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SubscribeSurprise in the pool...
Natalie
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Apolay Wayyioy
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Haha... Sometime during the night he managed to hoist himself out of his container and crawl to the other side of the house. I found him in the morning, pretty dried out but still crawling along the floor, and he wasn't too happy when I picked him up.

I'm going to let him sit in the water for just a little bit longer, just so his skin can get moist again.

Here is an escape he attempted while I had the camera out...






[hr width='20%']

"They package brine shrimp and sell them to kids? That's not right, man!"

[/font][/font]



I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:30Profile Homepage AIM MSN PM Edit Report 
Natalie
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Poison Arrow Frogs lose their toxicity fairly quickly in captivity, because they have to eat certain species of ants to produce the toxins. Specimens that were bred in captivity have no poison at all, and are perfectly safe to handle.

We get them in sometimes at work, and we handle them on multiple occasions.



I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:30Profile Homepage AIM MSN PM Edit Delete Report 
Calilasseia
 
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So these creatures are even more toxic than arrow posion frogs? Wow.

I encountered arrow poison frogs at Chester Zoo. These creatures are stunningly beautiful, but they are deadly. You only have to let one sit in your hand for about 10 seconds or so, and the poison penetrates your skin. Death from heart failure follows in about 5-10 minutes if you're really unlucky. It's not difficult in the light of this to understand why arrow poison frogs are handled with great care at the zoo, and why native peoples in Costa Rica used them to anoint the tips of their blowpipe darts for hunting.

These frogs (mainly belonging to the Genus Dendrobates ) can be found all over Central America, and the Amazon rainforests. And they are little iridescent jewels among the amphibians: the colour schemes are amazing. But then, they make themselves deliberately conspicuous as a warning that they are extremely toxic.

That flame orange colour for the California Newt is almost certainly an aposematic colouration too, given what Cory_Addict has just said about its toxicity. Although in the case of this newt, given that Cory_Addict has handled it without ill effects (with appropriate precautions of course) the poison is more likely to be subcutaneous, whereas the arrow poison frogs are lethal to touch.

EDIT : Almost forgot. If you want to find out more about arrow poison frogs (or more correctly, Dart Poison Frogs - the native peoples who utilise these creatures hunt using blowpipes and darts) then this website is probably your best port of call.


Last edited by Calilasseia at 12-Apr-2005 11:15

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:30Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
Babelfish
 
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California newts are actually available in most pet shops around the country, except California, where ironically they are illegal.


Ahhh logic .

^_^



[hr width='40%']
"I'm alright, I'm alright
It only hurts when I breathe"


Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:30Profile Homepage AIM MSN PM Edit Delete Report 
Perky
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I want one

adds it to the list
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:30Profile AIM MSN PM Edit Delete Report 
Cory_Di
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He is cute . He has the face of a toad. I like toads . I use to go toad shining when they erected a condo complex in a field in which we all played as kids. There were like millions of toads on any given night and I liked playing with them . Poor things were so displaced.
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:30Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
Natalie
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California newts are actually available in most pet shops around the country, except California, where ironically they are illegal.

They are one of the easiest amphibians to keep, due to their hardiness, their "garbage disposal" eating habits, and their non-aggressive personalities. They are exceptionally long-lived in captivity as well, and it's not uncommon for captive specimens to live 25 years or more.



I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:30Profile Homepage AIM MSN PM Edit Delete Report 
kitten
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Eeek! He's SO cute!

Drat it, now I want to keep newts. Gonna have to plot a paladarium for the future, I guess.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:30Profile Homepage AIM MSN Yahoo PM Edit Delete Report 
Babelfish
 
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love that one of him climbing out of the container .

cute little guy .

^_^




[hr width='40%']
"I'm alright, I'm alright
It only hurts when I breathe"


Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:30Profile Homepage AIM MSN PM Edit Delete Report 
Troy_Mclure
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cool pics
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:30Profile MSN PM Edit Delete Report 
Cory_Di
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Bye Newt :88)

Newt says thank you for your kindness

Last edited by Cory_Di at 11-Apr-2005 15:23
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:30Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
Natalie
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Yeah, I'm going to be releasing him today, just as soon as I get dressed so I can take him down into a creek in the forest.



I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:30Profile Homepage AIM MSN PM Edit Delete Report 
Cory_Di
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I'm thinking he may get sick just as a result of the stress of being captive. Maybe you would consider taking him to a natural watering hole that would be safe and let him hydrate himself. Just a thought - hope you don't take offense.
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:30Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
Natalie
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I found one of the world's most toxic amphibians in my pool this morning - A California newt!

He (and it's definitely a 'he' by the looks of the flattened tail) was just floating at the surface of the water, and he looked like he was dead. But as I scooped him up from the water with the net, he started moving around.

I promptly took him inside and set up a little "detox chamber" for him, since the pool is chlorinated. I got a shallow Tupperware container, filled it with about 2cm of water from my fish tank, and added some extra dechlorinator and slime coat conditioner. Hopefully this will be enough to remove all the chlorine that he absorbed while he was in the pool.

He seems to be pretty active, despite the fact that he looked dead when he was in the pool. I gave him some rocks to climb on in the container, but he much prefers to stay in the water. I'm going to see if I can get him to eat at all soon.

Here are a couple of pictures of him...






[hr width='20%']

"They package brine shrimp and sell them to kids? That's not right, man!"

[/font][/font]



I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:30Profile Homepage AIM MSN PM Edit Delete Report 
Natalie
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Good save though. are there any temperature requirements for these critters?


Ummm, well the temperatures here range anywhere from 25 - 115°F (-4 - 46°C), but I think they like best in the 55 - 70°F (13 - 21°C) range.



Glad you found him and not me, I probably would have tried to pick him up with my bare hands


I pick them up with my hands all the time. You don't really have to worry as long as you wash your hands before you eat or touch your eyes or anything.



Just out of curiosity, how big is he?


He is about 6" long, including the tail. Not giant, but not tiny either.


[hr width='20%']

"They package brine shrimp and sell them to kids? That's not right, man!"





I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:30Profile Homepage AIM MSN PM Edit Delete Report 
iltat
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Just out of curiosity, how big is he? The rocks don't really give great perspective since we don't know how big the rocks are...

PM/email/msg me if you have any questions/comments regarding me or my knowledge or if you want me to read a thread.
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:30Profile Homepage AIM MSN Yahoo PM Edit Delete Report 
houston
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He's really cute Glad you found him and not me, I probably would have tried to pick him up with my bare handsbut ya'll all know how crazy I amhml

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:30Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
Troy_Mclure
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Wow. I wish I cound find something that interesting in my pool.

Good save though. are there any temperature requirements for these critters?
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:30Profile MSN PM Edit Delete Report 
Shinigami
 
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These are one of THE most toxic animals. Cool.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:30Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
Natalie
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They have toxic skin secretions, but their flesh is even more toxic.

I heard a story about some drunk guy who got dared to eat one (and since he was drunk, he did just that), and despite hospital treatment, he was dead in four hours.


Edit: And yes, I am most likely going to release him tomorrow or the day after, because I figure if he has lived that long then the chlorine must be out of his system.


[hr width='20%']

"They package brine shrimp and sell them to kids? That's not right, man!"



Last edited by Cory Addict at 10-Apr-2005 19:31



I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:30Profile Homepage AIM MSN PM Edit Delete Report 
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