Caring for Caecilians

Caecilians are probably one of the least familiar animals on the planet – and don’t feature particularly highly on the list of most commonly kept exotic pets. Often sold as “rubber worms” or “rubber eels,” although they do look almost exactly like earthworms, caecilians are relatives of the frogs and newts and these unusual tropical amphibians range in size from little more than 2 inches (5cm) to nearly 5ft (1.5m).

They’re hard to beat in the “unusual” stakes – but they are not the easiest of pets to care for, so they are not really suitable for inexperienced keepers and some would give Houdini a run for his money in the escapology stakes! All the same, given the right conditions, they can do well – and estimates put their lifespan between 5 and 20 years.

Housing Caecilians

There are two general kinds seen from time to time in shops selling exotic pets – aquatic caecilians and burrowing ones – although there is a bit of cross-over, with some kinds liking to split their time 50:50 between land and water. Obviously, this affects the type of housing you’ll need to provide.

Whatever sort you are thinking of buying, a good sized tank with a securely fitting lid forms the basis of your pet’s home. For aquatic species, it’s worth getting one that will give these fascinating creatures the opportunity to swim about, while for terrestrial, burrowing caecilians, the floor area is probably more important than the height.

Burrowing animals will enjoy rooting around in a generous layer of damp potting compost in search of their prey – and whether yours are burrowers or swimmers, give them plenty of places to hide. Blind – or nearly so – and naturally secretive, part of the key to keeping caecilians healthy is to allow them to feel secure in their new home.

Heating And Humidity

Almost all of the world’s species come from close to the equator, so in captivity they’ll have to have some warmth to survive. Both kinds of caecilians need to be kept at around 21-27 degrees C (70-80F) and any of the usual ways of heating your type of tank will do; most suppliers catering for exotic pets have more than enough options, so you shouldn’t have any problem finding something suitable.

Humidity is important for the ground dwelling animals – they need to keep their skin moist to help them breathe – so it’s important to mist the tank regularly. However, don’t allow the compost to stay waterlogged and remove any material that is beginning to look mouldy or smell sour. Like all amphibians – and many other types of exotic pets too – caecilians are prone to both fungal and bacterial infections, so cleanliness is important; this is also true for aquatic species, so a good filter and regular water changes are a must.

Food And Feeding

Aquatic caecilians will eat a wide variety of things including many of the live foods sold for fish, such as tubifex, earthworms and assorted insects and insect larvae; terrestrial ones will also happily take earthworms, along with slugs and even small crickets. However, rather than just indulge in a bit of trial and error to find out what yours likes, it’s probably best to ask whoever you are getting your animals from what sort of diet they have been eating. There’s not a lot of point in changing something which obviously suits them.

Although caecilians are a challenging kind of exotic pets to look after, for the more experienced keeper, their strange bodies and unusual lives gives them an appeal all of their own. From the almost iridescent purple of the aquatic varieties, often sold under the descriptively apt – though biologically inaccurate – name of “blue eels” to the brightly striped burrowers imported from Southeast Asia, there’s certainly something captivating about caecilians.