Terrarium Too Big?

[irene]

Normally your frogs are living in nature, so a terrarium can never be too big.
I think it a nice idea to offer them a lot of space ;-)
Just give them some time.

[Viv]

you could also cover some of the sides with black paper so the frogs feel more secure

[Hellie1]

Alas, wee Winston succumbed to the same malady that felled Guru so for the time being I'm frogless (more are on their way though! ) but I was advised to get an aquarium antifungal agent, water it down & wipe the terrarium glass out with it, any thoughts on that? And if it's frogless at the moment, could I just spray the foliage that I've so carefully planted with a watered down mixture of it as well? I mean, if you can put in fish tanks without harming the fish or plants, the mosses in the terrarium should be ok, right? Also, about these calcium supplements - to D3 or not to D3? That seems to be the question. Would love some feedback please, help!

[jtay]

I'm sorry about Winston - I wonder what caused their deaths?
As for the anti-fungal agant - I'm not sure... Frogs, as you know, have very sensitive skin - more so than fish - and any chemical residue could (any usually does) have a detrimental affect on the frogs health. I would remove everything from the tank and give it a good clean with hot water and a scrubing brush, rinse with cold and allow it to dry. It is a bummer to pull it apart, but since Winston got ill in it I think it is the best thing to do to reduce the chances of your new frogs getting ill too.
For the mosses - I would wash/spritz them with water and leave them outside to 'air out'.
Starting again could be a good thing as you can incorporate things you didn't think of before - for example: you could use coco fiber instead on garden soil for the substrate?
To D3 or not to D3 - I would D3. From what I understand D3 is usually received by frogs from the livers of insects. Now since we dont really know how our feeder insects were raised - UV exposure...D3 synthesis, etc, I would (and do) include D3 with the calcium supplement just to be sure that the calcium is able to be absorbed. Again I only dust once every one to two weeks to be safe.
Other members will have an opinion on this.
Best of luck

[Hellie1]

Thanks for all the info. I went to my local pet store for the supplement & the only one they had was in liquid form (although it did say it was for amphibians as well on the label). Someone has told me about a 'feeding pod' that you put the flies into & it dusts them as they make their way out? I couldn't find anything on Trade Me about them, does anyone know what I'm talking about (as I don't lol). Also, where does one buy coconut fibre from please, and will the mosses be just as happy on that rather than soil?

[jtay]

The calcium supplement I use is Flukers Calcium with D3. Another one called Rep Cal is popular. These are both available on trade me I believe, if not from your local pet store.
Feeding pod? - I know of the Exo Terra Termite Hill designed for crickets, and the Feeding Rock - both are dusting tools. Not sure about one for flies though, although one of those may work.
You can get bricks of coco fiber from garden/plant supply stores - about $4 a brick, and yes the moss will be happy growing on it. It is just like soil but better in my opinion.

[wesleybrouwer]

For frogs growing up, they advice a smaller terrarium, they will be able to find the food better and will therefore grow more easily.
I tried it out to get it proven, and indeed, raising juveniles in a big setup results in smaller adults then ones of the same clutch raised in smaller tanks.

I am also puzzled since i reasoned in nature they got even more space,
looking at fish that will grow bigger as you put them in larger tanks i supposed it was just made up.
But now i'm certain of it, it's better to keep the frogs smaller 'till they are grown to semi-adults.
I tested it on some red eyed treefrog babies and the result is they are almost 0,5 inch smaller