Post by roneddy on Nov 16, 2014 18:54:07 GMT
Mixing it up!
One of the first questions asked by newer reptile and amphibian-keepers is ‘can I keep this species with that one?’ influenced no doubt by ‘community’ fish set-ups and large dramatic zoo displays. Unfortunately, reptiles and amphibians are not fish, and very few of us have the space, resources or knowledge of large zoos. Mixing species is always a controversial subject, as controversial as or even more so than substrates; there is good reason for this however- it was common practice, years ago, to buy a variety of species and bung them together in a tank (usually floored with aquarium gravel) and ‘see what happens’- this would not be considered responsible animal-keeping today. Mixing can be done, taking various factors into account, but it needs to be based on solid knowledge and considerable forethought. The common answer to the question above is ‘if you have to ask, don’t’. This isn’t quite as dismissive as it may sound; anyone who has been in the hobby for any length of time has seen what happens when it all goes horribly wrong.
As stated, mixing can be done, under very specific circumstances:
1) You know the species concerned very well indeed. By this I mean you have kept them for a considerable time, you have done your research, you are clued up on what suits them, what stresses them and their ‘little habits’. If they behave in any way unusually, you have a good idea why.
2) They have similar needs in terms of temperatures, humidity and so on. This does not, I believe, have to mean that they come from the same geographical area (although some would disagree), but that they should definitely come from similar climates and environments. In my experience, for example, although the plant species may differ, a tropical forest in Brazil is very similar to one in Sri Lanka, and temperate deciduous forest in North America offers much the same conditions as are offered in similar environments in Europe or Japan. On the other hand, a mountain in even a tropical country has very different conditions to lowlands in the same country.
3) They are no threat (or perceived threat) to each other- none of them is likely or able to prey on each other. All adult amphibians and most reptiles are carnivores or insectivores- and even most of the veggies are known to be opportunistic if the chance of a meaty meal comes up. ‘Everybody’ knows that horned frogs and African bullfrogs are cannibalistic, but not everybody realises that most frogs will eat practically anything that moves and will fit in their mouths- including smaller frogs. For particularly greedy frogs (White’s treefrogs, Cuban treefrogs, cane toads, tomato frogs), the definition of ‘what will fit in their mouths’ is pretty broad. By 'perceived threat', I mean by the animal- for example, it is often stated that you can keep rough green snakes with anoles or treefrogs, since these snakes only eat insects. This is true, but the lizards and frogs don’t know that! Millions of years of evolution have told them that snake = predator. Putting one in with them in a confined enclosure is plain cruelty.
4) They are not toxic to other inhabitants. I keep being asked if fire-bellied toads can be kept with other frogs- the answer is no. They produce a slow-acting, cumulative poison that will eventually kill off every other frog in the viv. Many other frogs produce toxins to a greater or lesser extent, and their effect on other animals is often simply not known.
5) All animals included are disease and parasite-free. It may seem too obvious to mention that all animals introduced to an enclosure should be properly quarantined and treated where necessary, but pathogens that can be relatively harmless to one species and therefore pass unnoticed can be lethal to another. A classic example is the protozoan Entamoeba invadens, which can infect a wide variety of reptiles, and is related to the main cause of dysentery in humans and other mammals. For some reason this protozoan affects meat-eaters far more intensely than vegetarians; some tortoises for example can carry it in their guts for years without any apparent ill-effect. Lizards that come into contact with the organism via close contact or droppings on the other hand, can become severely ill and die within days. Similarly, the dreaded chytridiomycosis (‘chytrid’), caused by the fungus Batrachochochytrium infects a range of amphibian species, although it is thought that it’s effect is most severe in combination with other environmental factors.
6) All the animals have space, visual barriers and refuges to get away from each other. Even the largest viv is smaller than the space available by choice in the wild, and crowding stresses animals just like it does humans. This can lead to extreme behaviour in even ‘peaceful’ species. While some animals do well in small groups of their own species, most reptiles and amphibians are not particularly sociable, especially where other species are concerned. Think also about competition, for food; in a mixed group, inevitably, some animals will be quicker to notice and grab prey than others- be particularly careful to make sure that each is getting enough to eat; and for hiding places, basking spots and favoured perches. For a mixed set-up, allowing each species enough space to live its life without interference is paramount.
7) Finally, if your motivation for mixing is to ‘save space’, forget it. Not only will your vivarium need to be big in itself, you will need spare vivaria, in case it all goes pear-shaped. At any point during your project, you will have to be prepared to pull some animals out if things go wrong- and they will need somewhere to go.
Before I end this piece, I’d like to say again that mixing is not impossible; the purpose of the article is to highlight the considerations that are needed to make it work. With research and appropriate resources, a mixed set-up can be very rewarding indeed, but it is certainly not the easy option!
Copyright 2014 Ron Eddy
One of the first questions asked by newer reptile and amphibian-keepers is ‘can I keep this species with that one?’ influenced no doubt by ‘community’ fish set-ups and large dramatic zoo displays. Unfortunately, reptiles and amphibians are not fish, and very few of us have the space, resources or knowledge of large zoos. Mixing species is always a controversial subject, as controversial as or even more so than substrates; there is good reason for this however- it was common practice, years ago, to buy a variety of species and bung them together in a tank (usually floored with aquarium gravel) and ‘see what happens’- this would not be considered responsible animal-keeping today. Mixing can be done, taking various factors into account, but it needs to be based on solid knowledge and considerable forethought. The common answer to the question above is ‘if you have to ask, don’t’. This isn’t quite as dismissive as it may sound; anyone who has been in the hobby for any length of time has seen what happens when it all goes horribly wrong.
As stated, mixing can be done, under very specific circumstances:
1) You know the species concerned very well indeed. By this I mean you have kept them for a considerable time, you have done your research, you are clued up on what suits them, what stresses them and their ‘little habits’. If they behave in any way unusually, you have a good idea why.
2) They have similar needs in terms of temperatures, humidity and so on. This does not, I believe, have to mean that they come from the same geographical area (although some would disagree), but that they should definitely come from similar climates and environments. In my experience, for example, although the plant species may differ, a tropical forest in Brazil is very similar to one in Sri Lanka, and temperate deciduous forest in North America offers much the same conditions as are offered in similar environments in Europe or Japan. On the other hand, a mountain in even a tropical country has very different conditions to lowlands in the same country.
3) They are no threat (or perceived threat) to each other- none of them is likely or able to prey on each other. All adult amphibians and most reptiles are carnivores or insectivores- and even most of the veggies are known to be opportunistic if the chance of a meaty meal comes up. ‘Everybody’ knows that horned frogs and African bullfrogs are cannibalistic, but not everybody realises that most frogs will eat practically anything that moves and will fit in their mouths- including smaller frogs. For particularly greedy frogs (White’s treefrogs, Cuban treefrogs, cane toads, tomato frogs), the definition of ‘what will fit in their mouths’ is pretty broad. By 'perceived threat', I mean by the animal- for example, it is often stated that you can keep rough green snakes with anoles or treefrogs, since these snakes only eat insects. This is true, but the lizards and frogs don’t know that! Millions of years of evolution have told them that snake = predator. Putting one in with them in a confined enclosure is plain cruelty.
4) They are not toxic to other inhabitants. I keep being asked if fire-bellied toads can be kept with other frogs- the answer is no. They produce a slow-acting, cumulative poison that will eventually kill off every other frog in the viv. Many other frogs produce toxins to a greater or lesser extent, and their effect on other animals is often simply not known.
5) All animals included are disease and parasite-free. It may seem too obvious to mention that all animals introduced to an enclosure should be properly quarantined and treated where necessary, but pathogens that can be relatively harmless to one species and therefore pass unnoticed can be lethal to another. A classic example is the protozoan Entamoeba invadens, which can infect a wide variety of reptiles, and is related to the main cause of dysentery in humans and other mammals. For some reason this protozoan affects meat-eaters far more intensely than vegetarians; some tortoises for example can carry it in their guts for years without any apparent ill-effect. Lizards that come into contact with the organism via close contact or droppings on the other hand, can become severely ill and die within days. Similarly, the dreaded chytridiomycosis (‘chytrid’), caused by the fungus Batrachochochytrium infects a range of amphibian species, although it is thought that it’s effect is most severe in combination with other environmental factors.
6) All the animals have space, visual barriers and refuges to get away from each other. Even the largest viv is smaller than the space available by choice in the wild, and crowding stresses animals just like it does humans. This can lead to extreme behaviour in even ‘peaceful’ species. While some animals do well in small groups of their own species, most reptiles and amphibians are not particularly sociable, especially where other species are concerned. Think also about competition, for food; in a mixed group, inevitably, some animals will be quicker to notice and grab prey than others- be particularly careful to make sure that each is getting enough to eat; and for hiding places, basking spots and favoured perches. For a mixed set-up, allowing each species enough space to live its life without interference is paramount.
7) Finally, if your motivation for mixing is to ‘save space’, forget it. Not only will your vivarium need to be big in itself, you will need spare vivaria, in case it all goes pear-shaped. At any point during your project, you will have to be prepared to pull some animals out if things go wrong- and they will need somewhere to go.
Before I end this piece, I’d like to say again that mixing is not impossible; the purpose of the article is to highlight the considerations that are needed to make it work. With research and appropriate resources, a mixed set-up can be very rewarding indeed, but it is certainly not the easy option!
Copyright 2014 Ron Eddy