Another mystery of sorts....

[AbbeysDad]

At a club meeting a few years ago I bought a bag of guppy grass. When I got home I was rinsing it in the sink when I discovered a critter...a cute little brown knewt. He's lived in a 5g aquarium in my unheated basement for about the last 3 years. He loved white worms and daphnia and got a little fat. Abbey named him Taco.
Last week, I realized I hadn't seen him in a few days. Not unusual because he like to hide...but as I searched for him, he was nowhere to be found. I checked all over the bench and floor and could not find him or his remains anywhere. I finally gave up the search. I guess he went off to seek his fortune.
Goodbye Taco, I will miss you.

 

[Herpin Man]

I work with a couple of species of newts myself. They can climb glass, and squeeze through a tiny gap in the lid.
They are usually found months or years later, dried up in a corner.

 

[Byron]

In the 1980's I acquired three or four different species of newt, they were popular back then. I had a coupple of the beautiful |Eastern Newts, a spotted newt, a local Rough Skin Newt, and two of the common Japanese Firebelly Newts, and in 1985 these last bred. I didn't realize this, until one day I counted 12 little 1-inch "sticks" that moved over the sand in the water. The last of these was 15 when it died.

Twice the largest spotted newt managed to get out, and both times it was able to head for moist areas (the bathroom), obviously able to scent water.

 

[emeraldking]

You'll be amazed how they are able to escape from a tiny gap.

 

[AbbeysDad]

You'll be amazed how they are able to escape from a tiny gap.

Sadly, only one time!

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I once had a tiger salamander escape from a fish tank (I didn't realize at the time that they weren't aquatic) and disappear. I put little saucers of water in dark corners all over the basement, with box lids or large books leaned over them to make little caves. The next morning, I found him in a saucer of water, none the worse for wear. Might be worth a try?

 

[emeraldking]

Sadly, only one time!

I had the same problem with anolises (dwarf lizards) and some tricolor poison dart frogs. But I've found them back alive. They were just wandering around the house.

 

[Colin_T]

@emeraldking, do you still keep dart frogs?
Did you wear rubber gloves when handling them?

 

[emeraldking]

@emeraldking, do you still keep dart frogs?
Did you wear rubber gloves when handling them?

No, I don't keep them anymore. I've never used gloves when handling them. You need to make your hands wet before handling them. For their skin is very thin and sensitive. You don't have to worry about poison. As long as you don't feed them something that doesn't contain any poison, they won't produce poison out of their poison glands on their backs.

 

[Rocky998]

No, I don't keep them anymore. I've never used gloves when handling them. You need to make your hands wet before handling them. For their skin is very thin and sensitive. You don't have to worry about poison. As long as you don't feed them something that doesn't contain any poison, they won't produce poison out of their poison glands on their backs.

What foods do they eat in the wild to produce a poison?

 

[emeraldking]

What foods do they eat in the wild to produce a poison?

Red ants and certain juices of plants. Besides red ants also other insects that are toxic will be eaten by them. But the poison those darts produce, is way stronger than the poison of food they had. That's a characteristic of those darts.
But to be honest, all kinds of frogs and toads have poison glands on their back. But non darts won't produce such a strong poison. But you can get sick. Those non darts only use it to scare predators.

 

[Colin_T]

@emeraldking, you need to write up a care sheet on the dart frogs and get the mods to sticky it.

 

[emeraldking]

@emeraldking, you need to write up a care sheet on the dart frogs and get the mods to sticky it.

I've kept also other frogs that weren't darts. And I'm one of the mods, btw...
Besides tricolors, I've kept also other dart breeds.
Here are some frogs that I've kept. But I had more breeds than just these shown...

 

[Essjay]

emeraldking can sticky it himself since he is a mod

 

[Colin_T]

LOL, ok, I didn't notice he was a mod.

@emeraldking, please write up a froggy care sheet and sticky it somewhere, assuming your allowed to sticky your own work