CareSheet2

Suriname Toad - The scientific name for this amphibian species is Pipa pipa. It is normally true that one of the distinctions between amphibians and reptiles is claws. While reptiles have them, amphibians do not. Well, almost, the family Pipidae dares to be different, very different indeed. It only starts with the claws. Even within its' own genera (pipa), it is singularly unique in that this species of "clawed frogs", doesn't have claws. First, there is scientific evidence that creates the link between this species, and the two other species. This species is from South America, the other two are from Africa. As you can figure out for yourself, this interesting fact is the basis for another whole story. We won't dwell on that here for we have enough intrigue with our South American amphibian on it's own. Next, the toad versus frog thing. I guess I should spend a little time with this issue because it won't go away any time soon. The simple out here would be to share with you that scientifically it is still tangled up. Of course, that wouldn't be a scientific statement, but it would be accurate. However, there is a list of evidence that will help sort this out for us in most cases. Certain physical characteristics will take care of many species. We have the webbed feet of most frogs, versus the digital feet of most toads. There is also the dry bumpy skin of most toads, versus the smooth moist skin of most frogs. That's enough for my purposes. Because we now go back to those physical characteristics of our subject, the Suriname Toad.

Starting with the name we get the first anomaly. We typically associate toads with terrestrial animals as opposed to aquatic ones. This animal is virtually aquatic. They have been reported to exit the water on occasion, but I have never seen this myself. The skin is not the smooth type we normally expect of the aquatic frogs, and in fact this is the first physical evidence of this animal as a toad. Now we move to those feet. The front feet don't even match the back ones! OK, it's time to take a look at the Photo. I'll never be able to get through this without you taking some time right here, and take a look at this unique amphibian. The feet are dramatically different. The back feet are disproportionately large to the animals body, and webbed. Note the normal position of the back legs. Look cocked and ready for action?

Let's now look at the front legs. Not only do they end with spindly looking fingers, but look at the very end of each digit. Can you see the blooming flower like tips? These are extremely sensitive and end in four tubercles, which can feel the slightest movement near them. Now look at the front of the head. Notice its' arrow like shape. This forms the mouth, and a large mouth it is. All of this will tie together in just a minute, so stay with me. We have one last organ to look at, or in the case of the Pipa pipa the organ they can't see with. Those little black dots are the eyes, but are virtually useless. They can barely see light and dark, no less any potential prey. We have the pieces now to put together the combination of physical features that make a fierce predator in it's own domain. If a small fish were to be swimming in front of our Suriname Toad we would witness the deftness of this hunter only if we didn't blink our eyes. Those powerful back legs can propel the toad forward with such speed that a blink of an eye is exactly all the time it would need to sense the prey with those finger tips, spring forward with the thrust of it's powerful hind legs, and engulf the unsuspecting prey in it's cavernous mouth, without the toad, and us, ever seeing a thing. Wow, what a combination of adaptation! The best is yet to come.

This amphibian is a marsupial! That's right, this toad is kin to that big ole possum in your back yard! Well, not exactly, there are many marsupials in the animal kingdom. In fact there are about forty ( 40 ) species of marsupial frogs in five ( 5 ) genera that carry eggs which undergo direct development. They are a unique lot though, and our toad shares that uniqueness when it reproduces, as well as it's special talent for catching it's meal. As the female begins to lay her eggs, the male positions himself above the female. Amplexus in the Surinam Toad is followed by the male fertilizing and guiding the eggs over the females' back. Her back swells, and becomes puffy as the pores all open to receive the eggs that she has released. Each pore encapsulates an egg where it will remain to be incubated. In as few as two, or as many as five months these pores will open to release fully developed toadlets. There may be as few as a dozen, or as many as a hundred baby toads from each spawn. The toadlets are born ready to fend for themselves. They will take about two years to reach sexual maturity, and will have a life span of up to fifteen years. It will be hard to top this animal for it's combination of unique reproduction of the species, and physical attributes. Flat as pancake, thin as a dime, but priceless.

Tomato Frog - The scientific name for this spectacular species is Discophus guineti of the family Microhylidae. I mention the family for this species here because almost all of the other members of this rather large family are small, brownish animals that are only seen by those who are actively looking for them. Although the typical species of this family usually are called toads, the most spectacular species of this family, the tomatoes, are called frogs. Ok, we already did that routine with the Surname toad. Let's just leave it, and move on ( frogs, toads, frogs, toads....makes you crazy! ).

There are two species that are a complete departure from the description that I laid out above. These tomato frogs, are large, and brightly colored. They are both from Madagascar, and grow to a length of about three to four inches. The D. guineti is the southern species, while the D. antongili, brighter red than the almost orangey southern species, lives on the northern half of the island. The D. antongili, has not fared as well at the attempts of the most experienced Herpetologist to be successfully bred in any significant numbers to date, while D. guineti has. The habitat destruction of this incredible island is another member of the long list of rainforests suffering from man's need to provide for growing populations in under developed countries. It may well be the demise of this along with thousands or other animals on this island, and our fragile planet.

Once these pudgy frogs reach about two inch's in length, they become relatively easy to maintain. They are fairly sedentary, and do not require much space to live. They need a moderately warm environment ( 70 - 80 degrees F ), with constantly moistened moss as a substrate. Add a hiding place and they will be quite content feeding on crickets, and occasional meal worms. I typically use a clay flower pot of appropriate size for their hiding spot, and place a thin layer of soil ( no additives, or fertilizers of course) on the bottom of the terrarium under the moss layer. They are great eaters once they have adapted to their habitat. It's not easy, but well worth the extra effort to maintain this beautiful frog. This is not a beginners species. If the study of frogs has it's appeal, then try a readily available green tree frog. The practices for keeping these hearty specimens will prepare you for some of the more advanced species.

Dwarf Frogs - Their scientific name is Hymenochirus boettgeri, and originate from Africa. While there are two recognizable species (with H. curtipes being the other), I will just use the above referenced scientific name. They are all so similar in appearance it is extremely difficult to distinguish one sub species from the other. They are a hearty species. It is this very point that brings me to include them in this care sheet section. Having read the books, and cruised the Internet, there is information that over sells the care required. I don't want to sell "proper" care short. I have kept and bred this species in the past. For now I just love having them around to observe so much that I have a set up that is not conducive to breeding. I am not presenting it as such. I am, however, going to outline an interesting setup that I use for keeping these frogs. With a little bit of attention to detail to begin with, you will soon have an almost self sustaining habitat. When done right, you will see how to successfully keep five Dwarf Frogs in a two and one-half gallon environment ( it's aWal-Mart cookie jar!) They will be healthy, and thrive, in this natural looking miniature setup.

The container (take a look, if you haven't already seen the photos) is the first item to deal with. A smooth face container at the opening that is filled to, or near, the top of the jar will temp fate. That fate could very well be an escaped frog found dehydrated on the floor. If you will look closely at the container I have chosen, you will immediately notice that the top has and uneven shape. I conclude that this will be enough to deter any frog from attempting to exit the jar. Next, the water level is always kept at least one inch below the begriming of the contoured section of the opening. The substrate is pea sized gravel. I found it best for letting the plants root, while promoting the presence of denitrifying bacteria. For the first three months I kept a small submersible filter cartridge that operated off a small air pump. After the first month the air flow, and thus the filtering was reduced ( to less than half the rate it had been set for the first month. ) This was repeated during the second month about three times so that at the beginning of the third month only an occasional bubble was exiting the filter. At the end of the third month the filter cartridge was removed. I wanted to remove it sooner, as I was finding it supporting the flow of CO2 to the Duck Weed on the surface of the Biome as well. I was harvesting the Duck Weed every few days. This became my next mission. Regulating the growth rate of the Duck Weed. The Duck Weed has proven not be an essential part of the environment. If you choose you can eliminate the Duck Weed. With trial and error, and documented adjustments. I moved the light higher above the surface of the Biome, while changing the photo period itself. It took the better part of a another month to control the Duck Weed growth so that I needed to harvest it only about every three weeks. Not perfect, but manageable. The water quality will be a function of the number of plants, the number of Dwarf Frogs, and most importantly how much is fed, how often.

Let's take these one, by one. First the plants. I ended up using two species of Bacopa. It is hardy, and readily available at any pet shop carrying a good selection plants for aquariums. The Duck Weed was one that was acquired as a "rider" along with the Bacopa. Money Wart, another readily available aquatic plant works very well too. If you need to "go there" you will find three genera of Duck Weed, each containing a number of species. Don't make yourself crazy! What ever you find available will work. Allowing the plants to grow and becoming fairly dense, will assist the next consideration. Algae! I have yet to clean any algae off the side of the jar. I contribute this balance to the above mentioned plant density, and the addition of one more element into the Biome. that addition is Ram snails, which again, are usually riders with many of the plants that you will buy at the pet store, and will gladly be your algae cleaners. When there isn't enough algae they will eat the plants, so they can be too much of a good thing. I have not had to address that issue in this Biome since it has been operating. Nest is the lighting and photo period. After many trails the use of a 50 Watt "Spot", not "Flood" light bulb has work the best. the spot keeps the light concentrated in to the container. The height is another key variable. I settled on a distance of eighteen inches from the top of the jar to the light fixture. Take another look at the container. Last, and certainly not least, the frogs! I chose five for no reason other than I believed that with the right balance in a natural environment, it would work, and it does. Now on to the last element; feeding.

I use freeze dried baby shrimp, freeze dried blood worms, and freeze dried Tubiflex worms..these three choices provide a nice variety for the frogs. They have great appetites to begin with, so don't be fooled into thinking their great appetites require feeding often. I feed them three to four times per week. Once again, it works, and they are healthy! Too much feeding results in too much waste, which results in too much denitrifying, which results in too much, well you get the picture. Feed sparingly in order to avoid over stimulating this small ecosystem is the key.

One last element of this Biome needs to be reviewed, and that is temperature. I have never had a heater in this container, other than the heat generated by the light. During the first three months I monitored this as well. Having survived a move, the temperature range has changed dramatically showing no ill effects. The summer time temperature will range from a low of 70 degrees to a high of 80 degrees, while the winter ranges from a low of 62 degrees, to a high of 70 degrees. While this temperature sequence doesn't mirror their natural habitat in Africa, it does parallel it with enough similarity that the actual temperature ranges are not an issue. I believe this is due to the similar seasonal changes that mimic their natural habitat enough to work well. I have not noticed any change in their appetite during any of these "seasonal" changes. I would only caution on the high side of the temperature range. A mid 80's should be the maximum. Once the temperature gets too high the ecosystem will change it's balance which could be disastrous for the frogs.

One last comment. I have continually referred to this set up as a Biome. It is not totally self sustaining and therefore not a true Biome, but close enough! These are great little animals, and I love having a cup of coffee with them every morning.

Frogs & Toads of the World by Chris Mattison.This publication is readily available. It lends itself to a more detailed approached to the academic study of frogs and toads without losing the serious novice keeper. Excellent section on the Pipa pipa and related species.

Fantastic Frogs! by Jerry G. Walls. This is a TFH publication that is readily available. It's a well done text with excellent photos that Mr. Walls has included in many of his books, along with his magazine publication.

Frog, Toads, and Treefrogs by R. D. and Patricia Bartlett is a Barron's publication that is also readily available. It is another good all around reference for these amphibians. It does a good job of covering the more readily available, and popular frog families.

Lake and Pond by April Pulley Sayre is great simplified outline to understanding and setting up an aquatic habitat for any Amphibians species. I used it for reference for the Dwarf Frogs above. The relationship of all the key elements in a mini ecosystem are critical tot he success of the project. Experimenting with the variables can be fun and informative. This book is a great tool to that end.