Hi ,

I have to share this story so NO ONE makes the same mistake.
I have 4 R imitator ‘Varadero’ in an exo terra 24 Hx 18 x 18. ( 2 pair)
Imitators are little escape artists .....they can.... really hide.
They flatten their little bodies into the very smallest, little spaces.

So ………for the past 2 days ……I have seen only 3 of my imitators?
This has happened many times. They all eventually show-up
But this seemed different. This frog was no-where!
I had to find my missing frog! I searched ( doors shut ) for hours with a flashlight.
No luck. I could NOT find this frog!

I removed the three remaining imitators and put them into a nice holding container for what turned out to be .....for the entire day. ( 2 females and one male) (NEVER clean an imi tank without removing the frogs 1st)

??? The entire time they were in the ' holding container' the male called and called and called - for hours!!!

I continued to search:
I pulled most of the plants and put them into a clean bin (with a lid ) for inspection ( just in case)
I pulled a brom …… and it had a terrible smell. I thought my imi drowned.( I have read about this happening) I thought he was ‘gone’

I cleaned the entire enclosure, replanted EVERYTHING , even added new ....wet, ABG. I removed most of the moss, the vine, and the driftwood while my 3 others were in the holding container. Plus…. ( since hours had gone by without any luck finding my missing imi ) the doors of the enclosure were OPEN the entire time !

An hour after this .........there he was….STILL in the enclosure.
I could have squished him a hundred times.

I cannot imaging where he was. It is amazing he survived all of this!

I am very lucky to have him.