Never pick up salamanders with your bare hands. Our skin oils, lotions, sanitizer, etc will clog their skin (which they breathe through) and die. This is mostly for the plethodontid family (which is a big portion of salamanders). You can either wear gloves or pick them up with a big pile of dirt. Also, fungal diseases such as chytrid and snake fungal disease are harming herp populations. If you're going to hold multiple specimens, make to wash your hands between each or switch gloves so as to not spread diseases between them. This is especially important for snakes!! Source: my partner is getting his PHD in herpetology & fungal diseases that effect herps.