That Reptile Blog » Amphibian Health

Attracting and Collecting Earthworms – a Simple Technique

findiviglio — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 14:50:33 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Earthworms are one of the most nutritious food items available for amphibians, and for those reptiles, invertebrates and fishes that will take them. Collecting them (in one piece!) can, however, be frustrating, and they are quite costly at bait stores. One trick I stumbled upon years ago has greatly simplified the More >

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Attracting and Collecting Earthworms – a Simple Technique

Frog Diets – Nutritious Foods for Popularly-Kept Frogs and Toads – Part 1

findiviglio — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 14:47:44 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Many frogs and toads that are collected or purchased and kept as pets will greedily accept crickets and mealworms, the food items most easily obtained from pet stores. Most thrive on this fare for a time, but eventually develop nutritional disorders and expire long before they have reached their potential life-span. More >

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Frog Diets – Nutritious Foods for Popularly-Kept Frogs and Toads – Part 1

Frog Diets – Nutritious Foods for Popularly-Kept Frogs and Toads

findiviglio — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 13:01:48 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. I caution frog keepers against the all-too-common “cricket and mealworm only” diet. Today we’ll cover additional means of providing amphibians a varied diet that will promote longevity and breeding. The following information applies to the care of American Bullfrogs, White’s Treefrogs, Budgett’s Frogs, most toads and many similar species. Please see More >

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Frog Diets – Nutritious Foods for Popularly-Kept Frogs and Toads

Amphibian News – Bacteria Offers Immunity against Deadly Chytrid Fungus

findiviglio — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:41:13 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. A bacterium that naturally occurs on the skin of certain frogs and salamanders has been shown to protect these animals from infection by a deadly Chytrid fungus infection. Chytrid fungus, known as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, has been very much in the news since its discovery in 1999. It is believed to have More >

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Amphibian News – Bacteria Offers Immunity against Deadly Chytrid Fungus

The Penn Plax Turtle Pier – a Useful New Basking Site for Turtles and Amphibians

findiviglio — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:12:46 +0000

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 More >

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The Penn Plax Turtle Pier – a Useful New Basking Site for Turtles and Amphibians

Is There a Proposed Ban on Buying or Selling Amphibians in the USA?

findiviglio — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:40:10 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. A recent announcement by the US Fish & Wildlife Service (US F&WS) has fueled rumors that the shipping of frog legs (please see photo) and the pet trade in live frogs and salamanders may soon be curtailed or banned. This is not actually the case, but there will soon be an More >

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Is There a Proposed Ban on Buying or Selling Amphibians in the USA?

Raising Springtails as Food for Poison Frogs, Mantellas and other Small Amphibians – Part 2

findiviglio — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:49:21 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Springtails are minute, primitive, wingless insects classified in the Order Collembola. Over 6,000 species are found in most temperate and tropical habitats, where they figure importantly in the diets of Poison Frogs (Dendrobates, Phyllobates, Oophaga), small salamanders and newly metamorphosed amphibians of many kinds. Please see Part I of this article More >

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Raising Springtails as Food for Poison Frogs, Mantellas and other Small Amphibians – Part 2

Gas Bubble Disease in Aquatic Frogs, Newts and Salamanders

findiviglio — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:35:01 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. I’m frequently contacted by amphibian keepers who find that their pets are floating about at the water’s surface and seem unable to submerge. While gas produced by bacteria within the animal can cause this, the most frequent culprit is Gas Bubble Disease. This term is sometimes used to refer to any More >

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Gas Bubble Disease in Aquatic Frogs, Newts and Salamanders

Raising Springtails as Food for Poison Frogs, Mantellas and other Small Amphibians – Part 1

findiviglio — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:41:35 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. The diets of captive Poison Frogs (Dendrobates, Phyllobates, Oophaga), Mantellas, small salamanders (i.e. Red-Backed Salamanders) and tiny, newly-transformed amphibians are usually limited to the two readily available foods of appropriate size – pinhead crickets and fruit flies. The minute, wingless insects known as Springtails (Order Collembola) are easy to procure and More >

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Raising Springtails as Food for Poison Frogs, Mantellas and other Small Amphibians – Part 1

Live Plants in Amphibian Terrariums – Pesticide Concerns

findiviglio — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:17:18 +0000

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Live plants are very useful in creating amphibian terrariums that are both attractive to the eye and beneficial for the animals housed therein. However, amphibian skin is permeable to substances as small as oxygen molecules. Several readers have recently questioned whether pesticides used on terrarium plants could harm amphibians through physical More >

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Live Plants in Amphibian Terrariums – Pesticide Concerns