That Reptile Blog – Reptile, Amphibian and Exotic Pet Care and Information

In the wake of continuing amphibian extinctions, herpetologists made a special effort to study frogs and salamanders in 2010.  Their hard work resulted in the discovery of new species and others believed extinct, and in many surprising new findings about how they live.

Please note: the species described below are barely studied; the photos shown here are of close relatives.  Please see article below for actual photos.

“Back From Extinction”

Biologists participating in a program launched by Conservation International and the IUCN combed the globe in hopes of finding amphibians that have already been “written off” as gone forever.  Herp enthusiasts were pleased to learn that at least 3 of these, while very rare, do indeed continue to hold on. Read More »

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  Powdered vitamin and mineral supplements for reptiles and amphibians have been a great boon to herp keepers.  However, African Clawed Frogs, Red-Eared Sliders, Axolotls and other creatures that feed only in water present special challenges, as the supplements wash away before being consumed.  Today we’ll look at some ways around this problem. Read More »

This article is one of a series in which I plan to provide a brief introduction to both popular and rarely-kept species.  I’ll cover such topics as unique habits, common husbandry concerns and little-known tips, pet pros and cons, and so forth.  Detailed care articles will follow…until then, I would enjoy receiving your questions and comments.  Today we’ll take a look at the Mossy Treefrog or Tonkin Bug-Eyed Frog, Theloderma corticale.

Ultimate Camouflage Artists

Mossy Treefrogs made quite a splash in the zoo world when they began showing up about 10 years ago.  I was fortunately able to work with some of the first specimens to arrive here, and was immediately taken in by them.  Read More »

 In Part 1 of this article I introduced Hagen’s new Smart Plants, an exciting line of realistic artificial plants (Bromeliads and Scindapsis) that contain small water-holding pools at their bases.  When properly positioned in a terrarium, they provide naturalistic sites into which female Poison Frogs can deposit their tadpoles.  Today we’ll see how other amphibians and reptiles can make use of this new and much-needed innovation.

Arboreal Reptiles

In the wild, most highly arboreal snakes and lizards find all the water they need without ever setting foot or belly on the ground.  Captives, especially high-strung or wild caught individuals, may be stressed if forced to do so.   Read More »

Many interesting amphibian and reptile field research reports are published in professional journals such as Copeia, Herpetologica and Herpetological Review, and are not available on the internet.  Unfortunately, such journals are usually quite expensive (if well-worth the price).  From time to time I’ll provide summaries of interesting articles that I come across.  Today’s report is drawn from Autumn, 2010 publications and covers 2 unusual feeding records.  The observations were made in Florida and, as might be expected, both predator and prey (Cuban Treefrog, Spectacled Caiman, Walking Catfish) were non native species! Read More »