Amphibian Care

Amphibian caresheets and tips

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Archives for October 2008

I want to get a salamander or newt…what are some basic/easy ones to take care of?

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my mom not so keen on getting a salamander or newt…so one that's very low maintenence… thanx

Tiger and marbled salamanders are both easy. These are related, so the care's the same.

They can be kept in a large "critter container" or a 10 gallon tank. Both like to burrow, so I like shredded coconut bark for them – about 2 inches deep. They like humid conditions, so I keep the stuff moist, but not wet and mist every few days. I also keep a water dish in the tank – they don't drink the water, but it helps with the humidity and they usually burrow under it. They like cool temperatures and are nocturnal – they come out at night – so they don't need lights. They will eat crickets, worms, and other small insects (no lightning bugs – they're toxic!). These shouldn't be handled, but neither should any salamander/newt. A screen over the tank is a good idea – they can climb, and so can some of the things they eat, so your mom will be happy if they stay put. Both species will cost around $20-25.

I have a marbled and she's a great pet. I don't see her except at night or when I clean her tank, though. (Yes, I know it's a she – females of this species are silver and black, males are white and black!)






How to take care of a tree frog?

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I found a tree frog at work.. If i wanted to take him home with me what kind of habitat would he need and what would i need to fee him. He is sooooo cute…. He just sitting on my desk looking at me =)
Thanks for your feedback but I decided to let him go.. I figured it would be to much trouble to keep him captive and I would feel bad if I didn't give him what he needed and he died. Thanks again.. I hope he's happy were I left him

Really depends on which species it is…..

Setup
Since your frog is native to a semi-tropical climate it will obviously need a semi-tropical setup. You will want to start with the enclosure itself. Glass aquariums work the best not only because they are easy to clean but they make for good visibility inside. You will want to use nothing less than a 10 gallon. Since this is a tree frog, an enclosure that is taller than it is longer would work the best. A screen top is also required for security reasons and good ventilation.

As for the substrate, I use Astroturf which can be easily purchased at your local hardware store or even a pet store. You can also use the reptile carpeting. I feel these substrates work the best because there is no risk of a frog ingesting anything while feeding.

As for cage furniture, you can use driftwood, cork bark, sticks and branches (warning: anything you collect from the outside must first be soaked in a mild bleach and water solution overnight, then soaked in water for another night and allowed to thoroughly air dry to kill any bacteria or bugs that may harm your frogs. Be sure the items are not releasing any fumes when they are placed into the enclosure).

You will also need some kind of foliage. You can use fake or live plants, but unless you are setting up a very large and elaborate setup, fake are the best as live plants are hard to keep alive indoors, unless you are planning on using air plants. Those work well, but make sure you don't let them dry out (avoid keeping these plants under or over heat sources).

You will want to place the sticks and any wood pieces on diagonals from corner to corner and on slant from high to low. You will also have to supply your frogs with de-chlorinated water for soaking and defecation. This water must be changed every day or when dirtied to prevent bacterial infections!! The best container for this is a shallow bowl with about 1 to 2 inches of water. You can use anything that is heavy enough the frogs can't knock over, although a store bought water bowl specially made for terrariums will look the best and add a realistic flair to your enclosure.

Lighting
Since these frogs are nocturnal you do not need any special incandescent or fluorescent lighting.

Heating
For heat you can use under tank heaters situated under one end of the enclosure (not in the middle). NOTE: Do not use these heaters (undertank) with wood enclosures!! You may want to put a rock over the area that is being heated to absorb heat. My frogs constantly use this method to obtain heat. Another heating method is to use a nocturnal heat lamp (no larger than 15 watts) situated over a high point in the enclosure. (Make sure there is a screen cover between the lamp and the frogs!!) My frogs also seem to enjoy this method.

http://www.bright.net/~a1rep/a1whitecare.html
http://allaboutfrogs.org/info/species/redeye.html
http://www.anapsid.org/greentreefrog.html
http://www.wnyherp.org/care-sheets/amphibians/red-eye-tree-frog.php
http://www.repticzone.com/caresheets/Treefrogs.html
http://www.livefood.co.uk/ztreefogs.htm

What's a good reptile to get?

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I want a reptile (or amphibian) I can hold and isn't diffcult to care for. I was thinking a corn snake, but any other ideas? Lizards are good too.
Thanks in advance!

Cornsnakes are ideal. Easy to care for, good eaters, and they come in a variety of colors. They are docile as well. I don't recommend ball pythons due to their feeding problems. Too stressful for a new snake owner to deal with. Bearded dragons are great lizards. Not too difficult to care for, and they have wonderful personalities.

Taking care of a toad?

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I am getting a toad in my terrarium.
Does anybody have any advice for me about what they eat? etc.

ooo fun =] i have had toads since i was about 6…and i'm 15 now. i caught them in the creek, and still have 1 =P

if it's a baby toad, you can go dig up some worms at a park and divide them up; that's what we did. or just buy the very small "pinhead crickets" at petsmart or something like that.

as it gets bigger, feed it bigger crickets. they like basically any kind of bug also.

and make sure you have a little dish of water in there….maybe some soil or dirt too. we keep our toad in a mixture of sand (like from a playground) and soil – no fertilizer though!!

if you keep it in a big enough home, it most likely will live a long time. my dad said 20+ years could be common =P like i said, we've had our toad for about 7-8 years now, and had another one for about 5. anyways, good luck!!

Care for a "White's Tree Frog"?

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I just recently purchased a White's Tree frog and I just wanted to know it anyone had anything to offer as to how to make then live a happier more active life. He isn't very active and I am just wondering if he's lazy or sick?

I have 3 White's
They all sleep during the day and since they are nocturnal
most of the time they are pretty active at night.
Make sure that you have branches in their
another thing to have in their cage would be a hollow log or tree stump looking thing them for your frog to sleep in during the day
im sure if you looked in his cage about 3 hours into the night it would be in there and looking pretty active

How do you take care of Chinese Fire Bellied Newts???

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I've had these newts for 3 months now, they don't seem to eat (which kind of amuses me, I don't know how they manage to live) within that span of time, I've bought them atleast 3 different brands of food, put them in a warm environment, yet I'm really not sure how to take care of them? Is there anything I should be doing besides cleaning the tank and feeding them?! how do I feed them? Do I just leave the food close by?

Firstly, newts live their lives mostly underwater so I assume your tank is set up such that at least half the tank is under water and the rest of the tank is dry land like dirt with moss and rocks or wood?

Depending on their size, newts will mostly eat tubafex worms which you can buy in the pet store and place in the water of the tank. The worms look like a mass of hair in a ball with their bodies waving all over and the newts can come over and chew pieces of them out if the main lump. If your newts are larger, I recommend wax worms or small crickets which you can also buy in the pet store. Wax worms would be best as they are easy for the newt to catch compared to crickets. Just drop one in front of the newt on the land portion of the tank and it should grab it right there if it is hungry.

I had one salamander who I had to force-feed the first time by prying his mouth open and sticking a wax worm inside. He promptly ate the whole thing and after that loved them and always ate on his own-never giving me problems again.

FYI, a few tips:
1. Fire-bellied toads go well with fire-belly newts as they are both amphibians and both have the same toxins.
2. Be sure to wash your hands after touching them because their bodies do secrete minor toxins to ward possible preditors away.

i found a salamander how do i care fore it?

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its about 5 cm. and its red-brown w/ tinny tinny black dots…

Well I don't know how to feed it, but I can tell you they love cool water, because cool water contains more oxygen and they partly breathe through their skin like frogs. Also they need a place to crawl up that's dry, and a place where a fine water mist sprays I've found- … I found a salamandar under my shed living where a pipe had sprung a leak, he loved to hang out in the spray. Did you know a salamandar can remember a maze after having it's brain scrambled?hmmm (science fact, after it heals ofcourse.)

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