Stu & Shaz's Dart Frog Room

[frogfreak]

I think it happens to a LOT of froggers. Unfortunately, I think that is a reason why a lot get out of the hobby too. It's really hard to explain the level of commitment you have to have. There's no such things as "I don't feel like culturing flies tonight"

As far as the food goes, I go way overboard with what I need. I probably have at least 2x as many springtail cultures as I will use. Once they are set up, they're almost free to keep going.

[Stu&Shaz]

I think it happens to a LOT of froggers. Unfortunately, I think that is a reason why a lot get out of the hobby too. It's really hard to explain the level of commitment you have to have. There's no such things as "I don't feel like culturing flies tonight"

As far as the food goes, I go way overboard with what I need. I probably have at least 2x as many springtail cultures as I will use. Once they are set up, they're almost free to keep going.

Yes i'm sure your right,there is a degree of disciplin to this that just has to be done,routines etc,but Glen to a certain extent all livestock carrys this,,the biggest thing that i love about these frogs from a stockman's side is simply this,i make little ecosystems and i don't have to clean up ****,ie frog waste,mate to a guy that has reared mainly birds as a profession ,but also cleaned up after other animals,that is a big deal. Its a great point though,when i went to buy all our runners for the vivs and racks ,the professional that sold me them looked me in the eye and said,most people that do lots of darts,don't do it for very long,they give up after a couple of years,because of the work!Inside i was smiling thinking well give me chance to actually keep a frog ,before you have me giving up will ya,i'd been reading for nearly 2 yrs at that point.But i told him the truth that we actually relish this,as Shaz is a busy lady and sick she would go round the bend if she couldn't get her teeth into something,all her other work she could no longer do because of the health issue
Bang on though Glen,and your right it is a shame
Stu

[Stu&Shaz]

Our citronella, we have decided are playing with us,their game is to chuck all the whole leaves from the top layer of subs into the ditch at the front of their viv,we pick them out,which gives them an oppurtunity to come and say hi tell us they are starving,OMG, and then see if they can can more food in the leaves that we have put back, so we have popped a nice mossy bit of oak in there to foil them,this led to much fun investigating said wood and i couldn't resist getting the camera out,





Ya know what i have yet to actually see then either a) pick up a leaf in their mouths
or b)pick up a leaf and carry it with the front legs whist walking on the back ones,but i'm actually now convinced this is happing :twisted:
And finally...... the caption reads this " oh look dad,once the ditch is full of leaves food gets stuck in here", B*ST*RDS

and yes there were leaves in the ditch this morning...i give up :roll:
Stu

[frogfreak]

That's funny as hell! We have water in the front and are constantly pulling leaves out. I never seem to see them knock them in though... :?

[Stu&Shaz]

That's funny as hell! We have water in the front and are constantly pulling leaves out. I never seem to see them knock them in though... :?

Hmmm if i wasn't inclined that way Glen i would say CONSPIRACY :lol: But you really can picture them running about on those back legs mate,and no i haven't been drinking,ruddy antibiotics!! They are such fabulous charaters though i guess one just has to forgive them,i started this thinking ,well this hobby has moved from when i was a kid ,ie i used to be a frogkeeper that caught food for his frogs,now i'm going to be a bug breeder that keeps frogs,damn it i end up,carrying leaves to entertain the damn things,and what was that we were saying about work :roll: ,i might have to contact the frogkeepers unoin i'm not sure is this is in my contract!!
Seriously though although they are said to be a young pr,and one is definitely male,started calling last week,Glen are yours real discimilar in the toepad department,ours are close,real close although body size indicates sexual dimorphism, we have our doubts,anyway it wont be the end of the world if we have to get another,ie female in,as these guys seem happy enough together,better than having 2 girls anyway,we couldn't ever part with them,whatever, game they find for us next.One of the guys over here has machetos very similar to ours,the toe pads on both are really big,he was convinced 2 males,well until one laid eggs,ours are hugely different so far anyway,and i'm sure the little, said to be lass,whom was much smaller in body when she came here is now gaining weight on him,as one would expect As above what will be will be,but i am curious
Stu

[Stu&Shaz]

Been a mad few weeks, i heard our little summersi male call for the first time and the next day saw a bit of courtship,they remind me of little marmosets because their movements are so jerky,i think she was meant to be stroking him,but it more resembled slapping,uplifting for me because it looks like they are settled and happy,our young panama specials and young citronellas have also called,we have had more mysties out of the water,and so far it looks like my tiny improvements have worked ,fingers crossed they are doing well,they seem to hang by the water for a good while,after morph and occasionally dive back in and swim really well if disturbed,they also spend alot of time at the top of the viv hunting compost gnats,which is alarming to me but they love it up there it seems. oh a little tip i learnt recently iso love marrow/corguette,whith growing our own organic stuff we have plenty and they are devouring it at an astonishing rate.
Finally a good while back we got some new tincs,it was a rare oppurtunity for me to get some frogs from holland and not without some degree of soul searching as they are WC.I was fortunate to be able to talk to the guy that collected them at length,they were properly quarantined and much care goes into their transportation,which of course is reflected in their price. Quite possibly a one off for us,but i selfishly fell for them they are big ol frogs,i had never seen anything like them with the combination of yellow and grey on the back.I was told that they had been kept as pairs,but could chose which we wanted,i stuck to the pair,what floored me when we put them back together was how the female went running up to him stoking etc,they are utterly inseparable,now in their viv they have settled and last night we found their first clutch of eggs here,
So here they are




They look like a couple of bulldozers stomping around their tank, as always colours are not quite true the first pic is closest i think
seeya
Stu

[Todd S.]

AWESOME! Are they some locale of Yellowback?
They look slightly different than our Saul YB and slightly off from the Monts Attachi Bakka as well.


Todd

[Stu&Shaz]

AWESOME! Are they some locale of Yellowback?
They look slightly different than our Saul YB and slightly off from the Monts Attachi Bakka as well.


Todd

Thanks Todd,yes i'm aware they look different to the ones on the tropical experiance morph guide,me being me i actually asked for a grid ref of where they were collected but he declined to give it,i'm pretty sure he thought i was going to dash off to suriname , i know that they occur both sides of the river,which i presume is the Maroni.There is some variation within the morph the other pr he had displayed hardly any,yellow at all being almost all grey on the back.I was also told that there is so much confusion with the yellow tincs,that in Germany Holland and the States morphs are being mixed up,and that he will be producing a new morph guide to try and clear up some of the confusion,i of course do not have the expertise to do other than repeat what i was told.He Runs a business in Holland and has kept dartfrogs for over 30 yrs. Note from the pics which i wish were better that the female carries blue leg bands the male doesn't. Also it appears from the Tropical experiance morph guide that Saul and Mt attackbakka are fairly close,the yellow is much paler in these where it occurs,from the pics i have seen and a pr of yellow backs i saw only a week ago
regards
Stu

[Stu&Shaz]

some little spotty kids,ahh these are so cool







here's that last viv planted up

[Stu&Shaz]

some little spotty kids,ahh these are so cool







here's that last viv planted up

[Stu&Shaz]

apologies for the double post never ceases to amaze me how good i am with computers,give me an old skool recording studio with a big ol broard and some knobs to tweak,oh well!!
this auratus tank is coming along quite well planted around beginning of september here it is then

and some of it now,folks here like this one it seems,and i have a suspission its because its just so damn simple,really ferns ficus liverworts and moss and a few fake rocks for good measure




a close up of the ficus from equador,as i'm not sure if you have this over there,it will hopefully cover the leftside and the back,simply pinned to the cork and kept wet,one from columbia is working the right hand side.note one of our fern gametophytes starting to get going this i think is polypodium vulgare

regards
Stu

[Philsuma]

Beautiful stuff Stu...and some uncommon vivarium plantings as well. Do you have a local greenhouse that you raid, or is it fellow hobbyists ?

I love that margravia....one of my fav shinglers.

[Stu&Shaz]

Beautiful stuff Stu...and some uncommon vivarium plantings as well. Do you have a local greenhouse that you raid, or is it fellow hobbyists ?

I love that macgravia....one of my fav shinglers.

Ahh you'll like this Phil yeah i do have alocal greenhouse its in my back garden,evrything you see i think in these vivs is grown here,apart from the verisa,i buy one plant and graft at it.The original stock are either native or purchased here and there mainly from dartfrog,but not all.The ferns i'm working up from spore in some cases,trying to get them used to a slightly different environment ie a viv,from a very early age.
The margravia is superb Phil i love this too,although i can grow it and make more of it i cannot get it to bush out,do you know if it actually does do this.I'm thinking i might have to modify my techniques to get want i want from this plant.
I started working on the plants very very early in our research for this,and have large stocks now,probably too much,but hell i have a few tanks left and its fun playing with them and learning what they like,helps alot knowing this stuff when planting out a tank,and saves a buck too
Stu

[fieldsmith]

Great pics as always Stu...they always serve as inspiration for me. I really like all the different ficus you have, definitely my favorite background plants. Just something really cool about a wall of green.

[frogfreak]

Nice tanks as always Stu. That little spotty kid looks like he has a happy face on his back. haha

[Todd S.]

Very nice viv! And I love those mystis!
Now someone needs to get some of that Ficus SP Ecuador over here to the US!

Todd

[Lady Bullseye]

Gorgeous Stu! Frogs and viv!

[Stu&Shaz]

Great pics as always Stu...they always serve as inspiration for me. I really like all the different ficus you have, definitely my favorite background plants. Just something really cool about a wall of green.

Thanks mate very kind,yeah i'm a ficus addict,the only one i don't use is straight pumilla too fast growing,but i so echo your sentiments about the wall of green,wonderful viv plants
Stu

[Stu&Shaz]

Nice tanks as always Stu. That little spotty kid looks like he has a happy face on his back. haha

Hey buddy hope your well,Glen honestly i hadn't spotted the face ,good eyes mate,i'm to busy worrying about them :roll: everytime i can't see them all i start again,damn hopeless i am.They are doing ok now i think fat tummies,and mini carbon copies of the parents after around a week,same slow stalking style,no fear,mate, they are so cool,just starting them on some small mels,they are not yet convinced but we'll get there
Stu

[Stu&Shaz]

Very nice viv! And I love those mystis!
Now someone needs to get some of that Ficus SP Ecuador over here to the US!

Todd

Thanks Todd, i wish life was simpler and we were not so far away and bound by all these laws,some cutting would be with you otherwise,Todd do you have the one from columbia there?
Stu