Product Reviews
Artificial Bromeliads as Poison Frog Breeding Sites – Part 2
Mar 8th
Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. 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. More >
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Loading ...New Product – Artificial Bromeliads as Poison Frog Breeding Sites – Part 1
Feb 15th
Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Today I’d like to introduce Hagen’s Smart Plants, a new line of artificial plants that hold great promise for those keeping Poison Frogs (Dendrobates, Phyllobates, etc.) and arboreal snakes, tarantulas, crabs and similar creatures. More >
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Earthworm Flakes – a New Food for Tadpoles, Newts and other Aquatic Pets
Oct 14th
Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. I have long been witness to the nutritional value of earthworms, and have even experimentally reared several amphibian and fish species on “earthworm only” diets (please see article below). In my experience, whole, well-fed earthworms come very close to being a perfect food item for a wide variety of carnivorous herps, fishes and invertebrates. What’s more, many animals cannot resist them – even those that rarely if ever encounter earthworms in the wild. Indeed, earthworms are often the first choice of zookeepers and experienced hobbyists seeking to induce feeding in “picky”, wild-caught or newborn amphibians, fishes and certain reptiles. More >
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...The Penn Plax Turtle Pier – a Useful New Basking Site for Turtles and Amphibians
Jun 30th
Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.After decades of struggling to create makeshift land areas for semi-aquatic reptiles and amphibians, I was very happy when pre-formed Turtle Docks, Turtle Logs and Turtle Banks became available. Today I’d like to review the recently-introduced Penn Plax Turtle Pier, which eliminates certain drawbacks associated with the previously mentioned products.
Drawbacks and Advantages of Various Platforms
Since their introduction, I’ve put the first line of basking docks and platforms to good use in my collection and in several of the aquarium and museum exhibits I’ve designed (please see article below). Their only limitations are that large turtles tend to sink them below the surface (which keeps the plastron from drying out completely) and robust individuals sometimes dislodge the platforms from the aquarium’s sides. More >
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...New Edition of Newts and Salamanders, A Complete Pet Owner’s Manual, is Published
Apr 26th
Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. I’ve recently finished writing a revision of my 1997 book Newts and Salamanders and would like to introduce it here and to thank everyone for their past support and kind comments.
Care and Natural History
Although technically a captive care manual, I’ve included a great deal of natural history information garnered from a lifetime of working with amphibians as well as research updates from technical and popular journals. Captive breeding is stressed, with specific advice given for each species covered. More >
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