First Moments of Life - Cells Dividing

Species -  Oophaga Pumilio Salt Creek Bastimentos
Line/Origin - 2012 Shawn Harrington, WC
Age - ?
Quantity - 1.1.2

Eggs, Females, and a Gentleman Caller in the Background - Pumilio BSC

Shot a quick video today. Two clutches of eggs already and not even out of quarantine yet.

Species -  Oophaga Pumilio Salt Creek Bastimentos

Line/Origin - 2012 Shawn Harrington, WC

Age - ?

Quantity - 1.1.2

Birthday Surprise - Pumilio Bastimentos (Salt Creek)

Yesterday was my birthday and these little gems showed up on my doorstep. Granted no it was not truly a surprise, it was certainly a nice Happy Birthday to Me.

Species -  Oophaga Pumilio Salt Creek Bastimentos
Line/Origin - 2012 Shawn Harrington, WC
Age - ?
Quantity - 1.1.2

Purchase Date - 2/26/2012

Seller - Shawn Harrington

Preview - Ranitomeya Imitator Varadero

In December I picked up 6 Ranitomeya that were to be shipped to me when temperatures got a bit warmer. It's time! The seller sent me a few pictures of the Varadero that his son took today. I'm excited for these guys to arrive!

Species -  Ranitomeya Imitator Varadero
Line/Origin - Understory Enterprises
Age - 5 Months OOTW
Quantity - 0.0.3

Purchase Date - 12/8/11

Seller - Doug Hollister

Why I Quarantine - Cryptosporidium

I mentioned a bit about parasites a while back in Parasites - Bleh. I treated these frogs accordingly and when we went back for a recheck the Popas and remaining Cayo de Agua came up clean, but the doc said the 2011 Cristobal male had Cryptosporidium. Crypto is not often seen in amphibians, and there is some question as to whether it is pathogenic in amphibians, but for many animals it is a death sentence and in my case it seemed to be. You can read a bit more about it on Avian Biotech and Dart Den as well as in Amphibian Medicine and Captive Husbandry.  I contacted the seller so that he could check any animals that had come into contact with this one. In the next few weeks I watched this animal go downhill quickly like nothing I've seen before. It was an absolute heartbreak. I am very thankful that I have strict quarantine methods despite being told by some, who were more experienced than I, that quarantine was unnecessary and detrimental to the animal. I imagine the stress of quarantine led to a faster decline in this animal, but had I not quarantined and run tests I could have risked the rest of my collection.

http://animal.discovery.com

There is a good thread about quarantine on Dart Den called Quarantine Procedures for the Dart Frog Hobby.  I'll add that I like to start with a simple enclosure, with substrate, microfauna, and plants, observe for a few days, test fecals, and then move to paper towels if treating for parasites is necessary.

A Visit with Ed

Every once in a while I meet someone truly exceptional in this hobby. Most recently it was Ed. When visiting Ed the other day, I had the chance to view some of the most beautiful setups I've ever seen. Many can be viewed on Dendroboard. Ed really knows plants and has a knack for placing them. He sent me home with a nice little selection of cuttings and I am truly thankful to have had the opportunity to meet and speak with him. Only regret… Why did I not get any pictures?!
Thanks Ed!

Excuse Me! This is MY Bromeliad - Pumilio Cayo de Agua

Species -  Oophaga Pumilio Cayo de Agua
Line/Origin - 2008 Stubbs, F1
Age - 5-6 Months OOTW
Quantity - 0.0.1

Eggs Here, There, Everywhere - Pumilio Cristobal

When the Cristo girls were in the 10g, I would occasionally find a clutch of unfertilized eggs. In their new home it's at least once a week (four so far this week). I noticed female # 2 checking out all the film canisters today and the last time I walked by, she had laid a small clutch in one so I thought I'd grab the camera. Can't wait till the day when I don't have to just sigh at all these unfertilized eggs.

This is one of their favorite spots to lay. 

Species -  Oophaga Pumilio Cristobal
Line/Origin - 2010 SNDF, WC
Age - ?
Quantity - 0.2.0

Purchase Date - 10/8/2010

Seller - Tropical Ecos 

Collaborative Marketing Opportunity

If I haven't mentioned before, I am currently a student working on my Bachelor of Business Administration. My real passion, however, is Marketing. I finished my AAS in Marketing Management May 2011.  While working on my marketing degree, I would attempt to use class projects to benefit friends in the frog community. I did a few different research projects for local pet stores, but there was one company I always wanted to help and somehow was never able to create a project for: Pristine Tropics. Yesterday I was presented with an opportunity to do so. I was chatting with an employee at local plant store Cactus & Tropicals about dart frogs and mentioned the fact that we have an excellent breeder and terrarium builder in SLC: Pristine Tropics. I then asked if the store would be interested in having a permanent dart frog enclosure set up in their store. She loved the idea. I quickly went into marketing mode and tried to think of all the people I could get to collaborate on the project and make it really spectacular. I was able to get an old friend to donate an enclosure (this blog is named after an inside joke between the two of us) and the owner of Pristine Tropics seems pretty excited. I think this could also be a great way bring some attention to the Utah Area Froggers group.

So, my tentative plan is to have Pristine Tropics build the skeleton and then pick a day when anyone from UAF who's interested can come down to Cactus & Tropicals to plant this thing together. C & T could advertise beforehand and it could end up being a really fun event. The terrarium would have a plaque on the side that says "This enclosure was brought to you by the Utah Area Froggers with donations made by Pristine Tropics and Exo Terra" and I'll have to figure out a way to stick my name on there somehow too. What a fun way to bring the community together and add to my marketing portfolio. I can't wait!

I googled marketing and frog and came up with this guy. The Budweiser frogs were definitely an oddly effective marketing tool in their day.

http://memebase.com/

Pumilio Cayo de Agua at Home

The meds and quarantine worked for the remaining Cayo de Agua froglet and as of today, no more plastic bins and paper towels.

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.