Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Andrew Gray from the Manchester Museum

I could watch this guy talk about frogs all day!






J.P. Lawrence Interview

This is a great interview with J.P. Lawrence regarding his Oophaga research in Panama. Brilliant guy and amazing pictures! Would love to meet him someday.


Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Pumilio Cristobal Girls in Their New Home

I added the Cristo girls to their new home this weekend. It's a 36 gallon cube. Not much for pictures right now as I'm trying to give them some privacy while they settle in. The vivarium was originally built by Tropical Ecos. I recently reformed certain parts and replanted it, but the basic design is theirs.
Female#1 Exploring a Bromeliad
Female #2 "Male" Belly Shot
Female #1 by the Waterfall
Full Tank Shot

Species -  Oophaga Pumilio Cristobal
Line/Origin - 2010 SNDF, WC
Age - ?
Quantity - 0.2.0
Purchase Date - 10/8/2010
Seller - Tropical Ecos 

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

You Learn Something New Everyday

This hobby humbles me every day. One moment you feel you have a good grasp on what's important and one comment later you're starting over. Documentation within Oophaga is an important and, in my opinion, highly misunderstood issue. There are so many threads within the forums that talk about the necessity of acquiring well documented frogs, but I have yet to see an ad that states anything to the effect of  "site specific" or "Proper documentation included."(Disclaimer: I have obviously not seen every ad on every site out there). In all my reading, I had somehow never come across anything that stated frogs from one import should not be mixed with the same morph from a different import. I had even seen ads for froglets noting parents from different imports. In the back of my mind I thought, "How can I truly know if the 2011 Cristobal male I just bought is really the same frog as my girls from the 2010 import?" I got my answer the other day… I can't, so now I'm starting over. Who knows, maybe when I move the girls to their new home, the "male" will turn out to actually be a male.

2011 Male

2010 Female #1

2010 Female #2 "Male" 

Monday, November 28, 2011

Pumilio Isla Popa Golden and Cayo de Agua

Just a couple of quick updated shots. I can't wait for quarantine and meds to be over!

Isla Popa Female #1

Cayo de Agua belly shot




Species -  Oophaga Pumilio Isla Popa Golden
Line/Origin - 2011 Strictly Reptiles, WC
Age - ?
Quantity - 1.2.0
Purchase Date - 10/25/2011
Seller - SNDF


Species -  Oophaga Pumilio Cayo de Agua
Line/Origin - 2008 Stubbs, F1
Age - 5-6 Months OOTW
Quantity - 0.0.2
Purchase Date - 9/13/11
Seller - Reptiles Etc.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Parasites - BLEH!

I decided it would be a good idea to test all of the new acquisitions before they went into permanent homes, so off to Wasatch Exotic Pet Care we went. Everyone, the Popas, the Cristo male, and even the cb Cayos all came back with protozoa and worm eggs. We're now going through a course of Panacur, Metronidazole, and Baytril. At least they'll all be happy and healthy when they get to their final destinations. A big thank you to Dr. Price and Dr. Harris at Wasatch Exotic Pet Care and as always to Dr. Frye!

And because blogs without pictures are boring, here are a couple of intestinal ickies for your viewing pleasure…
http://www.nature.com/emboj/journal/v20/n17/covers/index.html

http://www.pet-informed-veterinary-advice-online.com



Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Cristobal Male

Mark wrote and asked if he could send me this guy instead as the other male had already paired up with a female and produced eggs. He's just as nice and my dominant female already seems to be showing interest even though he's just in a QT tub next to her tank.
Picture from the seller

At home in the QT tub





Species -  Oophaga Pumilio Cristobal
Line/Origin - 2011 Strictly Reptiles
Age - ?
Quantity - 1.0.0
Purchase Date - 11/10/11
Seller - Mark Pulawski



Friday, November 11, 2011

Pumilio Cristobal Male

After months of searching for a proven Cristobal male that was as brightly colored as my girls, I found this guy.


He should be arriving next week thanks to Mark Pulawski. More pics will come once he's done with quarantine and all. Pretty excited!


Species -  Oophaga Pumilio Cristobal
Line/Origin - 2011 Strictly Reptiles
Age - ?
Quantity - 1.0.0
Purchase Date - 11/10/11
Seller - Mark Pulawski

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Pumilio Man Creek

Sadly, the Man Creek froglets did not make it. They just never put on weight like the Cayos despite a wide array of microfauna and calcium treatments. I lost the first one on October 30 and the second on November 9. I think they were simply too small to make it through the stress of shipping and such. At least I can use this as a learning experience. This last picture was taken October 22.





Species -  Oophaga Pumilio Mancreek
Line/Origin - 2004 Stubbs, F1
Age - 3-4 Months OOTW
Quantity - 0.0.2
Purchase Date - 9/13/2011
Seller - Reptiles Etc.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Pumilio Isla Popa Golden - 2011 Imports

I truly had not planned on picking up any more frogs this soon, but these golden Isla Popa Pumilios were just gorgeous and Marcus Breece, with Simply Natural Dart Frogs, couldn't be a nicer guy. These pictures are from the moment of arrival. The male started calling right after I put him in the QT tub.

Male

Female #1

Female #2

Species -  Oophaga Pumilio Isla Popa Golden
Line/Origin - 2011 Strictly Reptiles, WC
Age - ?
Quantity - 1.2.0
Purchase Date - 10/25/2011
Seller - SNDF

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Pumilio Cayo de Agua and Pumilio Man Creek

As I mentioned, when these froglets arrived they were so much smaller than I had expected, but I had never actually had Pumilio froglets before so I didn't think too much of it. However, when I saw one of the froglets go through a seizure, typically a sign of calcium deficiency, I started to seek out the advice of experts on the best course of action. Most said they were indeed very small and skinny for 3-4 month old froglets and would likely have a slim chance of making long term. This broke my heart and I figured the best course of action would probably be to simply send them back. I explained my concerns to the seller who offered to guarantee the froglets for an additional 4 months. So from here I'll take the treatment advice I was given and hopefully I can get these guys to pull through. The following pictures were taken on October 10.





Species -  Oophaga Pumilio Cayo de Agua
Line/Origin - 2008 Stubbs, F1
Age - 3-4 Months OOTW
Quantity - 0.0.2
Purchase Date - 9/13/2011
Seller - Reptiles Etc. 



Species -  Oophaga Pumilio Mancreek
Line/Origin - 2004 Stubbs, F1
Age - 3-4 Months OOTW
Quantity - 0.0.2
Purchase Date - 9/13/2011
Seller - Reptiles Etc.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Dead Leaves!!!

Before dart frogs that second stage of fall, when all those gorgeous leaves are now on the ground, was simply a huge annoyance; lots of raking, vacuuming, and hauling. Now fall means new leaf litter for vivariums; lots of collecting, boiling, and baking. I have to give my poor fiance credit for understanding my need to stop at a small park we passed while on vacation in San Diego that was filled with Evergreen Magnolia trees. We only have deciduous Magnolia in our state so it was of course absolutely necessary that we gather a few bags of leaves to take home. I must also add that Magnolia trees are magnificently beautiful!!! I so wish I could have one in my yard.

Monday, October 3, 2011

A Very Sad Day - Chris van der Lingen

The dart frog world lost a very important member of our community last week: Chris van der Lingen. Chris was a champion for Pumilio research and implemented the Panama Pumilio Protection Project. His contributions to this hobby were unmatched.



The following was posted on Facebook by Richard Revis of Black Jungle:

Very few people will fully appreciate what has been lost with the passing of Chris van der Lingen. While he was a great and generous man, always willing to give of himself, the greatest loss to the amphibian community lies in the unfinished work and loss of relationships he worked so hard to create. While we have been good friends with Chris for over ten years, we were lucky enough to have been given a glimpse into this world less than two weeks ago while visiting him on the Bocas. I fear much of his overwhelmingly extensive knowledge of the populations of O. pumilio may have been taken with him. While he has created extensive maps of the various forms he studied, he was careful enough to keep their specific locations vague enough to prevent the poaching and demise of some very fragile groups. All of this data was know only via private GPS and held within his amazing mind. Which hills, fields and trees held the most bounty were likely never written down.

Perhaps even more valuable were the various relationships he had forged with local people over the years. These are not created overnight nor are they formed with dollars and cents. At one point during our recent trip, we were passing through the area of Bri Bri and he asked us to stop at a local Indian's house. He explained that he had visited many months prior and the Indian gave him permission to search his land. He took a photo of the Indian and his wife and promised to drop it by the next time he passed through. They were not home when we arrived but he left the photo on the doorstep for them to find when they returned. It was that level of integrity that earned him the trust of so many people down there. The local Indian guides, landowners and villagers were all instrumental to his efforts and it will be very difficult to recapture the trust that was given so freely to Chris.

So, while Chris' family and friends are trying to cope with the personal loss of such a great man, the amphibian community also has good reason to take pause. It will likely be some time before the true understanding of what has been lost will ever be known and I can only hope that one day it is fully appreciated. - Richard Revis



Sunday, September 25, 2011

Pumilio Cayo de Agua and Pumilio Man Creek

On September 7 I saw an ad by Reptiles Etcetera for 3-4 month old Cayo de Agua and Man Creek Froglets. Cayo de Agua is one of my favorite Pumilio morphs so I contacted the seller. I also figured why not pick up two of the Man Creek froglets while I was at it. They arrived September 14 and went directly into temp tanks that were well seeded with various springtails and isopods. They are so small! These pictures are from September 20.





Species -  Oophaga Pumilio Cayo de Agua
Line/Origin - 2008 Stubbs, F1
Age - 3-4 Months OOTW
Quantity - 0.0.2
Purchase Date - 9/13/2011
Seller - Reptiles Etc. 




Species -  Oophaga Pumilio Mancreek
Line/Origin - 2004 Stubbs, F1
Age - 3-4 Months OOTW
Quantity - 0.0.2
Purchase Date - 9/13/2011
Seller - Reptiles Etc. 

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Pumilio Cristobal

In October of 2010, I picked up these two beauties from Tropical Ecos. They were sold to me as a pair, but throughout the last year it has become more and more apparent that I may have two girls. The "male" has never called and every time I play Pumilio calls I get a clutch of unfertilized eggs. In the last picture you will see their enclosure. It is a 10 gallon vert, which truly is too small for Pumilio so these guys will be moving into one of the 20 galllon verts or the 36 gallon cube I am currently building.

"Male" (Female #2)

Female #1

Female #1 Closeup

Pair at Feeding Time

Full Tank Shot

Species -  Oophaga Pumilio Cristobal
Line/Origin - 2010 SNDF, WC
Age - ?
Quantity - 0.2.0
Purchase Date - 10/8/2010
Seller - Tropical Ecos