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  1. #41
    BPnet Veteran AAronCap's Avatar
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    Re: New PA Woods Vivarium (Gray Tree Frogs)

    I made a big mistake...

    So the vet called back today while I was away and left a message. Ace and Bane are doing well but not yet clean of nematodes. They will have to go through hopefully just one more treatment of the dewormer. The problem is not that they have worms still we can get that taken care of. The problem is that Ace showed me and the vet where she got some of her parasites in the first place. The picture is pretty as clear as it gets now. So the earthworms I was giving my toads had nematodes in and parasites. I got works from a few places too. Ace was confirmed with a parasite from earthworms some nematode species. I'm frustrated she has it and from what I understand the dewormer will wipe them out but now I have to be done with earthworms. It's to risky and costly for me. I won't discourage people from using them but I will not is them or recommend them anymore. It's possible it's just been my experience but when $200 can be saved by not using worms I could use that money for other feeders. I just wanted to report this because we found the culprit that most likely got Ace very sick. The other toads have this too I don't even have to guess because all last summer they ate worms. I'm optimistic that after one more treatment they will be okay and Ace will be done with the earthworm nematodes. Bane doesn't have them because tree frogs refuse earthworms. Smart frogs.

    So when I call back the vet tomorrow I will schedule the appointment for Christian, Pious and Max. I'll have a lot of poop to take with me now.

    It's been difficult with having all these tanks around but I know we are close for some of the animals to be parasite free. It's been a hard winter but for the toads and tree frogs there have been no casualties in the great nematode war.

    Pious and Christian will hopefully be dewormed faster because they haven't had a prolapse or anything that will take away from the root of the problem. This isn't the big update tonight I just wanted to say we found something big out tonight and the consequences of the earthworms is small for the toads but somewhere else in another faction there may be more severe consequences.

    I have some big news for the weekend to share with you guys.


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  2. #42
    BPnet Veteran AAronCap's Avatar
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    Re: New PA Woods Vivarium (Gray Tree Frogs)

    I came to a crossroads and had to choose...

    So Ace and Bane went through the third round of dewormer. Bane is clean. We are waiting to see Ace. Hopefully the worm nematodes will have died. I will say that Ace has become an alpha hunter. She stalks prey and hops after it which I think is cute how she does it but it's also fierce. She's a force to be reckoned with. She trusts me again and doesn't run as much from me. Bane eats from my hand now and he is very tame. He wasn't before this. So I think I've been able to bond with these guys even more during these tough times.

    We were looking to get Christian, Pious and Max a vet appointment but it didn't work out that way. They only could see two at a time so I had to choose. Pious had been sleeping and burrowed down so I decided to take Christian and Max. We are going to reunite the Gray Army! I think it will only take a few weeks until the Gray Army is together again and we can record them. I will checking Pious to see that he is okay. After Christian is done both toads are being put on the agenda.

    The 100 subscribers special is taking a while and that's because I'm using it to introduce the Utopians! It will be the first video to link the faction together. I feel it's necessary especially since the Gray Army will be back in commission for the first time maybe in 2-3 months. Wellsboro will also get coverage! Sorry it's taking longer to produce but it's to create a good introduction for the Utopians. This week is spring break so I'll have a lot of time to work on the video. I'm not promising anything but it could be out next week. It could be.

    So I will be conducting research on the animals of the Southwestern PA Woods Vivarium and the Utopians. We will see how they respond to a dinner diet and how one side hibernates and the other does not. It will make things very interesting. There are 5-6 things I'm studying for them. It will take months to get this set up. First thing out of the toads diet is Earthworms

    So I have met the Herpetologist of my school and he said he would help with Frog Week. He's going to teach me a lot about my animals and many areas from prey items to habitats and hibernation. It's really going to be beneficial having someone to talk to in person and to give me advice that many people are unaware of.

    There are some incredible things happening for the 125 gallon and I am excited to see it progress. So the Utopians have their faction and the Five Lined Dumpy Family are a faction, but the 125 gallon is on track to have a partnership but it's not at all like the two current factions. The 125 gallon will not be in competition with the Utopians and Five Lined Dumpy Family. The 125 gallon will have it's own category because it's going to be so did from anything you've ever seen. It will probably take a year to get it situated and to get things in order. Ace and Pious are going to show us the secretive lifestyle of living in The Woods.

    The name of the series for the 125 gallon is changing from Seasons to The Woods. The change I thought was necessary because it's the only woods enclosure I'm building and it stands out so it doesn't seem too similar to the other series. I think it fits perfectly.

    I'll have more to explain tomorrow in a small update. It's getting harder to keep some secrets from everyone because of how exciting it is to be planning this but soon more and more will be revealed!

    Are you excited to see the Gray Army untie again?

    What do you think of the research and study between my animals?

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  3. #43
    BPnet Veteran AAronCap's Avatar
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    Re: New PA Woods Vivarium (Gray Tree Frogs)

    The small update...

    My toad Ace is going to be the largest toad I've ever kept! I'm not going to show her until the series comes out because it's a tremendous turn around.

    I am looking forward to showing the Utopians soon! I have come to a decision that if the Biopods take too long to come out we will attempt to hibernate the female gray tree frogs and other amphibians within the faction. The females may only need to hibernate. The Herpetologist at my college said that the males can be stimulated through temperature change and small things but the females need to be hibernated. So this may have to happen even with the Biopods the females may need to hibernate to be safe. If that's the case I may not have to wait to get an updated Biopod. I have to think about it. But here is the interesting aspect. If I get the Biopod this year the females may have to hibernate regardless so the males could be stimulated if I turn down the temperature in my room a little bit and allow the Biopod to heat up to spark a season change. The Biopod has a heater built in currently but not a cooling system. I can still have the Gray Army warmer then the other native enclosures because of the heater. I could have the other Biopod where Wellsboro will live warmer too. This would be more accurate with the 125 gallon being cooler. The downside is the low can't change really. All 3 enclosures would probably have to have he same low unless I'm keeping warmer lows with the Utopians. I'm trying to find a way to make it work. Thank God I got a refrigerator to do this! So the Utopians may get their homes this upcoming fall.


    A big part I'm studying is the effect the wild insects will have on the diet of the animals that eat them. The Utopians will have an all captive diet. The 125 gallon will have a mixture of captive and some insects that were field collected. We want to see if they get something which will be treated but the important aspect we want to see if if the larger variety produces healthier or somehow happier amphibians.

    The study of hibernation will also be important. We will see how the 125 gallon animals will all hibernate and only females of the Utopians will. We will see if the ones in hibernation will live longer or grow larger. These are some of the studies.

    Of it all sets up right then at least the Gray Army will have a Biopod this year.

    What do you think about hibernating the female utopians? This being a more preferred measure in hibernation do you think we should get a Biopod and attempt this?

    What is your take on some of the research we will be looking at between the Utopians and 125 gallon?
    Last edited by AAronCap; 03-10-2019 at 02:11 AM.

  4. #44
    BPnet Veteran AAronCap's Avatar
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    Re: New PA Woods Vivarium (Gray Tree Frogs)

    Check out the new video!

    https://youtu.be/aF85wu72dvg

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  5. #45
    BPnet Veteran AAronCap's Avatar
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    Re: New PA Woods Vivarium (Gray Tree Frogs)

    Frog Week Recording Started, Pious turn at vet...

    So this week I have begun recording for Frog Week! I saw 3 Wood Frogs and a male Bullfrog. The Bullfrog comes out to eat the Wood Frogs. For two to three episodes of exploring we will return a few times to get more footage and hopefully to have a better episode. I will show where Ace and Pious are from and where Wellsboro is from.

    Pious was taken to the vet and he was doing better then we thought and was given the first dewormer to start the treatment. The more powerful dewormer he needs to eat to take and he hasn't yet. He's very upset that I took out his soil. I am going to try repti worms and hornworms to see if he will eat something slower moving. It will take longer if he doesn't eat.

    I hope everyone enjoyed the 100 Subscriber Special! I had a lot of positive feedback from the PA Woods Community and I had some people unsubscribe. I don't think it will be easy to become a large channel because keeping native species is a very frowned upon part of the hobby. So people will try to make it harder then if I had exotic pets. I knew this coming in and if people who keep say these toads and tree frogs are looking for help how to care for them and people refuse then the animals suffer and die. Maybe we can encourage people not to buy the natives who are poached and illegally sold in pet trades. Maybe we can encourage people not to catch certain frogs and alert them to problems with the number of frogs in the wild. Maybe we can get frogs on the threatened and endangered species list before they get in critical condition. Even in a hated category there is a need for it. I'm also trying to breed animals and put back in the wild. People have a massive problem with this even if I have the state or a vet or a biologist support the project and even if I show the emails being allowed to breed Ace and Pious from the state it still won't matter.

    That's okay because I have a great group of support from the PA Woods Community and I know these animals need me because there aren't as many native species keepers as enthusiastic and willing to come under scrutiny of the magnitude I do and will. I'm not ranting on this update I am just stating that I'm not going to apologise for a passion that I have and the desire I have to help these animals. It's a continuous growing process and I will continue to get better and learn more as I go on. That's the best part of this is being able to have room to grow.

    Moving on with the update...the Gray Army is set up to get the Biopod this Summer like closer to Autumn. Accompanying them will be the Mosquito Fish who have been waiting for years to have a home again and a surprise guest: the Giant American Millipede. I decided this because of a few reasons. The Biopod will have a lot of bark and there will be a lot of decaying matter for them to clean and eat. Many logs will be horizontal which I have seen these millipedes climb and eat way up in trees. So they will be right at home with the tree frogs up at the top parts of the enclosure. Now there is risk the millipedes will drown but it's just like people. All created equal but not all were given equal intelligence. Some millipedes will fall in this category. Now there are some risks of the millipedes joining the Gray Army. The female Gray Tree Frogs could be big enough to try eating the millipedes so we will see how they would respond to seeing them before they live together. The Mosquito Fish could also potentially become food for the frogs but it's low risk. The fish will not bother the frogs either. It's all for the Gray Army and Mosquito Fish. We will have to give the school of mosquito fish a group name or include them at some point. Christian like Pious has not eaten as much lately but I have found small poop. He's still eating some so he and Pious will be a different challenge to get healthy. Unless something is to undesirable to refuse. The Gray Army and Ace and Pious will hopefully be healthy by late Spring.

    Concluding this update I will be doing a video for Frog Week educating people on an American Toad care sheet.

    What would be a good way to get Pious to eat?

    Does the Gray Army living with Giant American Millipedes interest you?

    What advice do you have for me moving forward with my YouTube Channel and social media platforms for the PA Woods Community?

    Pious in quarantine and Wellsboro explored the plants brought to him from the 30 gallon.


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  6. #46
    BPnet Veteran AAronCap's Avatar
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    Re: New PA Woods Vivarium (Gray Tree Frogs)

    The good and the bad...

    There were some great times this week with the Gray Army and the Toads. Bane is doing great and he even called a little bit yesterday. Christian seems to be eating a lot more so he's doing better. I have seen the best improvement in Wellsboro. I bought Hornworms and he has eaten 5 in two days. He went from thin to being close to looking healthy. He's eating much more and seems okay in quarantine. He is very trusting of me and he doesn't run from me. I'm very happy to see how well he's doing. Sadly Pious is not doing well. He has some type of irritation in between his legs and it's bothering him. He hasn't been eating either. So I got a smaller quarantine tank for him. I'm going to try to move the appointment up for him. He may need a stronger medication for the red on him. I feel bad for him because I can tell he's irritated and I just want to see him feel better. But that's why I have a vet for.

    Probably in a few weeks I can begin demolition of the 125 gallon and rebuild it. The lid of the enclosure will be one part that's tricky and we will spend the most time on. It has to allow UVB to pass through and will have to have holes for the Mistking sprayers and the fogger and a few other things. The 125 gallon is going to be one of the most impressive builds I've ever made. I think it will become the most impressive once completed. I have a lot of the devices already so it won't be as expensive as last year. Without the background it will go much faster.

    Frog Week filming has been under way. It's been slow because the weather in my area is not good for frogs and amphibians. I'm excited because this week it's going to warm up and we are going out to search for some frogs! Hopefully we have some luck.

    Are the frogs out where you live?

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  7. #47
    BPnet Veteran AAronCap's Avatar
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    Re: New PA Woods Vivarium (Gray Tree Frogs)

    An update I can't even caption

    Many good things have been going on as of late. We have filmed and this week are filming a part for Frog Week. We had tremendous success tonight. I can't tell you what we found because it will ruin everyone but I can say we found a breeding site with hundreds of frogs. I can't say anything more because I'm having a hard time keeping it a secret so it will just be a cliff hanger for both of us. Frog Week is going well one species of frog one salamander and one newt. Some inverts too! We are filming in the Western woods. It will be two episodes because of the land and the importance of this area. We are doing something special with this area we are going to return to the same area a few times to get as much as we can for the episodes.

    I can confirm Ace and Pious will not be alone by the end of the fall this year. You may see what I'm talking about when I create the thread for the 125 gallon or maybe I'll wait until Frog Week. There has to be a lot of progress from now to then. It's very likely for this.

    Ace is doing wonderful. She's around 3 times the size she was this winter. Pious and Wellsboro are still Ill. I'm still treating Pious and his pink seems to be going down and disappearing but he's not happy. Still haven't treated him with the stronger dewormer. He is inconsistently eating so I can't offer him any in fear he won't eat any. Appointment is in 3 weeks so we will just see until then what happens. He's getting better but he really misses soil. He wants to dig but he can't because he could infect himself if works are in his poo and I can't get it out in time. So he and Wellsboro will go to the vet in three weeks.

    Christian and Bane are good. Bane like Ace is about twice or 2.5 times the size as Christian. It's incredible to see the difference in the healthy animals.

    What I can say is that there will be many surprises by the end of the summer. The Gray Army and the Toads will shock the PA Woods Community I guarantee you that.

    Do you think it's a good idea returning to the same places to search for amphibians?

    Are you excited to see Ace again and to see her and Pious going home?

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  8. #48
    BPnet Veteran AAronCap's Avatar
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    Re: New PA Woods Vivarium (Gray Tree Frogs)

    This is basically a large update

    So there is a lot going on right now with Frog Week and good news for Pious. I'll start with Pious. He began eating normally and he got the dewormer finally. His rash is going away and he's passing the nematodes. I saw he had a lot so I'm very happy he's getting rid of them. He's actually starting to grow and he was shedding tonight. So maybe one more dose and Pious may be able to go with Ace again. I see the healthy animals are growing in very fast rates so I can't imagine how large Wellsboro is going to get when healthy. He's still larger then Ace and he may actually reach record length for a male. It's possible for him and that could possibly a threat to anything living with him. Ace is the Guardian of the West and Wellsboro is going to be the Guardian of the rest.


    So Frog Week is really going strong but also I have found out a lot of info from herpetologists and it's good but I'm not entirely excited about all of it. So the good news is there is one area we are almost done with filming and covering one species. The area is booming with life and that's good. But the area is being deforested heavily and it's difficult to see. The group involved with filming agreed this is going to be a site we will watch diligently to see what happens to the frogs. That's hard to see such a big population that could be threatened or even go extinct. This will be a big feature in Frog Week.

    The next thing I learned is of the ranavirus and chytrid. These are known frog killers and I was educated that they are everywhere but not necessarily together in every area. I learned specific species can live without problems having ranavirus and some die. My amphibians are able to cope and thrive with ranavirus. Not bragging at all and some specimens will pass away even if the species can tolerate the virus. So I learned the entire northeast has both in their area. From the Carolinas to New England. I didn't research beyond the mountains. So this is not the greatest news but it's good to know that the frogs have coped with the virus. I was also informed that it's when frogs or amphibians for that matter have both that is when mortality occurrs.

    I also learned the truth to a question I've searched for getting into the hobby about hibernation and I don't think I want to share about the info yet. I have to call a zoo for more information about the topic but it's something that is very important for what I'm doing but I'll release this much later. Or maybe not if I'm not allowed.

    So good news overall but some news that's not going to make someone jump up and down.


    I'm going to be leaving my job as I have found another one that pays more so I'll make sure to still do weekend updates but they may come out earlier in the day.

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  9. #49
    BPnet Veteran AAronCap's Avatar
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    Re: New PA Woods Vivarium (Gray Tree Frogs)

    Edit
    My frogs and toads do not have ranavirus. The toads and tree frogs are clean. I just wanted to make that clear

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  10. #50
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    Re: New PA Woods Vivarium (Gray Tree Frogs)

    A brief update...
    So I covered the big stuff from the update earlier in the week. There isn't too much to report on differently. Frog Week is becoming more developed and thought out and Pious is doing better daily. The Gray Army is also doing well and so are Ace and Wellsboro.

    The biggest update now is that I can confirm that Josh's Frogs is 100% going to support Frog Week. This will introduce the project more nationally and will bring conservation of the native species to many all across the country and hopefully to accomplish the goal which is to make people care about frogs. I will have more information on this tomorrow but also the big update is the filming will be finishing up and Kingdoms Episode 2 will be coming out soon!

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