Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi gang:

I need as much info on the care, set up for imitators as you can possibly direct me to. I looked at Saurian.com and Tor Linbo's site but I still need more specific info like( I didn't see specific info on):

1.All the different foods they will eat. Will they eat BOTH sizes of FF? Will adults see Spring tails and eat them? What about Rice flour beetle larve, and aphids, and whiteflies? And are they hardy eaters? How many ff should I see them consume at every feeding(should that be once per day)?

2. What is the temp range that is best for them?

3. I have heard a few different views now on set up with regards to what will stimulate breeding. One expert says, misters will increase productivity. Another says his aren't really in need of daily misting just as long as the top of the tank is high in humidity and that they actually are quite responsive to low pressure systems(storms and such). I'm trying to decide if I want to hook the tank up to a mister.

If you all could help ASAP, I would be so greatful. You can relate your answers to Tincs as I have experience with them, if you wish. I'll post more later on the Imitators I got.

Mine will eat anything that moves and they can stuff into their mouths. My first newly metamorphed-out froglet tackled small fruit flies right off, as I didn't have any springtails for him at the time. I have seen the adults eat everything from nearly microscopic plant lice, springtails, to the larger fruit flies, pinhead crickets, aphids, and wild leafhoppers. (Aphids seem to be the equivalent of a box of chocolate candy.) My froglets began breeding at 5 months old, just out of their nursery/quaranitine confinement, in a tank kept at about 72 degrees with 80% + humidity--in winter-- so perhaps they do respond to weather pressures. The breeding behavior is slowing down now, perhaps because they have overdone it for awhile and need a rest. Just be sure to have a lot of bromeliads in their tank. They like to cuddle together in the leaf axils at night, when they aren't busy arguing about breeding matters and territory during the day. They are athletic and like the higher reaches best, seldom exploring the ground after the first investigations. When first introduced, they will actively explore every inch of the new habitat top to bottom. Mine have also laid eggs on the sides of the glass where it is somewhat covered by osmunda fiber, but these eggs were less successful than those laid on the leaves.

I mist by hand on a daily or twice daily basis, but I have the time to do this and it gives me a chance to observe them. Be sure your spray bottle is warm. They hate cold showers, although it doesn't seem to harm them, just makes them glare at you and hop away indignantly.

Maggie, I can't even imagine that you won't have the best environment possible for them. We new "mothers" are always a bit neurotic and anxious. We may raise spoilt brats, but they are at least healthy spoilt brats. Sit back, relax and enjoy the show they will put on for you.
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Patty
Lost River, Idaho

Thanks again for your quick and informative reply. These are the cutest little frogs I have ever imagined I would have! I wonder if they like the humidity but may not neccessarily breed off the daily misting, would an ultrasonic humidifyer do nicely with handspraying? 'course, if I were to take a vacation, that mister would be better. Do you ever see your little ones really chow down? I put these adults into a temp tank while I finish up the final home and I've seen 2 of the 3 froggies eat 2-3 flies each-they don't seem to be too hardy like my tincs. And there are many ff in the tank for them to have. Will they only take flies near their "territory"? You are correct in saying we can be a little Neurotic. I can be VERY neurotic! I put in a mixture of the small and large ff and I'm a little scared to see them not eating like my tincs. They are active enough, presenting many of the acrobatic, explorative, active behaviors you described. And man, whoever said they'd be shy? They come out to look at ME! One of the males has already started calling!He sounds like a little bird! The girl seems to be playing hard to get though! Oh, I love them so much! For now I just really want to make sure they are eating Ok. I hate not knowing if they are eating Ok-I'm not sleeping til I see them eat!!!

in my experience they have been much more bolder than my CB Blue Jeans . The thing that I really like about D. imitator is that everytime I do maintenance in the tank, they do not leap right out of the tank (my other PDFs are quick to escape the tank.) Instead, they hide in some crevice and come out only once i have left and closed the tank.

Yeah, they are really neat frogs...

D. imitator

-cobaltblue / Byron

Hi,
My imitators have springtails always availiable because they don't occupy the bottom of the tank so the springtails rule that and reproduce very well.So there is one sourse of food.The other is I have fed them both melog.and hydei and they accept both.I mist mine evey day also and their tank is all glass so it stays hvery humid all the time.When I first got them I used my digital thermometer and in my 20 vert the temp varied from 83 at the top to 75 at the bottom some days.They stayed at the top most of the day and it didn't affect them at all.They have bred for me many times.Mine seem shy compared to some peoples but they are still cool little frogs.
Mark W.