Vote for BP.Net for the 2013 Forum of the Year! Click here for more info.

» Site Navigation

» Home
 > FAQ

» Online Users: 3,074

2 members and 3,072 guests
Most users ever online was 6,337, 01-24-2020 at 04:30 AM.

» Today's Birthdays

None

» Stats

Members: 75,031
Threads: 248,489
Posts: 2,568,442
Top Poster: JLC (31,651)
Welcome to our newest member, isismomma
Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 26
  1. #11
    BPnet Veteran AAronCap's Avatar
    Join Date
    01-30-2018
    Posts
    302
    Thanks
    33
    Thanked 94 Times in 62 Posts

    Re: The Woods Vivarium

    Check this update out...

    I do not have another update about the toads tonight. They are still doing great and we are awaiting the results to determine what's going on with Wellsboro and his eating strike.

    I thought it would be a great opportunity to discuss a couple of interesting points for anyone following this. I know I need to speak on the possibility of a mixed species enclosure as well because I promised.

    The Woods will not just be a story about one enclosure. I am working to designate an area for plant, feeder, and useful inverts, as well as a possible enclosure for offspring in the future. I am calling this "The Woods Nursery" or "The Woods IV." Which do you like better? This will feature my colony of isopods, grasshoppers, banded crickets, mealworms, and my plants I'll grow for use in the enclosure.

    The idea of having feeders at the house on tap sounds like a better idea especially thinking about global events like we are in currently. Mealworms aren't a great feeder, and they are not native, but they are so dang easy all I can think of is "why not?" Worst case scenario and an occasional feeders are great to have just in case. The banded crickets may retain their bin and will not be bred by me if I can successfully colonize native grasshoppers. The goal is to use them as a main feeder by next year. I'd have to catch a lot and not feed any off for a long time which I am planning. They could along with banded crickets be the main feeders if I get them rolling. If grasshoppers do not work I'm going to try the native field cricket.

    I am hoping to have a decent sized terrarium for the grasshoppers, but also have plants live with them like the ivy plant I'm going to try to grow in the 300 gallon. I want to have designated feeders like banded crickets and mealworms, and have other creatures that live in an ecosystem that I can tap into if I need a plant or to feed my animals.

    The terrarium for the grasshoppers I also want to try colonizing native isopods. The terrarium will be a grasshopper and isopod nursery. I will grow a couple of plants that can be explained as replacement plants if need be or if something happens. These plants will be away from the toads, so the toads do not pass parasites to the plants. This way I don't have to start all over again buying plants. I'm trying to make sure I have plants and cut the costs of having to start over. Of course with the super long quarantine for the toads I would hope they never have parasites again, but if they do at least I have plants I'd raise to add back into the enclosure.

    An additional enclosure will house native Millipedes and Snails that will live in the terrarium with the Gray tree frogs from another thread. I hope to produce enough of both species to be able to release the offspring back into the wild, or offer some up to people as a gift in addition with some plants.

    So to conclude with the inverts this is the overview:

    Feeders I'm keeping:
    Banded Crickets
    Mealworms

    Native inverts:
    Grasshoppers
    Isopods
    Millipedes (not feeder)
    Snails (not feeder)

    As for plants I will only speak of a couple because I have some really interesting ideas and I do not want to reveal the plans for some plants yet. The plants that will be living with the grasshoppers and non feeder inverts will be:

    Autumn Brilliance Ferns
    Dragon's Tail Ferns
    Periwinkle
    Pachysandra

    The brilliance fern is the hardiest and my go to native plant. Pachysandra always does well for me and I like the way it looks. Both of these plants will be grown for the Gray tree frogs and toads. If a fern or ivy dies I can uproot one from the nursery and quickly replace it. The Periwinkle is my hands down favorite plant. I am going to try it again now that I have more experience and knowledge of how to grow native plants. It has never survived long for me, but I'm hoping this is the time it will.

    I really enjoy periwinkle and it's a naturalized plant in the state. I remember at my grandparents house toads would hide in the periwinkle, so I'm hoping that this ivy thrives and the toads will enjoy it as much as me. I have big plans for this ivy. The Dragon's tail fern is another plant that dies quickly for me. I'm going to give it a try. It is a cool little hybrid fern that has the DNA of a native species fern. If successful it could be a really unique addition. I'm hoping for the best with these two plants. With more experience and understanding I'm hoping to be successful this time around. I have a couple of other plants, but I'm withholding that information until later this year for some.

    My 30 gallon tank and a terrarium will hold most of the plants and the native inverts. I will have 5-7 possible enclosures that will become The Woods IV. Each are important in their own way. Replacement plants, food, or an invert that will benefit the ecosystem of the two native enclosures.

    The offspring enclosure I am planning will hold the offspring of the animals that will live in The Woods. While this is hypothetical, I am planning out what will live in this setup and how many offspring it can support. If something happens to the parents, or at least to preserve the parents legacy, the offspring will have the potential to someday live in The 300 gallon tank where their parents did.

    As for a mixed species enclosure; I believe the roads will be in quarantine and hibernation and possibly another quarantine if they emerge with parasites. So the toads aren't seeing anyone else anytime soon. If I were to keep another species I'd try to raise it from a baby and quarantine it as well for a long time. A baby would also take at least 1-2 years to get big enough to live with the toads, so if another animal lives with the toads it will be a while for health and safety reasons for both parties.

    I'll finish this section giving a list of potential animals I've been considering, looking at, or have previously looked at and opted out of but still wanted to include to make you wonder.

    Northern Leopard Frogs
    Wood Frogs
    DeKay's Brown Snakes
    Redbelly Snakes
    Fowler's Toads
    Eastern Spadefoot Toads
    Five Lined Skinks

    These are animals I once considered, am considering, or have chosen not to but added them anyways for a longer list. I am considering the possibility, but nothing is set in stone yet. By the way I'm not saying that all of these animals can live with toads or for someone to try keeping them together. I'm just explaining the animals I've researched and thought of. I discourage anyone from trying this because I am going to have a 300 gallon tank so I'll have enough space as long as I plan my personal requirements for the animals responsibly.

    So there you have it. I am trying to build a nursery for my plants, inverts, and hypothetical offspring. I'm trying to colonize 4 native inverts and want to use two in enclosures as feeders and ecosystem managers (isopods.) I'm attempting to go back to two of the first plants I used and hope to make it work. I'm still keeping secrets for a project that's over a year away. I'm considering a second species after a long quarantine to raise from a baby to then raise on its own for a year or two. My hands are full with projects between the 4 big enclosures, maintaining everything in the gray tree frogs thread (bee keeping, gardening, terrarium keeping), going out looking for wildlife to film for Frog Week, doing business things for the brand, work, school, personal life, and now trying to create a nursery. I'm crazy. I will explain two big details next time along with the results of Pious and Wellsboro's poop tests.
    Last edited by AAronCap; 04-03-2020 at 01:19 PM.

  2. #12
    BPnet Veteran AAronCap's Avatar
    Join Date
    01-30-2018
    Posts
    302
    Thanks
    33
    Thanked 94 Times in 62 Posts

    Re: The Woods Vivarium

    A much needed update on the toads...

    On the agenda for tonight's discussion

    1) how the toads are doing
    2) the new plans with plants and soil
    3) special reveal of a new member to "The Woods" group


    Before I go in depth I just wanted to apologize for my absence from social media. I am hard at work with summer classes and soon to begin working on my production of Frog Week, but that's a different update. I will be slower to update this because it's the slowest moving project out of the many I have. Now on with the update.

    1

    Ace is doing great. She tested negative for parasites in the May fecal exam. She's put on good weight. From 95g to now a lean 140g+. She has been thriving and I have loved interacting with her. She has never lost ferocity and boldness. She is ready to get back to a large home. Little does she know the plans I have to give her a home as close to her natural habitat as possible.

    Pious also tested negative for May and he's put on a steady weight. From 70g to a modest 75g. It's harder for males to put weight on because they naturally are smaller. He's eating well and his tank sits next to his future love partner Ace. They still sit next to each other frequently in their separate quarantine enclosures. Pious seems like he can't wait to have soil again. He's a true soil lover. I bet he will disappear under the soil when he gets it back.

    Wellsboro is looking like a monster of a toad. Weighing over 100g as a male toad in captivity the "Golden Toad" has shown his ferocious hunting skills and appears to be the first toad possibly completely healthy. Wellsboro tested negative for I believe 4 consecutive tests. He has soil unlike the other toads, but he's in a version of the yellow faze of quarantine. I can't wait to watch this toad is an 8foot enclosure because he will be one of the most exciting animals to document. Not to mention his rivalry for being the top toad in the hierarchy facing off with Ace.

    Navi finally has pooped and we found the reason for her inflation. She had parasites. Intestinal parasites. Navi is being treated and weighs around 83g which she's underweight for her size but we will fix that. She is hopefully going to reveal her true behavior once she is out of quarantine for the first time hopefully next year when she gets her new home. A potential to be paired with Wellsboro awaits her.


    2


    I have a new plan for plants and soil. I have made my decision with the soil for numerous reasons being better for burrowing for the toads and better for growing for the plants and better for living for the inverts. My ingredients will be as follows: Exo Terra Forest Moss, Exo Terra Plantation Soil, Zoo Med Creature Soil, Josh's Frogs ABG Mix, Charcoal, and Sphagnum Moss. Leaf litter will be spread throughout the enclosure to make some spots look actually like a forest or in this case woodland floor.

    The plants I am still not completely sold on the entire list but I do have some plants I will definitely use.
    Periwinkle, Autumn Brilliance Fern, Pachysandra, Scallions, Organic Mushrooms, Glow Mushrooms, Spring Hyacinths, Daffodils, Cranberry, Native Violet. These plants are going to be attempted for the upcoming enclosure. I'm really excited to try spring flowers and vegetables. Scallions and Cranberries grow native in the woods and forests of Pennsylvania. Periwinkle, Pachysandra, and the spring flowers are naturalized into many woods and forests of the state. I am very excited to work with the first native plant from my woods. The native violet. This plant is simple and maybe not appealing to you but it's beautiful white flowers growing near vernal pools and on mountains drew me to the flower. I'm hoping it continues to thrive in my terrarium quarantine. This could be one of the coolest additions to my setup.


    3


    The special reveal is very long in the making. It's not a reptile. It's not a mammal. It's not a carnivore. It's a snail. A giant native snail. This might not be the most exciting reveal or the creature you hoped for, but it has so many positive areas. Not only will it avoid competition in eating with the toads, but it can be found living beside them all over their overlapping range. The snail has a common name. It is called the Tooth Globed Snail. The true ecosystem I'm trying to replicate is an upland suburban woodland. Just in my woods I have seen the two share the mountain in the same spaces and I am hopeful to bring more attention to these snails and maybe to encourage people to care about them just like my mission for encouraging interest in frogs and toads. I have learned through my research of this species of snail is that it does not live in large groups. Only to mate and to share food time from time. These snails can get very large and live very long. I am happy to have a pair of them in my care right now. The good news is they are hermaphrodites so they can produce with another snail. So what do you think about the update on the toads, plants, and snails?

    Pictures order First 3 Wellsboro
    Next 2 Ace
    Next 1 Pious
    Next 1 Navi
    Next 4 Snails

    Sent from my BKL-L04 using Tapatalk

  3. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to AAronCap For This Useful Post:

    Bodie (06-01-2020),Bogertophis (07-03-2021)

  4. #13
    BPnet Veteran AAronCap's Avatar
    Join Date
    01-30-2018
    Posts
    302
    Thanks
    33
    Thanked 94 Times in 62 Posts

    Re: The Woods Vivarium

    Get ready for an exciting read...

    In this update I'm going to discuss the health of the toads, update you on the snails, and discuss some very interesting news.

    The good news is three toads were negative in May for parasites. Ace, Pious, and Wellsboro all tested negative. The hope is every 2-3 months to have them tested. The quarantine protocol for the toads will be the most intense because they have suffered the most. Production of their tank the upcoming 300 gallon will be coming hopefully next year. It's almost been a year Ace and Pious have been in quarantine. If Ace and Pious are negative for the next test I can give them back soil and we can see how they respond to having some. If they are negative with soil through many tests then we can begin considering them ready. I have not weighed the toads in a while but I know Ace and Wellsboro are over 100 grams.

    All the toads are eating and seem to be very active. Navi tested positive for parasites, but she has been doing much better. The hope is we deworm her and we can have her healthy. She's made great progress and I'm starting to see how she can voraciously catch prey. All is good for these four toads.

    The snails have been eating and doing great. They seem to be active when the toads are. The best part of keeping the toads and the snails together in the same room is seeing how they enjoy the same conditions of cool temps and wet/damp soil. When I mist the snails, they seem to enjoy it just like the toads. The species I believe my snails to be is the White-lip globe snail. This species I have been documenting in many places to literally live on the same trail as the toads. Let's hope the introduction between the two is good. I'm hoping a slow large snail that can curl up and remain motionless like a rock will deter the toads from preying on the snails. If they can live together we could be in for a treat.

    Some interesting news that I'm sure you will be intrigued by. I have decided to collect the native isopods from my area recently. Along with the isopods I will be keeping the Giant Narceus Millipede which has been showcased along with my gray tree frogs in another thread. This decision came from two important components. The millipedes are in the same room as the snails and toads and appear to be more active then when previous millipedes were in the hallway in much hotter conditions. So their higher activity in cooler conditions for me is the main reason for keeping them with the native isopods in a cooler room. The millipedes will not live with the toads because the toads Will eat them. I hope to breed the millipedes and still showcase them. The isopods are my main clean up crew decomposing poop, rotting wood, dead plants, and more. The isopods are going to be a protected and colonized. I really like the native isopods and I know the toads absolutely love to eat them. Colonizing them makes me happy because I like them and the toads happy because they love to eat them.

    I have a lot more surprises in store for this developing story still to come. It's like I'm building a team like how basketball teams try to build their rosters; that is how I am feeling while continuing to move forward with getting plants, inverts, and many other surprises along the way.

    Pictures
    1 Navi
    2 Ace (Left) Pious (Right)
    3 Wellsboro
    4-5 Snail and Millipede eating
    6 Millipede



    Sent from my BKL-L04 using Tapatalk
    Last edited by AAronCap; 07-02-2020 at 05:33 PM.

  5. The Following User Says Thank You to AAronCap For This Useful Post:

    Bogertophis (07-03-2021)

  6. #14
    BPnet Veteran AAronCap's Avatar
    Join Date
    01-30-2018
    Posts
    302
    Thanks
    33
    Thanked 94 Times in 62 Posts

    Re: The Woods Vivarium

    The update of updates (so far)

    Hey everyone! I have so much going on and am working hard to make my dreams a reality with career, relationship, and animals all in mind. The animals are thriving and doing the best they have maybe ever. In this update I have some very exciting and more detailed information about this thread and the animals that dwell here.

    The toads possibly have 2 clean and parasite free individuals. Ace and Wellsboro are seemingly negative and I have hope they will remain completely healthy forever! Now that I have more protocols in place I can help them faster, better, and more effectively. Ace and Wellsboro are plump and looking great. Pious looks great and is awaiting a poop sample to join Ace and Wellsboro potentially at the finish line. Navi is still positive so we are working on her.

    I said before the snails and giant millipedes that were notoriously associated with the gray tree frogs thread will instead join up with the toads. Let me explain how this will happen. The snails and millipedes will not live with the toads. They will get the first invert vivarium. They will be featured in videos and offer a different perspective of life within a mountainous woodland. We will get to observe these giant inverts together and life from their perspective.

    Toads eat millipedes and snails in the wild. These giant inverts are no different. I like both the snails and millipedes too much to offer them as food. So it's best for me to admire the toads separately from the giant inverts. You might know that I'm working on creating habitat and more resources for the wild toads native to the woods I'm mimicking and if I breed snails and millipedes in captivity and release the offspring then it makes more food for the wild toads. It also increases the number of snails and millipedes in the ecosystem. It's a win for both sides.

    I'm ready to reveal one of the next surprises that will create more anticipation for this project. Before I name the surprise I will explain that this thread is not just a 300 gallon toad only update post anymore. For many reasons especially for convenience and for storytelling "The Woods Storyline" is going to tell the stories of a group of enclosures that will feature different aspects of the ecosystem I'm trying to recreate. You know of the Toad 300 Gallon and the Giant Inverts Vivarium now, but I am also breeding a native insect as a pet and feeder. American toads in the wild consume one insect more then anything else. Carpenter Ants. That's right I am in the process of raising a colony of carpenter ants. The ants will have another enclosure so they can live without competition and will not colonize the other enclosures.

    The carpenter ants will be a key focus of this story because their queen can live for at least 15-25 years! She will build an army for decades. This colony will not be just pets. The interesting part of them is whenever they become more abundant than I like I will have a tube running from their ant encloisure to the 300 gallon. I will secure the 300 gallon so the ants don't escape and try to conquer me. I will also place a cap in the tube to avoid too many ants falling into the 300 gallon and becoming a meal for the toads. I hope this sounds epic that I am preparing to allow the two most voracious groups go head to head inside the 300 gallon. Of course I'm not going to let the ants swarm the toads, but it will be very nutritious for the toads, and a good way to keep the ant population in check so they don't outgrow their enclosure.

    The ants can eat the dead feeder insects becoming a decomposing center as well as benefiting from the spoils of the toads. Carpenter Ants are not known as aggressive like fire ants. Carpenter Ants are more peaceful and are more curious. Toads eat them more then anything in the wild. So I guess you can say they are ant specialists. The cool thing is I can allow the future ants that can reproduce to do so by releasing the males and future queens and allowing them to breed which will create more ants and toad food.

    What do you think about the new direction for the story arch? So far I revealed 3 separate enclosures: Toads, Ants, Giant Millipede and Snail. are you excited for the toad and ant battle? It's going to take time for this, but it's in the process.

    What is your opinion of breeding the inverts for their benefit in the wild as well as for the wild toads?

    There is more surprises to come

    Pics in order

    1 Wellsboro
    2 Queen Laurel (Ant Queen)
    3 Ace (left) Pious (right)
    4 Ace, Pious, Navi (far right)
    5 Giant Millipede
    6 White-lip Globe Snails

    Sent from my BKL-L04 using Tapatalk

  7. The Following User Says Thank You to AAronCap For This Useful Post:

    Bogertophis (07-03-2021)

  8. #15
    BPnet Veteran AAronCap's Avatar
    Join Date
    01-30-2018
    Posts
    302
    Thanks
    33
    Thanked 94 Times in 62 Posts

    Re: The Woods Vivarium

    More positive news and an important update...

    Hello again everyone! I have more big news to cover for this thread. I just started a new thread titled "PA Woods and Forests Storyline" that details some of my upcoming projects and updates about many of my pets. As for this thread, it is still focused on the animals starring in the upcoming storyline"The Woods." The intent of this thread and the YouTube videos, blog updates, and everything else is because I have an end game of two things. I wish to educate and entertain you with the lives of the animals I keep as pets, and to inspire conservation.

    This thread will focus on many of the animals I am hoping to protect and study later in life as I am pursuing herpetology. I hope you will enjoy the anecdotal stories through the knowledge I have of the species, the personalities of my animals, and the entertainment from the stories I create. From this point on you know my intentions of conservation and entertainment/education with this specific thread.

    Moving into the topic of the upcoming build now...The Woods is coming along great. I am having issues with getting stool samples consistently checked by the vet. This is not something I want to elaborate on because it's not a good look for my vet's office. The toads are all gaining weight and look good. Pious looks a little thin so I'm working on him, and Navi probably still has parasites. Ace and Wellsboro still lead the way. I hope some day soon I can move the toads out of quarantine. It's going to have been around two years the toads have been in quarantine and three years for Wellsboro. I believe 2021 is their year. I'm hoping and doing everything I can to make it their year.

    The queen ant Queen Laurel is eating good and I've seen her actually going to the food and eating it herself without the nanitics helping her. She's very thick. This storyline is featuring the ants as they are a star. They will be the first predatory insects that I keep and build up to become a major group in my brand. Queen Laurel's Highlanders are two nanitics strong now and she has many larva and eggs laid. Let's hope before the colony slows down for winter that we can get more nanitics! The bigger the colony, the faster they get a custom terrarium!

    The snails are doing great. I moved them into a jar to create high humidity because snails do well in high humidity. They don't dry out! I moved them into a large jar probably equal to 2-2.5 gallons. Big enough for 4 snails as they wait to get an invert vivarium. The snails will be joined with Queen Laurel and her Highlanders in the future. The ants will not attack the snails from my understanding. I will make sure to keep the snails safety as a top priority. Even so, the snails will be getting a nice vivarium at some point.

    This exhibit and storyline will not just focus on Toads and Ants, and feature Snails. There are other surprises in store that I've been keeping quiet for a long time. There are more main characters I promise. But for now you have to cheer on the toads to get healthy and the ants to continue to reproduce and grow so we can have some awesome content to cover. I hope to control the population of ants with feeding some to my toads every so often. This can only happen if the ants get big enough.

    Last point I will share is the tank. I am approaching a company about an enclosure this week. I'm hoping to reach a deal also this week. I am hopeful this will work out and it's a good business negotiation. I'm hopeful to work with this company if they accept. The Woods Enclosure is going to be massive and I am hoping to collaborate with a company to create it exclusively as a one of one enclosure. This tank has different dimensions depending on if we can reach a deal. This is big also because if we can work something out, I will come back to this company when the ants need an exclusive enclosure. Do you want to know some of the dimensions of the upcoming "The Woods" enclosure?

    First 3 Queen Laurel
    Next 2 Wellsboro
    Next 1 Ace
    Next 1 Ace and Pious
    Next 2 Navi
    Next 2 Ace and Pious

    Sent from my BKL-L04 using Tapatalk
    Last edited by AAronCap; 10-04-2020 at 03:54 AM.

  9. The Following User Says Thank You to AAronCap For This Useful Post:

    Bogertophis (07-03-2021)

  10. #16
    BPnet Veteran AAronCap's Avatar
    Join Date
    01-30-2018
    Posts
    302
    Thanks
    33
    Thanked 94 Times in 62 Posts

    Re: The Woods Vivarium

    A new update...


    Hey everyone! It's been a long time since I made a post and updated this storyline. In this update, I'm going to talk about the status of the toads, Queen Laurel, and discuss where we are at with progress.


    Wellsboro and Pious are parasite free! We now have both male toads clean and able to live in the large habitat that is to be created. This is fantastic news! However, We still have some work to do. Ace and Navi still have parasites. They have moderate cases, but any amount is too much. Let's hope that the females can get healthy and we can have a completely clean Woods Vivarium!

    Queen Laurel is doing well. To my surprise, she is still active and tending to her brood. She's become very fat from the honey and cricket legs. She seems content in the PA Woods and Forests Community. Her kingdom will become the most dominant invert group ever in my care. I'm excited to have a native food source for the toads/garbage disposal of dead insects to be used. The carpenter ants will not be offered as feeders as a regular food source until they clear over 1000 in population. With only two workers and a bunch of brood, there is a long time to go before they make a substantial contribution to the storyline. Let's root them on just as we do for the toads!

    The enclosure was decided on. To make sure it fits in the room I have desired, the enclosure is smaller than the 300-gallon tank I hoped. The actual size of the next toad enclosure will be 225 gallons. Still large; the setup will be 8 feet long by 18 inches deep by 30 inches tall. I wanted height for the plants and a more aesthetic looking habitat.

    The enclosure design will allow for quality airflow. Small reptile grade fans will push in and pull out air. This will help with getting rid of bacteria and drying out the habitat after I mist or have the fogger run. I have purchased a water chiller and we intend to have a background that will have fresh filtered water running down the background to simulate the mountain runoff that occurs in nature where these animals are from. The chiller was something I always wanted to do and finally, I have my wish.

    The Mistking Ultimate system is the "rain-maker" of choice. It allows for more sprayers, and we will need them to make it rain in a massive habitat. The new Evergreen pet supplies reptile fogger is also a new component that along with the misting system will create weather artificially. We can have foggy days, rainy days, rainstorms with clouds, and windy days because of the fans. We can warm the water level if desired to simulate the seasons changing. We can have the water stop running down the background as well to signify changing seasons. I have many more surprises in store as well but am holding on to them!

    Lastly, I want to address the primary feeders I'll be using. Things have changed a little bit. Aside from the carpenter ants, I have decided to use both Banded and Domestic crickets instead of collecting grasshoppers at least not for many years. I also plan on using the Canyon isopods colony that I've had for over two years. They will be used instead of native isopods and will be introduced to the habitat as food and inhabitants. The canyon isopods are very big, and the toads already eat them. They get very excited when I throw them in. My canyon isopod colony can live with my banded crickets in a 55-gallon tank. They have lived together for months. The isopods have exploded in population! I see that if I can sustain some feeders then it will save me a lot of money. I also breed mealworms. So there are many good options. I have other inverts I'll be breeding and hoping to get to use as feeders.

    Just a side note, the Giant Millipedes and White-Lip Globe Snails are staying in this storyline, but will not interact with the toads. To prevent the inverts from being a snack, and to save the toads from tasting nasty toxins and mucus, I just feel it is best. The snails might be something we experiment with down the road later, but for now, I am content with them being in their own world.

    So many things going on all at once! What do you make of the update? Surprised by anything?

    Picture order:

    1 Wellsboro
    2 Pious
    3 Queen Laurel

    Sent from my BKL-L04 using Tapatalk

  11. The Following User Says Thank You to AAronCap For This Useful Post:

    Bogertophis (07-03-2021)

  12. #17
    BPnet Veteran AAronCap's Avatar
    Join Date
    01-30-2018
    Posts
    302
    Thanks
    33
    Thanked 94 Times in 62 Posts

    Re: The Woods Vivarium

    More news on the animals of the exhibit...


    After a successful launch of Frog Week (check out PA Woods and Forests YouTube channel for more), I have decided to put more intense work into getting the animals that are still in the battle with parasites healthy. Ace and Navi this upcoming week are set to get the second round of dewormer. We are hoping the dewormer will kill the parasites, but we know it will take more tests and more rounds of dewormer. Both female toads are very alert and competitive. They are housed next to each other and seem very competitive towards one another. We will have to keep an eye on this situation because they have never lived together but are hopefully going to have that chance in the upcoming 225-gallon enclosure build.

    It will be fascinating to learn how both Ace and Navi will interact when under the same roof. It will be the first time I have ever kept two females together. They are doing well right now handling the dewormer. Let's hope sooner than later they can be free of parasites.


    The interaction between the male toads is fantastic. I was skeptical because Pious is literally half the size of Wellsboro. Either Wellsboro doesn't see Pious as a threat, or he has calmed down after two years in captivity. Year three for Wellsboro will see him enter the toad promised land being the massive 225 gallon. He has the best record being over a year clean of parasites. He has gained weight since being paired with Pious. Speaking of Pious, he has maintained the same weight since his cohab. In 2018 when they were introduced I was worried because Wellsboro was an aggressive and seemingly territorial toad that outcompeted Pious around every turn. He was trying to starve Pious in 2018.

    In 2021 the narrative is different. Both males are very calm and relaxed around each other. There have been no battles for food and I have made sure to place more prey items than both toads can eat in the enclosure so if one toad dominates the other can eat still. I spend a thorough time studying and observing both toads. Wellsboro has become a very late night hunter. He comes out near 2 am to hunt. Pious is a more nocturnal hunter as well, so, the nice part is both are looking for food simultaneously which means no stress for either toad to hunt urgently. That will change when these studs live with aggressive and greedy females. I am no stranger to keeping both sexes together so we will deal with the difficulties of co-ed living arrangements when we get there.

    I am learning how to use Davinci Resolve to edit my footage now. I have been waiting to post videos in 4k, and finally, I can! I am not going to make a major announcement until after the upcoming video is released. All you need to know is a massive spoiler/reveal is in the works. I can't wait to share this surprise reveal with you.

    Picture 1 (Toad closest) Wellsboro, (Toad Farther Away) Pious

    Picture 2 Wellsboro

    Picture 3 Pious

    Picture 4 Ace




    Sent from my BKL-L04 using Tapatalk

  13. The Following User Says Thank You to AAronCap For This Useful Post:

    Bogertophis (07-03-2021)

  14. #18
    BPnet Veteran AAronCap's Avatar
    Join Date
    01-30-2018
    Posts
    302
    Thanks
    33
    Thanked 94 Times in 62 Posts

    Re: The Woods Vivarium

    Big News and Details about the upcoming 225 gallon educational Docu-Series you'll want to read until the end...


    I have 3 toads negative for parasites, one treated and unknown of her status, and many intriguing details on the setup. Still a few secrets not being revealed yet. But a lot of interesting things to discuss.

    Pious and Wellsboro are negative and doing well. They aren't the most active toads right now, but I have discovered they come out late at night. Wellsboro is still the largest toad and Pious is still the cute little toad he's always been. They don't have too much to report on other than their successful recovery from the parasites.



    Navi is doing very well. We are unsure about whether or not she has parasites because we can't get her to poop to check it! She's been steady and nothing alarming to report. We are all watching her though. I am proud to say Wellsboro and Navi will join Ace and Pious in the 225 gallon. After a lot of thinking and observations I decided to move the 4 toads together because of how Wellsboro and Pious get along. Navi seems a bit lazy too, so there may be plenty of room if the toads are less active. That could change with a large space with many places to explore and prey items to hunt.


    One of the biggest stories is Ace. She's tested 2 times negative! I'm not putting my money on it that she's actually parasite free, but it is a promising time for her. She's faced three years this August of hardship. She's been through surgeries, quarantine, and near death, but she is still here. She was the one that saved all of my frogs and toads because we found the parasites plaguing all of my frogs and toads. Without her they might all be gone. Ace has been the most incredible toad to observe. She hunts, she has the personality of a queen, and she usually never hides. This tank is truly made for her and was only possible because of her resiliency.

    The story of this docu-series will focus on Ace and her life inside the enclosure. I am confident that you will be in awe of her after you view this story. This 8 foot long artificial woodland is hers to rule. I have amassed a large list of native and few naturalized plants for this ecosystem to be as authentic as possible. Cultivated wild blueberries, cranberries, onions, and many other native species are going to inhabit this woodland.

    Canyon Isopods, Red Wriggler Earthworms, and Banded Crickets will be main feeders, and call this woodland "home". The Carpenter Ants from Queen Laurel will also be introduced once her Highlanders (worker ants) grow in numbers. The battle between toads and ants is an ongoing suburban battle occurring where American toads and carpenter ants overlap. Ace and the worker ants from Queen Laurel will show us this battle inside this woods.

    The story will be educational about the plants, invertebrates, and amphibians that it features. Their role in balancing a healthy ecosystem. Frogs and insects need plants. Plants need fertilizer and frog poop does the trick. Plants need kept up with and inverts prune and breakdown the decaying parts of the plants. They all are effected by the weather. This story will showcase many weather conditions and how the animals, plants, and inverts handle the changing conditions. It's a story or resiliency and change. It's a story of an enclosed ecosystem from Western Pennsylvania on a ridge close to a suburban neighborhood.

    This story will be told with advanced tools like the BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K and other tools that will present clear, high definition, macro images. It's taken since 2013 to get to this point with understanding the plot, getting the animals healthy, and getting the gear to film the story the way I envisioned it. 6K cinema quality sounds right. I'm close to getting half of the animals ready to move in parasite free and I'm close to having the gear to film once the vivarium in ready.

    The last picture is of Ace given soil for the first time in 2 years. She was very excited and happy. I've been moving soil in slowly since. Hope you enjoyed hearing more about the story and I will have many more updates to come. There are MANY things I haven't told you yet.

    Sent from my BKL-L04 using Tapatalk

  15. The Following User Says Thank You to AAronCap For This Useful Post:

    Bogertophis (07-03-2021)

  16. #19
    BPnet Veteran AAronCap's Avatar
    Join Date
    01-30-2018
    Posts
    302
    Thanks
    33
    Thanked 94 Times in 62 Posts

    Re: The Woods Vivarium

    This update is about the plants and some tech for the project...

    No progress has been made on the enclosure because I don't have the enclosure, but many things still unreleased to the public are progressing. That being said, I have a couple of things to share with you guys! The plants situation is very important to me because I'm trying to get almost 100% native but not wild plants. I have the native cranberry plant, rotundifolia sundew, bog violet, bog blackberry, and a couple of other plants like onions and periwinkle that are naturalized, but an onion species is native to PA. I am in the process of searching for the right and SAFE fern, as well as a couple of other plants.

    One plant I have coming on the way is the lowbush blueberry bush. I've seen this plant growing near bogs in PA next to the carnivorous plants and bog berry bushes. It's a beautiful bush, and producing fruit is good for the inverts that will live in the enclosure with the blueberries. The leaves can be collected when the plant goes dormant and used the following year as leaf litter that's native. The goal is to get native plants to replicate the native leaf litter as close as possible. Other plants will make up the leaf litter too, but the blueberry bush is the most versatile out of the non-bog plants.

    I'm looking into a few more possible plants, but I really wanted to share the blueberry bush update with you guys. I think it's pretty cool I can grow fruit and vegetables with my animals just for the benefit of the ecosystem inside the enclosure.

    As for the tech talk for filming this upcoming docu-series, I just got the 15mm macro wide lens by Laowa. This will be the primary lens on the BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K along with the Probe Lens. I'm actually going to invest in a B-Cam for this series because of how serious I am with investing my time, money, and life to these creatures and plants. I'm looking into the Sigma 18mm-35mm and Laowa 12mm as main lenses for the B-Cam.

    I decided to opt out of using a phone because I feel with the gear I'm getting and the lens collection I'm attaining it would make more sense to use them together rather than just one camera with many lenses lol so the iPhone will be primarily Frog Week 2022 and Wild Vivariums which are the other two projects not as technically demanding. I'll give you an idea of my options I'm considering for the B-Cam to the Pocket 6K. I'm looking into either building around the Canon EOS R with the EF adapter and Ninja V to get 4K 10-Bit 422 for film and a 30mp camera, and or BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K with the EF lens adapter to use the lenses I was talking about. I might get both in the next two years, I might get one, I might save up and get something else.

    This might seem like overkill with these cameras or the fact that I'm so invested in creating videos with such a specific image quality, but if it's done right this series could be the start of many things. I also want to capture the macro details and everything that I can crawling around in the dirt, or the spots or warts of the toads, or other details of unreleased stuff. I spend so much time doing road rescues and documenting frogs and toads as a citizen scientist with the state as a volunteer and I see such incredible places these creatures and plants live, but I can't necessarily take gear that can capture what I see. So this series is the opportunity for me to creatively showcase what I see.

    Many people think Pennsylvania is cold, rundown, and there's nothing here but common frogs and toads and nothing to get excited about. The environment these animals live along mountains and rivers, and the interactions with the plants and inverts is really interesting to me. There is beauty for anything in the eyes of the beholder, and for me the ephemeral pools, ridges, bogs, and riparian ecosystems in Western Pennsylvania are the most mysterious and exciting. So creating a story around the creatures and plants I travel to see and sometimes save is a very serious and eventually rewarding experience for me. I hope you can get excited about the this docu-series with all of the details going into this project.

    I'll have more updates to come soon!
    Last edited by AAronCap; 05-31-2021 at 03:47 AM.

  17. The Following User Says Thank You to AAronCap For This Useful Post:

    Bogertophis (07-03-2021)

  18. #20
    BPnet Veteran AAronCap's Avatar
    Join Date
    01-30-2018
    Posts
    302
    Thanks
    33
    Thanked 94 Times in 62 Posts

    Re: The Woods Vivarium

    Lowbush Blueberry

    This native species might be my favorite plant. Of course I got captive plants because I don't want to take them from the wild. These low growing bushes are good for so many reasons. I love late summer eating some berries while looking for wildlife along the bogs these plants grow around. Let's hope these bushes can establish in quarantine until they move into the 225 gallon next year.

    Sent from my BKL-L04 using Tapatalk

  19. The Following User Says Thank You to AAronCap For This Useful Post:

    Bogertophis (07-03-2021)

Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v4.2.1