Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How deep should I keep the water in my pond area and will tincs actually even get in it? I read somewhere that the only times they may get in water was when they were depositing tadpoles.
Also, to keep it looking natural, there are rocks bordering my pond so there is a slight drop off from the dry area to the pond. Do I need to put something in there for them to climb out or can they just climb the rocks or even jump out from the pond? Not a substantial distance, maybe 4 inch drop from rock to pond.
I realize later on when I look back on this that this will probably seem like the most ridiculous question I've ever heard.
Derrick

Nope, this is definitely not the most ridiculous question.

I have a 6 inch deep pond in one of my leuc pair's tanks. It has a slanted piece of driftwood in it, but it is really a cliff for the most part. They do fine when they fall in (rarely). I wouldn't worry. Mine will sometimes just crawl out by crawling up the glass (it is a 35 hex).

Tincs you have to be careful with water to some degree because of fighting in water between females. I have no water features with my tincs so I have never witnessed this (could be an urban legend), but something to keep in mind.
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Josh Willard
www.joshsfrogs.com

Thanks Josh, I was leary about keeping the water level at more than a half inch or so. You've definitely cleared up an illusion I'd formed from somewhere about them drowning easily. I plan on purchasing a mated pair so I don't imagine fighting should be a prob. So are the terrestrial frogs, tincs specifically, good climbers in general?
Derrick

I was worried about pond depth when I first started setting up my tank. From what I've seen in the last couple weeks they are really good at climbing glass. I have wood for them to get out just in case. I have a waterfall and my pond is 5inches deep.
Russ

As the heavier frogs get older, they are less able to climb glass, so always keep an easy egress for them in case they fall in. They can swim, by the way.

If you have a pair, you probably don't have to worry about fighting and drowning each other, which occurs in more shallow, rock filled ponds betweem females, where the fighters can get a purchase on rocks to drown each other, but have to separarate and swim for shore to save themselves in the deeper pond. Like Josh, I've never seen this happen with tincs or their close relatives first hand, but we sure read a lot about female tincs in particular, holding each other and drowing in shallow waterways on various other forums. There may be something to this, or maybe not. I once found one of my galactonotus trying to climb the front glass after he had apparently fallen in the aquarium portion and didn't get to the log egress. As a full adult, he was merely hanging on, so I helped him back into the vivarium portion. He probably could have figured it out after awhile, but at the time, it seemed he was getting pretty tired and not making much progress in figuring out where he was. How many times this may have happened when I wasn't around or didn't notice, I have no idea. In any event, I still have the same original frogs.

Be sure to keep your pond screened off well from the rest of the false bottom, if this is your type of set-up. They can possibly get trapped under the substrate in the false bottom if the pond isn't separated from it by a screen or some other water permeable barrier arrangement.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
7 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
6 P. terribilis mint and organe
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus
2 D. azureus
4 P vittatus
2 P. lugubris