Some big updates other then parasites and weight...
Finals week ended and I got back from a long road trip out to Michigan to tour Josh's Frogs facility. Josh's Frogs will return to sponsor Frog Week and will also sponsor this enclosure The 240 Gallon Woods or "The Woods" for short. It was an amazing experience meeting Josh and Zach and all of the crew. It was a memorable experience and we had a lot of laughs and they showed me where all of my feeder insects come from. Nothing like actually seeing where the crickets, roaches, isopods and others are kept.
They donated the Autumn Brilliance Ferns that will be added to the enclosure so I actually have them growing in a small critter keeper. I will have pictures and videos from the tour to follow on other media, but I just wanted to thank them for the awesome experience and the sponsorship of Frog Week 2020 and The Woods.
I actually just agreed to a deal with a friend to become the personal photographer for the PA Woods and Forests Brand. I'm really excited to show you pictures from his work on here as we build The Woods. He's someone I believe is good enough to work for national geographic but he is not out of college yet so I'll have him for a while lol checkout the pictures above of the three toads to see his work!
I found Pious! He looks chubby and I weighed him. He's like 63g which I'm not sure what he was earlier but I don't think he lost any weight. He slows down for the winter so he's less active. He wasn't happy with me picking him up but he forgave me. He's such a cute little toad because he's so particular. He will wipe his face off and run away from the sprayers when they most him. He also gave up creeping on Ace and trying to mate. So he will be monitored as time goes by. It's all good for him though.
Navi I believe is overweight so I'm trying to cut her back. Wellsboro and Ace I'm trying to put more weight on them so I'm feeding reptiworms and waxworms both for their meal. The reptiworms are good as a main feeder and the waxworms are a fatty added part to the meal. Think steak and fries. The waxworms are the french fries.
I am also looking to work on a native species tree frog and toad feeder pack and hopefully to submit it to Josh's Frogs. I am very excited for this opportunity and I will be running everything by my vet to make sure that she agrees with the kit for authenticity. Really excited and looking forward to this!
Lastly I don't know if I said this but I am hoping in the spring to collect and breed grasshoppers for my toads. I'm not sure what species it depends on what we can catch the most of. I really like them and I find them fascinating. They aren't just going to be feeders I will take them out when I give presentations as well because they are a part of the PA ecosystem just as the toads are. I know they really aren't different from crickets if at all in nutrition but I just want to have them. More of a nostalgia thing for me. I'll still have Banded Crickets because I like them. They are far less aggressive then the domestic pet store crickets. So to add for nostalgia not only will there be native toads from PA but native grasshoppers as well. I have plans for possibly a few more natives to make an appearance with this build. No spoilers just yet. As for the Autumn Brilliance Ferns and English Ivy which aren't "native" that's true but the state has them as a naturalized species which means they are so abundant and so many people have them they are now an integrated part of the ecosystem. And my 3 toads (Ace, Pious, and Navi) all lived where these two plants were sold so there is a good chance they could have even hid in these plants in the wild!
Many big things to come with The Woods and lots of beautiful pictures featuring these toads, plants, and now you know grasshoppers.
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