Another day of progress and more...

We got the back of the tank covered in foam finally! We now have the sides of the tank to complete and then I have to trim the foam and finally start creating the design for the background with the accessories and the dirt and silicone. I will have pictures of the back of the tank covered in foam below. I bought moss and will get more accessories tomorrow.


3 species update!

I am very excited to have a 3 species vivarium. I think all of the amphibians will make the enclosure work as a real ecosystem. The Gray Tree Frogs will eat the insects that climb the background and try to outsmart the Toads and Wood Frogs. The Tree Frogs will also eat moths and flying insects that I place in the enclosure. The Wood Frogs are split into two groups. The females which get as big as make toads will be able to hunt large and medium size feeders. The male frogs will eat medium to small size feeders just like how the Gray Tree Frogs are split up. The Wood Frogs will inhabit the land near the water areas. I am very proud to have captured my Male Wood Frog Bandit. He escaped being eaten by a Green Frog when I found him and by a Bullfrog when I saved him again. He is incredibly beautiful and territorial but the toads do not care about this. My largest toad "The Golden Toad" Wellsboro lives with him now and he eats like the Wood Frog isn't there and he's very peaceful. I can't speak for the Gray Tree Frogs but I doubt they will get territorial with the Wood Frogs. Bandit may be the only one who is dominant too so We will have to see.

Total numbers and Feeder Insects...

So I may have a good problem. I might have caught around 100 Wood Frog Tadpoles that are thriving in my care right now. I can't keep many because I will have about 6 max in my tank so it's first come first serve with my tank. I'll have to take the Wood Frogs somewhere else. So it's going to be a total of
6 American Toads
6 Wood Frogs
4 Gray Tree Frogs

The animals that will go in the vivarium first

Ace, King III, Pious, Wellsboro (Toads)
Bandit, 4 Baby Wood Frogs
2 Unsexed Gray Tree Frogs

10 Inhabitants to start. Most ever in one tank already. 16 total (hopefully)

So with aquiring the Wood Frog I also needed to begin feeding my crickets more and making them more nutritious then anyone else's because the crickets I am keeping need to eat as close to a wild diet as possible. There isn't much information on how to feed a Wood Frog and keep the frog healthy. They are picky eaters. I've read all over the internet and seen YouTube videos on the frogs but I have not seen the proof these frogs need their feeders to be so nutritious, but these frogs are in fact intermediate for frog keeping so I am looking forward to do whatever it takes. I want Bandit to live a long and happy life. I've never seen it documented any of these 3 frogs and toad species were kept in this big an enclosure.

I have been asked about keeping wild insects with my amphibians and I think it's a complex question that deserves a complex answer. I believe in using the wild insects to the fullest extent for my animals that they would normally eat in the wild. I won't take it away from them. But I will not use large mantises or spiders or anything that could kill or harm my frogs and toads. The Stone Centipede is an exception because it eats various things and stays small for any of my amphibians to eat but can prey on some feeder insects if they wish but also will eat decaying plant matter. I also collect my Woodlice from where I caught most of my toads and Wood Frog from. I may collect some other insects as well.

Surprises with feeder insects and more...

I also wanted to use the ants as a PART of the staple diet of my amphibians to see how it effects the Wood Frog. I learned I'll need to attain mealworms and let them loose in the tank and allow the Mealworm Beetle to form for the amphibians to eat as another PART of the variety for my insects. One insect I learned would be acceptable as a staple diet for all the animals is...the European Earwig. This has pinchers yes but I've seen research that shows these along with the 2 species of crickets would be great as a staple along with the Woodlice, Mealworms, and Waxworm and Earthworm (except for the Wood Frog they can't eat waxworms but I'm seeing if they can eat worms) the Earwig is great at escaping so I'm going to have to take some time before I add them into the staple status for my amphibians. I believe the Earwig and the Carpenter Ant will make for a great staple for my animals.

What animal or insect are you most interested to see in the 125 Gallon PA Woods Vivarium?

What are your thoughts on using the Earwig as a staple diet for USA Native Species?

What would be a cool video like a feeding video or a display of the weather from my enclosure or a comparison of two or all of the animals or feeder insects? Let me know along with anything else in a comment below!

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