Vertebrates? Exploring my next obsession...

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sporeworld

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So, I'm hoping to get some suggestions, directions, warnings(?) from you fellers about my next potential obsession.

I really (really) enjoyed the grande "Idolo experiment", and now I wanna do something else, or something in addition, before returning to mantids again. I'd love to do phasmids, but the local variety are just too limited, and illegal.

I'm thinking Katydids (obviously, the pink kind) might be really interesting, but I should probably start with the local variety to get baseline experience (anyone raise these?).

So, now I'm lookiing into Vertebrates. I've done turtles, which I enjoyed, but were messier and smellier than I want to go this time around. Chameleons? Frogs? Nothing with a long time commitment (tortises are WAY out of the question).

Suggestions...

 
Firebelly toads all the way

Extremely cute, hardy, adaptable and hungry toadies, I can't get enough of them, im tryin to breed mine cause I love them do much, a day after exiting hibernation they r eating like pigs lol but can go weeks without food

If u need more info on these awesome guys pm me ;)

 
you could consider one of the larger gecko species? Like a Leopard, Tokay, or Phelsuma spp.? They're livelier than chameleons, and the way they track and launch themselves at prey can be thrilling to watch. No good for handling though :)

 
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Just so u know, toads live a long time, treefrogs only live 3 or 4 years at most if u r looking for a short lived animal, but if u have male treefrogs god help u when it rains lol!!!

 
but if u have male treefrogs god help u when it rains lol!!!
O man are u ever NOT joking...LOL been there done that

this is way off topic to what you asked but ill throw it out there, i really really enjoyed them, but sugar gliders are really interesting and fun...just can be loud at night running everywhere and making noises

 
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Not sure what direction you want to go in, but here's a link to Joshsfrogs.com they have many cool looking frogs and geckos also. Green Iguanas are pretty neat(had one for years) but aren't as easy to care for over the long haul as some people think, anything you get could be found a new home most likely if you grow tired of it.

http://www.joshsfrogs.com/frogs.html

 
If you decide on having something for 1-2 years you can look into crystal red shrimp? I've been breeding and selling them for 6 years. Although the average life-span is 1-2 years if you have a good colony going you'll never see any deaths because they'll just eat the dead and continue breeding.

 
sigh. i wish myself back to those days when i didn't think 'brine shrimp' and 'dormant cysts' and 'marketing'...

Still think sea-monkeys are great though! I had five of them survive two or three months after the rest expired.

 
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I can find all stages of those salamanders in my backyard. My first thought was dart frogs, though I didn't know they could live a decade. I'd just love to see what kind of tank Sporeworld would set up for them!

 
hahaha! When I was 7, I had a "Frogatorium" in my backyard, with about 80 frogs (mostly bullfrogs) I'd caught on various vacation trips in Michigan. It was like a mini zoo, and all the neighbor kids would come over and watch me feed them earthworms and bubble bees!

So, doing dart frogs might be a nice trip down (a more exotic) memory lane. :)

 
I've kept over 12 frog species in my day and the firebelly toad is by far the most entertaining :)

Anyways someone mentioned shrimp, brine shrimp r hard but anyways the cherry shrimp r something I'd like to get into, they seem fun

Also nothin like collecting wood frog eggs first week of spring and rearing the cannabalistic tads to froglets that should be released back into the environment :)

 
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