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Serving the Dart Frog Community Since 2004...

What is a good age for a first frog?
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What is a good age for a first frog?
#1
I've been pouring through posts. In fact, I find it a bit annoying that I start reading a bit on my iphone and then switch to my ipad only to realize I left off reading some other post on that...squirrel...

Anyway, through my readings here, I've figured out a few things:
1. Always quarantine new stock
1. Purchase stock from reputable sources, run background checks, ask for promises of first born children
1. Frogs spread diseases, so keep yours zipped.

Seriously (and maybe I shouldn't be posting at midnight when my sense of humor seems to be in hyperdrive), it seems that parasites/diseases seem to be a huge concern. I'm not sure if it's because they are that common or just that worrysome (from Rich Frye's posts, I'm gathering it's really that common).

So, as a would-be first time dart shopper, what age/life stage of frog should I look for?

Are tadpoles as likely to carry bio hazardous creepies as ootw froglets or established adults? If the parents are infected with something, can it be passed on to their offspring or does contact/physical contamination have to occur?

I have already invested a lot of money into my set up and will be investing a ton of time into it. I hate to think of finding out after the purchase that my first inhabitants carry the froggy equivalent of bubonic plague.

Also...
Mites are gross. What other environmental ickies are there to avoid in a viv? Should I rinse my hydro ball clay stuff before using it or just pour it into a tank...it came from a "hydroponic supply store" (now there was a life experience checked off my to-do list: frequent a grow shop)?

When I was window shopping at a local pet shop, which currently has a mixed tank of darts for sale, they had a fairly large millipede in the tank as well. The sales boy said that it helped with clean up, and highly recommended the addition to my viv. Yet, I just read on a post here about a guy with a traded viv having to tear the thing apart to get rid of a millipede infestation. Are there other janitors out there besides the standard springtails and isopods?

BTW...I was so excited this morning, my FFly cultures all have larva in them!! Yay!

Thank you in advance for any answers to my questions.
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#2
Here's a good 'where to get your first frog' thread:

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=4591

I would recommend a WELL started frog to start with. A sub-adult at least. Stay away from tiny pumilio or thumbnails that are only weeks to a month old for instance. I would not choose tadpoles as there is way more things that can go wrong.

Isopods and springtails are tried and true janitors and snacks. No need to look further. And like your frog supplier - try to go local and get everything from a good, friendly local seller. You will not regret the customer service and no shipping / piece of mind.

and above all....resist the urge to buy on 'impulse'. Take you time. The frogs aren't going anywhere.heh

Good to see you are pre- culturing flies !! Very responsible.
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#3
Thank you, Phil. I had actually already read that thread a few times which is why I asked my questions about age of frogs. I have a couple of widely-stocked mom-and-pop type pet shops in my area. I have perused them several times for ideas. Neither stock the kind of frog I'm interested in: orange terribilis. This leads me to believe I'm going to have to purchase my stock from some other source, either from online ordering, rep shows or shops up in the San Francisco area. I've read post after post about newbies picking up diseased frogs from one place or another. I've posted an ad in my local Craigslist looking for frog hobbyists in the area. I've searched this forum, and others, but there seems to only be one person in this area who has posted even fairly recently and I've tried, to no avail, to get in contact with him. There are hobbyists in deep Southern California but when I contacted them, none of them knew anyone with the frogs I'm wanting. I'm trying to do my due diligence in finding the best possible source for my frogs. However, barring the ability to find a responsible semi-local hobbyist/breeder, meaning I'm going to have to order them, I wondered if tadpoles were less likely to harbor the same issues as frogs (parasites, diseases, malnourishment)? I realize that the care for tadpoles is totally different than that of frogs, but is the difficulty worth the cost of going with an older frog from x source?
Mostly, I'm wondering out loud. And I'm still pouring over threads.

One of the reasons I like terribilis is because they are a relatively large, group-ok frog. If I am going to do a group of, say four or five (large wide exo terra viv), should I have a few from one source and a few from another? Should I get the whole group from one place (with the probability of them being siblings)? I've read that siblings bred to siblings/parents (line breeding?) produce offspring that are just fine, but as I understand it, the issue is hotly debated.
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#4
CareyMendi Wrote:Mites are gross. What other environmental ickies are there to avoid in a viv?

First of all, yay, another newbie in So Cal! (I got my first frogs exactly a year ago.)

Secondly, do you mean the grain mites that are common in cultures? Those are harmless to the frogs, so don't worry about shaking any in along with the flies. I've seen one crawling on a frog who didn't even notice. And if they do notice, the frogs just eat them. Also if you get a few gnats, most likely they're "fungus gnats" and are also nothing to worry about unless they start to take over. I have a great bit of video with my little male hanging out on the glass and snapping up a passing gnat.

Your best bet is to do what I'm sure you've already read about: sterilize all leaf litter and wood before putting it in a viv, and all plants get a 5-10% bleach bath. (I haven't seen a consensus on that amount.)

Nice to meet you, it's good to know I'm not the only one who goes way down the rabbit hole reading posts and--SQUIRREL!
A girl named Joey.
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