Frogs get Mods!

Let the creativity commence! This has to be the most exciting part of any venture. A blank slate with no holds barred! For several days we've been itching to build a new home for one of our lovely White's Tree Frogs, Clarabel.  Despite the name, this somewhat elusive creature is probably a male and has been bullied incessantly by the resident females (so only fair to make his case a priority).

We added Sphagnum moss for humidity and cork bark for climbing, though of course the Bromeliad also provides plenty of nooks and crannies for young Mr. Clarabel to investigate..see photo below! At a later date, more branches will be added to enrich the Viv. Nature provides a wealth of suitable material (provided they are properly sterilised and prepared for vivarium use).

The most important aspect must always be to create a functional environment where the frog will thrive and display natural behaviour.
We chose a fabulous vivid scarlet Bromeliad to provide hiding places and also to enhance the humidity. With such an array of amazing plants available to choose from, (and also being a closet botanist) restraint had to be exercised regarding the hardiness, usefulness and potential toxicity of any choices.

Having said all of that, I now sit typing this nocturnal journal to the backdrop of a small troupe of locusts, (Mr. Clarabel's evening meal), furtively devouring the verdant foliage...
How lucky we were today to get sunshine for these pics!

So now we have our basic environment, complete with correct ranges of temperature (with two thermostatically controlled heat pads; one behind and one beneath) and humidity (between 40-60%), sufficient hiding places, exploratory areas, vantage points for hunting, clean water for drinking and bathing and, of course, one happy frog.

The trouble is, one creative venture is never enough. It's contagious...there's always something left over, a  handful of moss, a vase somewhere, maybe a desperate houseplant? A little outbreak of 'terrarium fever'.

Tomorrow is the Spiny Stick Insect enclosure!