AmphibiCast

This week I am joined by Zach Porritt.  Zach has built one of the largest and most impressive dart frog enclosures in the hobby - A full sized greenhouse! Join us for our discussion into how the greenhouse was constructed, planted and stocked, and how his  Phyllobates terribilis behave, feed and breed in such a large environment. This week's episode is sponsored by the frog breeder merch stor...

This week I am joined by Chris Buttermore. Chris is the Curator of Amphibians at Dallas World Aquarium and in this episode we discuss his work with large Oophaga. Our discussion covers a host of topics including what we know about the genus from the published literature, metabolism as a means of understanding egg production, extending female fecundity, how to accurately sex large obligates, and fo...

This week I am joined by Shareef of A Bunch of Tanks. In this episode we discuss in how to incorporate cork panels into a vivarium background, the infamous viral atelopus photo, and what it was like moving a large dart frog collection across the US. This week's episode is sponsored by the frog breeder merch store, https://the-frog-breeder-merch.myspreadshop.com/     Exo-Terra is a proud spons...

This week I am joined by Dutch Ecologist and Amphibian Hobbyist, David Brouwer. David has a life long  passion passion for the Majorcan midwife toad (Alytes muletensis), and in this episode we take a deep dive into the natural history, conservation, captive breeding, and husbandry of one of the world's most unique amphibians. David and I begin our chat with a discussion about the value of nat...

This week I am joined by Roberto Marquez and Rachael Arkin . In this episode, we discuss new  phyllobates research that includes Roberto's work with phenotypic evolution in poison frogs,  and how poison frogs evolved to avoid the harmful effects associated with consuming and accumulating toxic alkaloids. We also discuss Rachael's work with Phyllobates tadpoles and carotenoid supplementat...

This week I am joined by Alex Menke of Frog Daddy. We begin our discussion by talking about breeder ethics, and the frog and plant market. Then, we take a deep dive into how to properly care for  five species of intermendiate level to advanced level vivarium plants. Specifically, we cover Begonia, selaginella, margravia, anthurium and sonarilla, along with all the issues that they may have and how...

This week I am joined by hobbyist and breeder Sean Twohy.  Sean breeds several amphibian species but his true passion is Cynops Cyanurus (AKA the blue tailed fire belly newt)  and in this episode we discuss aquatic newt care, raising daphnia, UV lighting for newts, managing aquatic substrate, and we compare and contrast aquatic vs terrestrial amphibian husbandry. We also take a dive into cynops ca...

This week it is my pleasure to be joined by Ben Baker of Fantastic Frogs. Ben has decades of experience working in British Zoos and in this episode we discuss his work breeding frogs in the private sector, his work with Bristol and Chester Zoos, and his world travels and in situ observations. We also talk about how brexit has effected the hobby in Europe and the UK, wild mantella behavior in the p...

This week I'm joined by Roy Arthur Blodgett. Roy co-hosts the Project Herpeteculture podcast and in this episode we discuss some controversial issues in the greater herp community including peer pressure, and what constitutes a reliable information source. We also discuss Roy's museum quality vivarium builds, his P ilotes sulphureus and  Xenodon pulcher projects, his podcast, and we pose...

As 2023 comes to a close I would like to thank all my guests and listeners for making it a great year. And to celebrate the end of 2023, I'm joined by Mike Tytula.  In this episode, Mike and I discuss his Oophaga histrionica "fuego" project, the state of pumilio in the Canadian amphibian hobby, and some of his new projects with his partner Bree that include Madagascan rain frogs(sca...

Oophaga sylvatica comes in a wide variety of morphs-including the vividly colored "koi" morph, which is soon to be legally exported out of Colombia for the first time. My guest this week is Julio Rodriguez, and we discuss his recent trip to Colombia and what it was like seeing them in the wild. We also discuss some of the wild variations, what goes into keeping sylvatica in a private col...

Herpeteculture is a broad banner with many different disciplines under it. Much can be learned from the different niche communities within it, if we are willing and open minded enough to do so.  This week I am joined by Phil Lietz ,of the Project Herpeteculture podcast, and we compare and contrast different issues within herpeteculture. We talk about some controversial issues within the greater re...

This week I am joined by Natt of @NattAttackss and we discuss her Atelopus barbotini and Phylomedusa sauvagii breeding projects. We talk about the time and dedication that goes into working with these species, as well as a step by step rundown of how she got her atelopus barbotini to produce hundreds of healthy offspring. Follow Natt @nattattackss on Instagram and TikTok This week's episode i...

The Toronto Reptile Expo is one of the biggest reptile expos in North America. But what makes an expo happen? Well to answer this question I am joined by Fadi of Daffy's reptiles and we discuss his new role as videographer and social media director for the expo. We talk about what goes into planning and promoting the brand, how the plant community became involved, and the ins and outs of show...

As reptile expos become more popular around the world, there is a greater demand for healthy captive bred reptiles and amphibians. In Canada, one of the biggest expos in the country now employs a full time vet to ensure the health and wellbeing of animals on display and being sold. It's my pleasure to sit down with Dr. Alec Brown this week and discuss his role at the expo, the value of veteri...

It's that time of year again. And, just in time for Halloween, I get to sit down this week with Richard Stewart of The Tarantula Collective. In this episode, Richard and I discuss some commonalities between the amphibian and invertebrate hobby,  how public perception of tarantulas is evolving, what goes into hosting his podcast -The Exotic Pet Collective, and what goes into creating some of t...

Many species of dart frogs exhibit some degree of parental care. But new research has shown a new level of parental care in Ranitomeya imitator, that far exceed anything we have ever imagined. Through her research, Dr. Jen Moss has been able to understand a new complexity within the calls of Ranitomeya imitator that redefine our understanding amphibian parental behavior. It's my pleasure to h...

This week I am joined by Jay Sommers and we discuss the legacy of Bob Mailoux. Bob was a giant in the amphibian world and many of the species we work with today (including white's treefrogs) would never have risen to their current status in the hobby with out Bob's decades of hard work and passion. Jay and go on to discuss the history of the amphibian hobby back into the 70s and 80s and...

This week I am joined by Lynn Rech of Fern's Frogs and we discuss her approach to breeding and keeping dart frogs with a high attention to detail.  We talk about the benefits of in person sales, vending at east coast expos, raising oophaga pumilio in grow outs bins, the importance of maintaining frog pedigrees via a  Universal Unique Identifier (UUID) known as "Foot Prints", and how...

As the amphibian hobby continues to grow, it is crucial that we advocate for the health and wellbeing of our beloved frogs, toads and salamanders. We must also be mindful of the health and wellbeing of the industry that provides us the privilege of working with these amazing creatures. And when it comes to setting policies that affect the industry (particularly with regard to amphibian disease), i...

In July of 2020 I released the first episode of AmphibiCast. Since then, I have had the honor of interviewing over 100 remarkable people from all different disciplines with one goal in mind - to broaden our understanding of the frogs, toads, and salamanders we all care so deeply about. This episode is dedicated to all the guests and listeners who have helped make the last three years happen. -Than...

In this episode I discuss some common problems associated with culturing flightless fruit flies and some tips on how to avoid them. 

The Atlanta Botanical Gardens is not only a world renowned destination for plant lovers, it is also home to an incredible collection of some of the world's most beautiful amphibians.  In this episode I am joined by the ABG's Amphibian Program Coordinator, Chelsea Thomas. We discuss the history of the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, the care and husbandry of the frogs within the collection, th...

This week I am joined by Michael Heinrichs and we discuss his beginnings in the hobby, oophaga vincentei, and expanding conservation goals through the Active Conservation Alliance.  Michael started out keeping herps (specifically geckos in the Phelsuma genus) in the 1970's and he has experience in both the US and German hobbies.  In this episode we talk about the early days, and how Michaels...

This week I am joined once again by Aaron Capouellez. Aaron is an amphibian  conservationist and naturalist with a special interest in native Pennsylvania species. His work over the past few months culminates in a media blitz beginning this week that is aimed at  visually documenting and telling the stories of  some of PA's more vulnerable amphibian species. In this episode we discuss Frog We...