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Mantella care
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| Our gold mantella terrarium |
We keep 3 male and 1 female M. aurantiaca (gold
mantellas) in a 10-gallon aquarium. Lighting consists of one 15-watt ZooMed Iguana-Lite 5.0 for the benefit of both
the frogs and the plants. The tank is kept in our reptile room which is strictly temperature-controlled year-round.
To build the terrarium, we started with a layer of gravel,
followed by sphagnum peat followed by live pillow and sheet moss. We added a few pieces of driftwood and some creeping
fig to add layers, interest and cover. We have found that the frogs are more comfortable and bold when they have
more cover in their enclosure. We left an area through the middle bare down to the gravel. After all of the components
had been added, we sprayed the enclosure down thoroughly to help seat the moss into the peat and to provide a shallow water
area (the bare gravel patch) for the aminals to soak in.
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| male guarding coconut breeding hut |
We feed mostly fruitflies (both D. melanogaster
and D. hydei Sturdivant) almost daily in the summer (room temp 72-75F), dusting with Nekton-rep, Nekton-rep color
and/or Calanpro Reptile Tri-Calcium every other feeding. We supplement with pinhead crickets on occasion for variety.
In the winter we cut back to once or twice per week as we lower the room temperature close to 60 F. We spray lightly
every morning in the summer and only once per week in the winter. The water area in the center of the tank provides
a place for the animals to hydrate between mistings.
There is a half a coconut in one corner for breeding with a petri dish under it to allow for easy transferral
of eggs. They actually use it about 60% of the times they breed. We remove the eggs after 3-7 days for rearing
in a separate enclosure.
Insular Exotics: Finest Captive-Bred
Island-Endemic Herps from Around the World. All images on this site copyright Insular Exotics 2004 unless
otherwise noted.
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