New frog owner

[bellk]

hey yall! can anyone look at my pics of my dumpys and give me a ballpark figure of how old they are? i bought them about 2 weeks ago from a pet store and they had no idea. also, i bought them some sphagnum moss. they won't inhale this and get impaction, will they?i have read a lot of scary stories about frogs dying because of their substrate...any advice helps! thanks!

[Kurt]

No idea on the age. If you're worried about a possible impaction, cover the moss with leaf litter. Josh's frogs sells some good stuff, the live oak lasts quite some time before breaking down. Oh and it looks good.

[Paul Rust]

Hi Kam, no need to panic dear, you are so careful.
The problem with inapropriate substrate is that it will stick to the tongue and be ingested. Things like small gravel, wood chips, coco fibre, things of that nature. Sphagnum moss is excellent ground cover. As Kurt said, leaf litter is great and it creates a place for microfauna to establish and keeps the whole vivarium healthy.

[Deku]

@john: I thought coco husk was su pposed to be good. :P

[Kurt]

It is. Just sometimes large amounts can be accidently ingested. Thats why I am recomending a layer of leaf litter over it.

[Jace]

Congrats on your new additions! They look very cute. Just to put in my two cents, I use moss in most of my setups; it looks and smells so good. However, I am curious of this leaf litter...trying to find some for sale in my area now-thanks a lot Kurt! Lol.

[Paul Rust]

@john: I thought coco husk was su pposed to be good. :P

That's Kurt; like he said, coco fibre is great. Just cover it with something.

[Ebony]

I have always used Sphagnum moss and never had problems. I do like the look of the leaf litter and it would definatly stop any ingestion. If I were not able to get it here. How would I treat my own collection of NZ native leaves to ensure it was safe. Would I just soak it in boiled water and then bake it?