zookeeperfrank
New member
Hi All,
Keepers of Poison Frogs, Mantellas, newly-transformed frogs, and other tiny amphibians face difficulties in providing their charges with a varied diet. Wild frogs consume dozens to hundreds of invertebrate species, but captives are usually limited to fruit flies, flour beetles, pinhead crickets and springtails. Vitamin/mineral supplements help, but dietary variety remains critical.
Throughout my career at the Bronx and Staten Island Zoos, I have relied heavily upon wild-caught invertebrates. I recently “re-discovered” an old favorite – the various Sap or Picnic Beetles (Family Nitidulidae). I first used Sap beetles when rearing Wood Frog metamorphs decades ago, and later fed them to Spring Peepers, Red-Eyed Treefrogs, Poison Frogs and others in zoo collections. Many small amphibians will eagerly gobble up Sap Beetles, but Poison Frog and Mantella keepers will find them especially useful. Sap Beetles never fail to bring an enthusiastic feeding response, and can save us some time and money while providing nutrients missing from standard foods. Read the rest of this article here: http://bit.ly/13d2Ocn
Please also check out my posts on Twitter http://bitly.com/JP27Nj and Facebook http://on.fb.me/KckP1m
My Bio, with photos of animals I’ve been lucky enough to work with: http://bitly.com/LC8Lbp
Best Regards, Frank Indiviglio
Keepers of Poison Frogs, Mantellas, newly-transformed frogs, and other tiny amphibians face difficulties in providing their charges with a varied diet. Wild frogs consume dozens to hundreds of invertebrate species, but captives are usually limited to fruit flies, flour beetles, pinhead crickets and springtails. Vitamin/mineral supplements help, but dietary variety remains critical.
Throughout my career at the Bronx and Staten Island Zoos, I have relied heavily upon wild-caught invertebrates. I recently “re-discovered” an old favorite – the various Sap or Picnic Beetles (Family Nitidulidae). I first used Sap beetles when rearing Wood Frog metamorphs decades ago, and later fed them to Spring Peepers, Red-Eyed Treefrogs, Poison Frogs and others in zoo collections. Many small amphibians will eagerly gobble up Sap Beetles, but Poison Frog and Mantella keepers will find them especially useful. Sap Beetles never fail to bring an enthusiastic feeding response, and can save us some time and money while providing nutrients missing from standard foods. Read the rest of this article here: http://bit.ly/13d2Ocn
Please also check out my posts on Twitter http://bitly.com/JP27Nj and Facebook http://on.fb.me/KckP1m
My Bio, with photos of animals I’ve been lucky enough to work with: http://bitly.com/LC8Lbp
Best Regards, Frank Indiviglio