Wood for Tropical, High Humidity, Wet Vivariums

Next to plants wood if one of the most important aspects of creating a naturalistic vivarium. It is great for the animals to climb on and hide under. Moss and epiphytic plants will grow on it, and vines will use it for support. It is important to choose the wood carefully, as the wrong wood my be harmful or not hold up well in the tank. Thankfully today there are many options choose from.

Cork Bark: A common accent wood, cork is often used in the vivarium hobby. flat sheets of it are great to use as a background for the vivarium. Usually, though, it comes in curled/curved pieces with are great as hides. It is also very light weight.

Ghost Wood: This is a beautiful light colored, smooth wood. Moss loves to grow on it, and it holds up very well in humid environments.

Grape Wood/Vine: It will not hold up as long as many of the woods on this list but it can work in a frog tank as long as it is not kept very wet. This means don't use it for tanks with water features and that get misted more than once a day. It has a great look in a natural vivarium.

Malaysian Drift Wood: This is a heavy, dark wood. It is one of the most popular woods in the hobby for it look and durability. It can even be used submerged under water.

Manzanita: This is a strong wood but it looks delicate. It is light in color and often comes with many long branches that are great for climbers. When used upside down in a tank it gives a branching root system look.

Mopani Wood (Also called Swahala): This wood comes treated (sealed) and untreated. Use the treated for dry tanks. For wet tanks only use the untreated (Some suppliers will call it "Safe for aquarium use").

If you are adventuresome you can use wild wood, though I don't recommend it since you might not know where it has been. But if you get it from deep enough in the wood then it should be fine. Some wild (I know all wood comes from the wild but you get what I'm saying) woods that hold up in wet environments are: elm, beech, and oak. Wild wood should be soaked in a dilute bleach water solution overnight, then soaked in plain water overnight, and then dried at 200 degrees in an oven for a few hours.

If you will be using your wood with a water feature you might want to leech out excess tannins. Tannins are found in the wood and can make your water dark, as well as lowering the pH. The animals usually don't mind but clearer water looks better. To leech out the tannins soak the wood in clean water (Changing the water everyday) until the water is almost clear. I say "almost" clear because you will not need the water to be 100% clear since the filter can handle the rest.

Most wood will mold when put in a tank. don't worry about it. You can scrape it off and eventually it will stop coming.

You can buy Mopani wood using the link below.


     

Book Review: The Frogs and Toads of North America

"The Frogs and Toads of North America" by Lang Elliot, Carl Gerhardt, and Carlos Davidson is pretty nice book to add to your collection. It is by no means a pocket field guide that you would want to take with you on an evening frog hunt. It is too large for that. It is very good for identifying as it has large color pictures, and covers many species. There is not much info on each frog, but of course the book is not trying to be an encyclopedia of frogs. The real gem of this book is a CD of frog calls at the back. This is great for helping you learn to identify frogs by their calls. I recommend this book for the novice or younger herpers.

How to Dust Fruit Flies with Calcium

Dusting small insects like fruit flies with calcium/vitamin powder can be very difficult. It's hard to get just enough dust on them without extra going into the tank. Fruit flies also crawl up the side of the container and have to be constantly shaken down when not covered. A very simple way to avoid this problem is to:

1) Shake the fruit flies into a container. Put a top on it and place the container into a refrigerator. Let the flies cool for at least 10-15 minutes. They will stop moving.

2) Working quickly sprinkle dust on them and shake.

3) Dump them into a fine mess strainer and shake off the excess dust. They are now ready to feed to your animals.

The flies quickly warm up in the tank and start moving again. This is the method I use to dust flies for my dart frogs. I like it because flies that aren't moving are easier to deal with, and you don't get extra dust in the tank.

How to Care for Poison Dart Frogs

Poison dart frogs are some of the most stunning and beautiful animals you can have as pets. They have very specific care requirements and require very small foods, With proper research and the right supplies anyone can care for them. Dart frogs are native to Central and South America. They contain powerful toxins in their skin in the wild, but captive bred individuals loose them. They can live 7-15 yrs. These frogs are active during the day and known for being bold. They can provide you with hours of enjoyment watching them search for food and interact.

Housing
Keep your dart frogs in tropical, planted vivarium with plenty of hiding and climbing places. Two frogs can be kept in a ten gallon tank. Add 10 additional gallons for each additional frog to avoid territorial fights.

Water and Humidity
Water should be provided at all times. It can be in the form of a moving water feature or a water bowl. Perform frequent partial water changes if using a water feature, and change the water daily if using a water bowl. Humidity should be between 70-100%. The higher the better with these frogs. Mist the tank daily or hook it up to a fogger to maintain the humidity.

Temperature
These frogs due well with daytime temperature ranging from 72-82 degrees F. Night time temperatures can be allowed to drop down to 70 or high 60s. A heating pad stuck to the back of the tank will provide sufficient heat.

Feeding

Dart frogs require small foods. Feed them pinhead crickets, fruit flies, spring tails, termites, flour beetles and other small foods (Phyllobates terribilis can take up to quarter inch crickets). I culture my own fruit flies, spring tails, and crickets to feed mine.Young frogs should be fed everyday. Adults can also eat everyday, but every other day is just as fine for them. Dust the food with a calcium/vitamin supplement 2-3 times a week and offer a variety of foods.

Good Beginner Species

Dendrobates Auratus (pictured above)
D. Leucomelas
D. Azures
D. Tinctorius
Phyllobates Terribilis
P. Vittatus
P. bicolor

12 New Species of Frog Discovered!

Very interesting article. Link to Article

There is so much left to be discovered on this planet it makes you wonder just how many species there are.

Smokey Jungle Frog

Early during my trip to Costa Rica I managed to find one of the biggest frogs down there, the smokey jungle frog (Leptodactylus pentadactylus). I heard a frog calling early one evening and managed to track it down to the edge of a man-made tilapia pond. Immediately upon my grabbing it, the frog jumped into defense mode and began to yelp like a puppy, and secrete a noxious fluid from its skin. I found many frogs in Costa Rica, but this one was absolutely my favorite.

These frogs are native to Central and South America. Their native name translates into "common bulfrog". indeed they are bull frog size with the males growing up to 7.3 inches. They are found near water in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and into montane forests. These frogs are nocturnal and during the day can be found in burrows, under logs, and in leaf litter.

After many pictures were taken (in which I look terrible, and the frog looks almost demonic), the frog pictured above was returned to the pond where he called for the rest of the night.

Big Ben

This is the story of How I caught Big Ben. He is my Southern toad, that I haave had for nearly 13 years. No names will be used.

Every summer when I was little (below the age of 11) my family would take a vacation to Virginia Beach. It's not that nice of a beach but when you are cheap it will do. We would often go around the 4th of july so we could sit on the balcony and watch the fireworks over the ocean. It was always a beautiful time. The summer of my 8th year we visited my second cousin and her family. They lived near the beach. It was fun to be with my cousins for a time, but it soon got boring. To pass the time I went outside to see what creatures I could find. My cousin followed (to my dismay).

When we came to the front yard we saw another kid across the street. My cousin introduced me to him, and he wondered what I was doing. I proceeded to explain my interest in nature and that I was just looking around for something interesting. He offered to take me to a pond near his house, so we went. As I looked around the water I saw no movement. The pond looked dead. Then to my surprise I saw him jump. He caught a small frog and placed it in a jar. I looked at it and jealosy overcame me. I wanted to catch something, but there was nothing else, so we walked back to my cousin's house where the subject of bicycles came up.

I couldn't ride a bicycle and so he offered to teach me, but I would have no part of it. I would not let the one who out-frogged me show his superiority once more by teaching me, no I wouldn't. Besides it was getting dark and I wasn't going to learn to ride a bike in the dark. I left and went inside for dinner- mmmm ribs, if my memory serves me correctly. After dinner, still unsatisfied that I had caught nothing that day, I went outside and started looking around for some nocturnal specimens. I started rummaging around some old wooden boards when I saw something move. I jumped back. At first I thought it was a rat. I don't know why, but then I noticed that the shadowy creature hopped. I grapped at the dark figure and felt bumps- A toad! I had caught one other toad in my life at this point, and it was nowhere near as big as this one.

I ran inside hands covered with toad pee. My mother screamed, my father said "what the hell is that", My cousin said "oooo your gonna get warts". I placed the toad into my critter keeper and looked at him with pride. I had caugh something! I went outside and saw the kid across the street. I showed him my find and smuggly remarked "Mine's bigger than yours". He said he didn't care, and he probably didn't, and neither did I really. I was just glad I caught something. When we left my cousins I bought the toad with me. I hid his cage under my coat since I was worried about the hotel we were staying at's "no pet policy". On the trip back home to NY, the toad that would one day be called Big Ben road in the back seat with me. If you had told me then that 12 1/2 yrs later I would still have this toad I would have called you crazy and said "silly you, toads don't live that long!" Well they can.

When I left for college I gave all my pets away. all except Ben. For this reason I call him the Alpha and Omega. Of my initial group of pets he was the first, and the last.

How to Care for Tadpoles

We all remember as little kids the awe we felt at the power of nature, when we first learned that frogs came from fish-like tadpoles. My grandfather recalls not believing it until he was a grown man and actully saw the mtamorphosis with his own eyes over the course of a few months. I've raised many tadpoles in my day. I consider it a right of passage for an kid who claims to be interested in science. Upon raising my first tadpole my mother was so proud that her son had given her "a grandbaby" even if it was a frog. I almost raise at least two every summer and promptly release them where they were caught.

Raising tadpoles is a fun and rewarding experience, that's not just for kids. And since Spring is just around the corner and soon the ponds will be full of these little critters I thought it appropriate to write a little on thier care.

 First use clean dechloriated water in thier tank. pond water is good if you can get it regularly, bottled water is fine, and tap water will do as long as you use the dechlorinator drops from the pet shop.

Secondly, please do not crowd them: it is stressful, they'll nibble each othes tails, and it will make clean up to hard. 2 two or 3 tadpoles in a medium sized critter keeper.

Third, keep the water clean. Take out half the water and replace it every other day. Do a full change once every week or week and a half. You dont have to remove the tads when doing a partial change, only on a full change- think aquariums.

 Fourth, lets talk food. Most tadpoles you will have will be herbivorous or omnivorous. Some species are carnivorous (ie:Mexican spadefoot toad, or pacman frog), but I doubt you have then in your local pond. Feed your tadpoles frozen thawed spinach (no butter please), algae, algae pellets (like spirulina), fishfood, and you may try prepared tadpole food. Variety is the key to health in all diets.

Lastly, remember that when your tads front and back legs come out (back is always first) lower the water level, stop feeding them, and give them something they can climb onto when they start breathing air (this will occur before the tail is fully gone.

This is simply an overview that does not guarantee success. It is important to research your species. If you do not know the species then following this guide will at least put you on the right track to proper care. (and as far as temperature goes a rule of thumb is: the warmer the water, the faster the tadpole will change but room temperature is fine for most species, as overheating is possible).

Green Tree Frogs Make Great Pets

Green Tree Frogs make great beginner pets. They are enjoyable to watch and easy to take care of. Green tree frog come from the southern united states and grow to about 2 in in length. They can change there color and are usually brown or green. Like all amphibians they love crickets, and tree frogs in general relish moths. Mine would grab moths out of mid-air. you can catch moths from a porch ligh or grow your own by letting wax worms mature. Green tree fogs ae fully nocturnal. The ideal daytime temp. for them is in the low to mid 70s, dropping slighly lower at night. They are aboreal and like alot of plants and sticks to climb on. Pothos works perfectly. It was a plant I used in most of my tanks. I got two green tree frogs at the same time. The smaller one died of a cloacal prolapse, and the other one I had for 5 yrs.