Insect Direct

People selling carbon filters on tm claim they remove " 99% of the Chlorine, Chloroform, Chloramines, & Fluoride removal. " http://www.trademe.co.nz/home-living/ki ... 964231.htm Couldn't one use something like the above instead of dechlorinating products ...

One of the first fish I ever kept and bred :nfs: with a bit of attitude

The above frogs are only young - females will get to double the size of the biggest in that lot. Locusts go down the hatch no trouble. Plan to have some nutrient testing done on the locusts in the future. They generally only eat grass and bran in captivity and are not able to be gutloaded like the crickets. Bell frogs can easily take a pinky mouse but no need for it imo. And if fed well then frogs shouldn't eat each other :thup:

:cophot: gotta love thy natives

I have never used locusts as a staple so someone else is probably better qualified to comment on them. However will be ok just don't put 100 in at a time , start of small numbers see how they go...if you only have a couple of frogs you could always hand feed the locusts to them. And or maybe you want more of a display? Above more for growing on/breeding - displays work well for all feeders if setup right. Hmm maybe should change title to feeding frogs and go through the options. Could put mealworms in setup above. I just use crickets as always have excess and imo is the best all round food. Possibly in the world batman :thup: p.s i find heat lamps or emitters from above much better for the atmosphere. much less humidity as oppose to heat mats also cheaper to run as you are only heating the basking area not the whole tank..gives the animal choice to thermoregulate it self too.. something to think about.

I am always astounded by the growth rates. Vividly recall only having one of these frogs as a froglet end of February. Rest were still tadpoles. The other day - about a week after took the above vid I see the first nuptial pads. Frog about 47mm.

Should of uploaded a vid of them actually eating them. You get the idea though. :bggrn: Ghost crickets .... could be a goer on the marketing front :lar:

Simple concept to contain crickets when feeding to frogs. Place the dusted crickets in a lunch box sized container - the frogs soon learn where the dinner is. If growing frogs on or breeding this is a very productive and easy way of getting plenty of much needed food into them. Feed them every day to every other day and they grow like cows on super-hay. Any questions fire away. :bounce:

ha just came in here to ask if anyone has tried those led tubes ..... look handy and efficient?

you win - stick insect.

Heres my 3/4 pie attempt at one, any questions just ask and ill do my best to answer them Green and Golden Bell Frog. Scientific name: Litoria aurea. Also have Litoria raniformis the Southern bell frog in NZ (very similar). Distribution: Litoria aurea mainly found in the upper North Island. Litoria raniformis lower North Island and South Island. Description: Green and golden through to brown. L. Raniformis often has bumpier skin and at times a green stripe down the centre of its back. Mix between arboreal/tree frog and aquatic/ground dwelling frogs. These are good at both climbing and swimming = unique. Like to bask in sunlight. Generally hang out near the waters edge or slightly above ground level in low branches or foliage. Status: Abundant in North of NZ. Endangered in Australia. Size: Males upto 8cm and generally slim build, Females upto 11cm and often more plump especially when in season and full of upto 10,000 eggs. Metamorphs: 1.5-3.7cm. Average size 2.4cm Food: Live crickets, locusts, flies, mealworms, slaters, moths and so on, also known to predate other frogs including its on kind, but generally only if food is scarce. Tadpoles graze on decaying plant matter. Tip - place crickets in a container with raised sides (5-10cm will suffice) and the frogs will come to. Thus keeping most of the crickets contained and you can monitor who is eating. Crickets can also be released weekly throughout enclosures however you ought to take careful consideration of the terrariums landscape. For example works best with minimal water and easy access out of water to achieve best results with this method. No nibbling on frogs ever witnessed and Insect Direct has raised hundreds if not thousands now. Mealworms ok occasionally - place in a dish. Locusts just release and or hand feed (watch to make sure they don't drown). I try and feed them at least every other day. If a frog is skinny, offer food daily. If getting fat, flies are good exercise. Enclosures: Aim for about 1/3 water area and at least deep enough for them to fully submerge. Easy access out of water is essential - especially for young frogs - also helps any stray live food escape. 60x30x30cm MINIMUM (ok for two frogs) 100x45x45cm GOOD (upto 5/6 frogs?) 120x60x60cm GREAT (Colony of frogs 10+) Lighting & Heating: Reptile bulb or tube to replicate the sun. Heat lamp or ceramic heat emitter to encourage basking. Basking temp 25-30C. Nightime easily handle down to 15C. Can heat the water area with an aquarium heater or heat mat placed under the tank. Substrate: River sand and or river stones work well. Hardwood branches add to the aesthetics. Bare bottom tanks full of driftwood work well for breeding and or general living - really makes for simplistic upkeep. Filtration: Makes vivarium maintenance much easier, more stable water conditions = happy frogs. Canister filters are great but possibly overkill. Undergravel filters (UGF) are ok as to are small internal filters. However small internal filters will likely need to be rinsed every week or two. Water changes: before water goes yellow or murky. At least 20% once a week is probably a good base line. Temperature: 22-26C seems to be a good temp. Breeding Bell Frogs. Rewarding - easy to breed - challenging to do so successfully. Breeding is stimulated by a raise in temperature and an abundance of food. Much like the frogs experience in the wild when spring and summer come to town. Rain fall is also a cue however not necessary. Winter shut-down is helpful for breeding and fertility however not needed for this species. Would only advise if having problems with fertility. 22-28 degrees Celsius is suitable for breeding. 10-15C is ok for a winter shut-down. Careful considertion and planning is a must if opting for winter shut-down/brumation* Recordings of bell frogs croaking (available online) can be played back to the frogs to help start the breeding process. Males will call until females submit and are mounted then the female will deposit upto 10,000 eggs (2000-3000 more typical in captivity) in the water whilst the male fertilises them. This amount of tadpoles will require some serious room and quality water to have any chance of success. Breeding is the easy bit - good luck and happy herping from Insect Direct!

up up and away

If you learn how to look after them in the first place then they will possibly just breed. In saying that they hardly breed in captivity and to do so properly will generally cost you a small fortune, predominantly in time and food. Stick to the basics- like food and environment. Wouldn't worry about brumating (not necessary for breeding anyway) atleast not until you have all the basics sorted - same goes for breeding. Good luck with it - this webstie has some good info if you spend the time to look/search - also copious amounts via google. :thup:

tick tick tick boom ... triops of national significance :f77:

going to be an easter egg. beat that boris

could put them in a large plastic bin/trough outside in a shady spot ..... mine live outside permanently in green water in a trough that only gets morning sun. japanese rush plonked in the middle. have an overflow below top of trough though so when it rains they don't get washed onto the lawn. hardly see them but they look amazing when i do catch a glimpse. nice big frilly gills - very low maintenance

essentially i am an animal so just what do i do with all the aggression.

use to see similar bumps on frogs here after feeding them mealworms. normally goes away but still can't be good ...

dirty sally man der. i didn't mean et literally cobba :rotf:

lucky newt shrimping out - still off topic thou the little bugger :sml2:

hope it popd the udder by now .. is that an off topic axolotl ... or just a tadpole

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/blogs/i ... -of-giants

Something for frog heads to consider http://blog.forestandbird.org.nz/pet-tr ... ive-frogs/ "Unfortunately, people are largely unaware our wildlife act which states that “No person shall transfer live aquatic life or release live aquatic life into any freshwater” so it is actually illegal to release frogs and tadpoles." Keep on frogging :bounce: responsibly :thup: