eyes and digestive system. Open wounds can become easily infected, especially in an environment which has not been kept clean.
Fungal infections are particularly troublesome-common and often fatal.
Hibernation Salamanders from cooler climates bury themselves in soil or in the mud at the bottom of ponds, going deep enough to avoid frost and to maintain an even temperature. Failure to hibernate will not only affect their ability to breed, but it may shorten the animals' life as well. Hibernation is an important part of their life cycle, one we may not yet fully understand. Amphibians should be handled as little as possible as the secretions from our skin are harmful to them. While many human and veterinary drugs and topical solutions are safe for use with reptiles and amphibians, amphibians do present a problem due to their extremely sensitive, permeable skin.