Another mystery of sorts....

AbbeysDad · Mar 9, 2022

At a club meeting a few years ago I bought a bag of guppy grass. When I got home I was rinsing it in the sink when I discovered a critter...a cute little brown knewt. He's lived in a 5g aquarium in my unheated basement for about the last 3 years. He loved white worms and daphnia and got a little fat. Abbey named him Taco.
Last week, I realized I hadn't seen him in a few days. Not unusual because he like to hide...but as I searched for him, he was nowhere to be found. I checked all over the bench and floor and could not find him or his remains anywhere. I finally gave up the search. I guess he went off to seek his fortune.
Goodbye Taco, I will miss you.

Herpin Man · Mar 9, 2022

I work with a couple of species of newts myself. They can climb glass, and squeeze through a tiny gap in the lid.
They are usually found months or years later, dried up in a corner.

Byron · Mar 9, 2022

In the 1980's I acquired three or four different species of newt, they were popular back then. I had a coupple of the beautiful |Eastern Newts, a spotted newt, a local Rough Skin Newt, and two of the common Japanese Firebelly Newts, and in 1985 these last bred. I didn't realize this, until one day I counted 12 little 1-inch "sticks" that moved over the sand in the water. The last of these was 15 when it died.

Twice the largest spotted newt managed to get out, and both times it was able to head for moist areas (the bathroom), obviously able to scent water.

emeraldking · Mar 10, 2022

You'll be amazed how they are able to escape from a tiny gap.

AbbeysDad · Mar 10, 2022

emeraldking said:
You'll be amazed how they are able to escape from a tiny gap.

Sadly, only one time!

WhistlingBadger · Mar 10, 2022

I once had a tiger salamander escape from a fish tank (I didn't realize at the time that they weren't aquatic) and disappear. I put little saucers of water in dark corners all over the basement, with box lids or large books leaned over them to make little caves. The next morning, I found him in a saucer of water, none the worse for wear. Might be worth a try?

emeraldking · Mar 11, 2022

AbbeysDad said:
Sadly, only one time!

I had the same problem with anolises (dwarf lizards) and some tricolor poison dart frogs. But I've found them back alive. They were just wandering around the house.

Colin_T · Mar 26, 2022

@emeraldking, do you still keep dart frogs?
Did you wear rubber gloves when handling them?

emeraldking · Mar 26, 2022

Colin_T said:
@emeraldking, do you still keep dart frogs?
Did you wear rubber gloves when handling them?

No, I don't keep them anymore. I've never used gloves when handling them. You need to make your hands wet before handling them. For their skin is very thin and sensitive. You don't have to worry about poison. As long as you don't feed them something that doesn't contain any poison, they won't produce poison out of their poison glands on their backs.

Rocky998 · Mar 26, 2022

emeraldking said:
No, I don't keep them anymore. I've never used gloves when handling them. You need to make your hands wet before handling them. For their skin is very thin and sensitive. You don't have to worry about poison. As long as you don't feed them something that doesn't contain any poison, they won't produce poison out of their poison glands on their backs.

What foods do they eat in the wild to produce a poison?

emeraldking · Mar 26, 2022

Rocky998 said:
What foods do they eat in the wild to produce a poison?

Red ants and certain juices of plants. Besides red ants also other insects that are toxic will be eaten by them. But the poison those darts produce, is way stronger than the poison of food they had. That's a characteristic of those darts.
But to be honest, all kinds of frogs and toads have poison glands on their back. But non darts won't produce such a strong poison. But you can get sick. Those non darts only use it to scare predators.

Colin_T · Mar 26, 2022

@emeraldking, you need to write up a care sheet on the dart frogs and get the mods to sticky it.

emeraldking · Mar 27, 2022

Colin_T said:
@emeraldking, you need to write up a care sheet on the dart frogs and get the mods to sticky it.

I've kept also other frogs that weren't darts. And I'm one of the mods, btw...
Besides tricolors, I've kept also other dart breeds.
Here are some frogs that I've kept. But I had more breeds than just these shown...

Essjay · Mar 27, 2022

emeraldking can sticky it himself since he is a mod

Colin_T · Mar 27, 2022

LOL, ok, I didn't notice he was a mod.

@emeraldking, please write up a froggy care sheet and sticky it somewhere, assuming your allowed to sticky your own work

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Another mystery of sorts....

AbbeysDad

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emeraldking

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Colin_T

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Kinda crazy, but somehow they let me stay

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