Adfs And Land

[dizzied]

First off, I know ADFs are aquatic and don't need dry land. That said..

This question would be sort of a continuation from an earlier thread - http/www.fishforums.net/content/forum/21...ave-The-Water-/

Can ADFs live on land? I've heard stories where they would jump out of their tanks, and their owners would find them elsewhere in the house days later. What if one puts them in a terrarium, perhaps with high humidity, would they still a full life? Or what about a paludarium, would they wander out of the water and spend time on land?

I don't plan on experimenting any of this, I'm just curious.

 

[Rex740]

They can not live on land. Sometimes they crawl out of a tank just to explroe and such, then they notice there on land and then they just blidnelessly move a little and soon dry out and die (the ywouldnt be far from the tank usually). I dont know if you saw them yet, but there body isnt like a regular frogs body. A frogs body can walk and jump on land. ADFs have legs popping out straight out of there body with no downward joints, there legs are for permanent swimming. ADF legs cant go in a position like a normal frogs sitting postition.

 

[jourdy288]

I have a ten gallon with female bettas. Think they can live there?

 

[Rex740]

I would think so, I dont undertand why not. I think many people put ADFS with there bettas. Just to warn you, ADFs take a long time to niotice food (I fed mine shrimp pellets) and you might have to feed them individually if the bettas try to eat the bottom food for them. ADFs are also very picky. For sure, all ADFs LOVE bloodworms.

 

[dizzied]

I realize that ADFs have a "flat" body as compared to non-aquatic frogs, though that it can move around somebody's house and still stay alive, it just made me wonder how well they'd do on land. Simply curious.

 

[Kevin_D]

I have two Silurana species, that im told will sometimes bask on floating pieces of cork bark in the water, I havent tried this with my ones though. As far as I know Hymenochirus species are also 100% aquatic, they might also bask just above the water line if the humidity is very high though?

 

[Rex740]

They might bask, but the object cant pop out of the water, You need it a litte below the waterline, so the frog will still be in the water but it can poke its nose out. And its not really basking for them, they just like it because they can relax on it and breathe air while not having to swim up to the top of the tank all the time.

 

[jourdy288]

Thank you for the info.

 

[Mikaila31]

I know my caecillians(Typhlonectes natans) which are suppose to be aquatic. Will venture out of the water, but they can move like a snake when out. Take a ADF out and it can't really go anywhere. Mine have a turtle dock and the do get up on it but I have never seen them stay fully out of the water for any extend period of time. In the wild they are only seen out of the water after a rain storm. So that said, the air temp would have to be around 80*F and the substrate really moist for any aquatic amphibian to spend a extended time out of water. If they escaped out of my tank, they would have to be found within an hour for them to have any chance to survive. If you think finding a escaped ADF is hard, finding a 2ft long escaped and mobile caecillian is much harder .

Cheers,
Mikaila31

 

[dizzied]

Again, the reason why I asked is because I've read stories where they would escape a tank, and be found alive elsewhere days later. Either way, thanks for your input everyone.

Although regarding the caecillians, aren't they able to live both terrestrially and in water?

 

[Mikaila31]

It all depends, there are some entirely terrestrial species, which are hard to find. The ones you find in pet stores are always aquatic. I have heard of stores keeping them in a terrestrial/ aquatic environment. All the people I have talked to have kept them in aquatic environments. They also have been bred in full aquatic environments, their young are born with external gills which fall off shortly after birth. IMO if you kept them in a terrestrial/ aquatic setup you would need a soft substrate that will hold moisture and it has to be very humid, and I'm guessing a setup like that would attract a lot of mold and fungus. If you drop the water level in a aquarium a couple inches the air gets really humid and warm, give them a dock to get up on and they may come out. My two prefer to sleep in the water instead of the dock, but some have had success like here . Either way I find them a joy to keep.

 

[Kevin_D]

My Typhlonectes natans are kept in a completly aquatic set-up, no land at all. Ive read that they will also rest above the water line though, dont know how common it is for them?

It shouldnt be that difficult setting up a paludarium for them though, small inverts like woodlice and earthworms could be used to keep the mould down and the tank clean. I also keep a pair of terrestrial Caecilians, Geotrypetes seraphini, that im keeping in a completly terrestrial set-up.