Community Reptile and Amphibian Tanks
By Devin Edmonds
Introduction
A terrarium that houses multiple species of amphibians and reptiles together often sounds like a great idea. A combination of different types of frogs, salamanders, lizards, turtles, or snakes in one cage adds a new ingredient to the average mono-species terrarium, and makes a fascinating display. Zoological institutions often recreate naturally occurring communities in large elaborate exhibits which engage the public. Can a private hobbyist accomplish the same thing at home? I think that generally private hobbyists struggle to accommodate multiple species in one terrarium, and that most should avoid attempting to do so, instead sticking to species-specific setups. With this article I hope to outline some of the most common problems encountered when different species are kept together in the same cage, and hopefully provide people with a better understanding of what’s involved in keeping a community reptile and/or amphibian terrarium.
Many hobbyists like to think of reptiles and amphibians in a similar way as tropical community fish. At the local fish store there are dozens of different species of fish that can be plopped into the same tank and will generally do fine together. This can be accomplished because there are many different species that require extremely similar care. Water temperature, water quality, diet, aquarium setup, and other care requirements are often alike for different species. Unfortunately, the same can not be said for reptiles and amphibians. Even those that occur together naturally often occupy different microclimates in the wild and require drastically different care in captivity. When multiple species are kept together, often at least one has their care compromised in order to accommodate the others. Our goal as hobbyists should be to provide the best possible care we can for our herps, not stretch them to their limits in order to create an attractive display tank.
Common Problems
Cage size is probably the most common mistake made when keeping a community reptile and amphibian terrarium. Space is very important in multi-species setups, more so than in setups designed specifically for one species. It’s important that all animals in the cage have room to have their own territory, hunt for food, regulate their body temperature, and otherwise behave normally without the threat of aggressive cage mates causing problems. Standard aquarium sizes are usually too small to accomplish this when multiple species are kept together, and the long, low rectangular shape most are manufactured in is not ideal for most community reptile and amphibian tanks. Next time you visit a zoo that has a tank that houses multiple species together make sure to take note of the size of the cage. Most are large cubes that that measure several feet in both length, width, and height, and a similar cage size should be applied if reptiles and amphibians are kept together at home. For most, a terrarium of this size is not practical or possible to keep in the home and therefore most private hobbyists will have difficulty keeping different species together in one cage.
It’s also important to understand that a terrarium offers far less room than wild reptiles and amphibians usually occupy. In the wild there is plenty of room for reptiles and amphibians to go about their business without others interfering. It’s rare for two different species to come near each other unless one is trying to eat the other. When multiple species are placed into a glass cube that is the size of only a small fraction of the space they would occupy in the wild there is a much great chance that something will go wrong or that they will interact with each other in a negative way. Even species that occur naturally together in the same environment generally maintain a large distance from one another, or at least more space than a terrarium can offer.
One of the most common problems encountered when keeping multiple species in one tank is that one of the species becomes food for the other. The majority of carnivorous reptiles and amphibians will attempt to eat anything that moves. The size of prey that can fit inside an amphibian’s or reptile’s mouth is often surprising. As a general rule, only keep different species together that are the same size. It’s also important to realize that even though cannibalism may be taboo in most current human cultures, it certainly is not off limits to amphibians and reptiles. It is important that all animals in the cage, even those that are the same species, are similar in size.
It’s essential to understand the environmental conditions that different species need to survive prior to keeping them. Accommodating different environments in one cage is very difficult to do and rarely works out. If the environments needed by different species don’t match up they should not be kept together. Particularly important is temperature. Most reptiles should be provided with a large range of temperatures in their environment, while most amphibians should be exposed to a smaller thermogradient. It’s often difficult to provide these different temperature requirements in one cage, which makes mixing reptiles with amphibians hard to do successfully. The preferred humidity level is also important to take into consideration. Species from arid regions should never be kept with those from tropical climates, it will not work well. In addition to temperature and humidity, the actual physical environment is important. Some species are aquatic and will need a large water area, while others are strictly terrestrial and can drown in deep water. Some species prefer a deep soil substrate that they can burrow in, while others are arboreal and need different perches and climbing spots. It can be difficult, if not impossible, to provide these different environmental conditions in one terrarium, particularly in smaller cages.
A commonly overlooked problem is the toxicity of the animals being kept. With the exception of two species of lizards, the only venomous reptiles are certain species of snakes, nearly all of which are poor candidates for a multi-species terrarium. On the other hand, there are hundreds of poisonous species of amphibians that are commonly recommended as good species to mix together. Keeping poisonous species of amphibians with other animals is very risky for obvious reasons. Some common species of amphibians that are poisonous are fire-bellied toads (Bombina species), red-banded walking frogs (Phrynomantis bifasciatus), fire-legged kassina running frogs (Kassina species), common true toads (Bufo species), Cuban tree frogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis), tomato frogs (Dyscophus species), mantella frogs (Mantella species), fire-bellied newts (Cynops orientalis), and fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra).
Some amphibians that are close to the same size, live in similar environments, are not poisonous in captivity, and would presumably do fine if kept together sometimes do poorly because they require different types of food to eat. Diet is one of the most important parts of permanently maintaining captive reptiles and amphibians. Unfortunately, not all species eat the same food, and those that do often don’t eat the same sizes of food. Both red-eyed tree frogs (Agalychnis callidryas) and blue poison dart frogs (Dendrobates azureus) will eat crickets, but the former of the two will only recognize larger crickets as food, while the dart frogs are not capable of eating large feeder insects and need to be fed hatchling crickets. Although feeding both sizes of crickets is one possible solution, this usually ends poorly because large crickets that go unnoticed can actually attempt to eat and cause harm to reptiles and amphibians. In this case the adult crickets could possibly harm the dart frogs. It’s also necessary to understand that not all reptiles and amphibians are equipped equally to catch food. Those that are stronger will often bully other weaker species out of food, eventually leading to the death of the weaker species.
What species can be kept together?
So the big question: What species of reptiles and/or amphibians can be kept together? Generally speaking, if you have to ask if two different species can be kept together you should not attempt mixing them because you don’t understand their care requirements enough to do so, and do not have the experience needed to identify common problems that may develop in a multi-species terrarium. Instead, it’s strongly recommended that the different species of interest be kept separately for a long period of time prior to housing them together. This will give the keeper time to recognize what their normal behavior is, as well as understand what’s involved in caring for them.
One combination that can work well is keeping different North American tree frogs together, such as green tree frogs (Hyla cinerea) and gray tree frogs (Hyla versicolor). Most species require fairly similar care and can be kept together in a large enough terrarium. Avoid keeping Cuban tree frogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) with other frogs as they are poisonous, grow large, and love to eat other amphibians. Certain species of poison dart frogs (Dendrobatids) have been kept together successfully by some hobbyists. Avoid any species that could potentially produce hybrids, instead sticking to dart frogs from different genera such as Dendrobates azureus with Phyllobates bicolor. Anoles (Anolis species) are a common lizard that is mixed in with frogs, but I would advise against this unless the terrarium is very large and a large temperature gradient can be provided safely without risking the frog’s safety. It also can be difficult to locate healthy anoles, and unhealthy animals should never be kept with others. Small day geckos (Phelsuma species) have also successfully been kept with certain species of frogs, but again the same precautions should be taken as when keeping anoles with amphibians. As general rule, avoid mixing snakes with other reptiles and amphibians because their care requirements are often different than those of other types of herps. Avoid mixing turtles and tortoises with other types of reptiles and amphibians for the same reason. Aquatic basking turtles, such as painted turtles (Chrysemys picta), red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta), and map turtles (Graptemys species) generally do fine when kept together because their care requirements are nearly identical, with the exception of diet which is easy to adjust to meet a certain species needs. Larger reptiles are almost always best kept either alone or with others of the same species because they are too difficult to manage when kept in terrariums with other reptiles and amphibian.
None of the above combinations are foolproof or completely safe by any means. Whenever two species are kept together there is a larger risk of problems occurring than when they are kept separate, and it’s important to understand this before mixing species. Those that are listed above are just combinations that I have seen other hobbyists have success with, and are not strict rules to follow. I always urge hobbyists to keep species-specific tanks rather than community terrariums because it is safer for the captive animals and generally much easier for the caretaker.
Prior to keeping different species together it’s crucial that all animals are isolated in separate enclosures for at least one month, preferably longer. During this period of time the keeper should thoroughly observe all animals and ensure that they are healthy and eating. The isolation cages should be kept as clean as possible, and it’s advised that the keeper washes their hands and any shared equipment between cages to prevent possible pathogens from spreading between them. It’s also strongly recommended that fecal samples be collected and taken to a veterinarian who can examine them for internal parasites.
It’s advised that all species being mixed should be captive-bred rather than wild-caught. Amphibians and reptiles born in captivity are less likely to have health problems than those that are from the wild, and are less likely to contain harmful diseases or parasites that could harm other species. By only mixing captive-bred animals, the risks involved in keeping a community reptiles or amphibian terrarium will be reduced.
Keeping a multi-species terrarium takes a lot of research, time, money, and space to provide. It’s something that most hobbyists are not able to do safely, and that most should avoid. Although it’s common to see mixed community tanks in zoos and other institutions, these facilities are able to provide the care needed to maintain them. Most have a full time exotic-specialty veterinarian on staff so that when problems do occur a vet can be called in immediately. They also often have other resources that the average hobbyist does not, such as a larger budget and an entire staff of experienced employees that specialize in maintaining animals. The community amphibian and reptile tank is something that should only be attempted by veteran hobbyists who have the resources needed to maintain and keep one. Those who are new to keeping reptiles and amphibians but still want a multi-species terrarium might consider safer options, such as using one tank to maintain several species that are separated by glass dividers.
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1.1 Ornates (Lindsay Pike)(Doug Dix)
0.0.1 Mali
0.1 Weimaraner
