AmphibiCast

One of the greatest concerns facing wild amphibians today is poaching. Poaching and Illegal trade not only put amphibian populations at risk from over collection, they also jeopardize conservation efforts by competing with legal trade.  Seized shipments of illegal frogs often have nowhere to go,  finding responsible sustainable sources to supply hobbyists is a challenge, and captive reintroduction programs are often few and far between.

Every problem must have a solution though... -And the solution to these problems is Tesoros de Colombia, and Ivan Lozano. 

Ivan has dedicated decades of his life towards eliminating the illegal trade by creating a sustainable source of captive bred amphibians for both reintroduction into the wild and to supply ethical hobbyists. He has spearheaded efforts in Colombia aimed at eliminating poaching by providing legal exports, and by giving back to the ecosystems that these animals thrive in through various initiatives including La Reserva Biopark. 

This three part series focuses on the past, present and future of Tesoros de Colombia. In this week's episode we talk about the past- how and why Tesoros created- with Ivan Lozano. We discuss the creation of La Riserva Biopark, the state of the Colombian amphibian trade in the early days, and why there was such a great need for Tesoros de Colombia to begin. 

For more information visit: https://tesorosdecolombia.com/ and https://activeconservationalliance.org/

To Support the Podcast by becoming a Patron, for Merch, and for a 10% listener discount off of an In Situ Ecosystems vivarium, visit: https://linktr.ee/AmphibiCast

One of the best things about podcasting is being able to chat with like-minded people about the things you enjoy most.  2022 has been a great year for the Podcast and as the year comes to an end, I'd like to thank all my guests and listeners for the support. 

In this special holiday episode, I am joined once again by Mike Tytula and we talk about the reptile and amphibian hobbies, the challenges that go along with creating content, his newly imported oophaga histrionica, and what it's like to be the only person in Canada to work with certain reptile and amphibian species.  We end the show with a few laughs and a candid discussion about how Canadians and New Yorkers celebrate Christmas. (hint- they don't eat lasagna in Canada)....

Thanks everyone for a wonderful year. New episodes will debut in 2023!

To support AmphibiCast by becoming a Patron, for Frog Merch, for a 10% listener discount on In Situ Ecosystems vivarium purchase and to support Panamanian Frog Conservation visit: https://linktr.ee/AmphibiCast

Thanks again to Mike Tytula AlphaReptile -and be sure to follow him on Instagram and Subscribe on Youtube. 

In this weeks episode I run down 10 common mistakes made by beginners in the dart frog hobby.

For Patreon, Merch, and a 10 percent discount off an In situ ecosystems vivarium visit -

https://linktr.ee/AmphibiCast

For the past few decades, Chytrid has had a profound effect on amphibian populations worldwide. In Panama, species within the Atelopus genus have been particularly effected.  Thankfully though, new strategies are being developed to mitigate disease.

This week I am joined by Brian Gratwicke of the Smithsonian National Zoo and the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project . Brian is also the Co-Chair of the IUCN amphibian disease specialist group. We discuss some of the strategies being developed to combat disease in fragile wild Atelopus populations, captive breeding and husbandry protocols used to maintain assurance colonies, and the significant role that skin bacteria plays as a defense against disease.


For more information visit: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/about/staff/brian-gratwicke

To support the show by becoming a Patron, for AmphibiCast Merch, for a 10% listener discount off In Situ Ecosystems Vivariums, and to support Panamanian Frog Conservation, visit https://linktr.ee/AmphibiCast

As amphibian medicine continues to advance, so has our understanding of what constitutes proper captive husbandry. practices.  Both hobbyists and conservationists place tremendous value in the lives of their frogs and both will often (if not always) look for answers when death or illness present in their collections. Since many amphibian illnesses cannot be detected by the naked eye, in these cases we must rely on a pathologist to help us find out the answers.

This week I am honored to be joined by Dr. Robert "Oz" Ossiboff. Oz has the unique distinction of being one of the few veterinary pathologists who specializes in amphibians here in the US, and in this episode we discuss how pathology and parasitology are essential parts of proper husbandry protocols. We talk about how and why necropsies and fecal exams are performed, how parasites and diseases can be detected and diagnosed under a microscope, and we discuss some real life case studies. Oz is also an accomplished dart frog hobbyist, and we discuss his approach to keeping from a vet's perspective. 

To learn more please visit: https://www.vetmed.ufl.edu/profile/ossiboff-robert/

To support AmphibiCast by becoming a patron, for merch, for a 10% listener discount off In Situ Ecosystems vivariums, and to support Panamanian Frog Conservation visit: https://linktr.ee/AmphibiCast

This week I am joined once again by Josh Allen.  Josh has years of experience as a guide and naturalist in Peru, and he has a special interest in poison frogs. We discuss some of the impacts that habitat destruction and gold mining have on Peruvian Dendrobatids within the Cordillera Sira, his encounters with some of the rarer species of ranitomeya, and how to identify suitable wild ranitomeya habitat. We also talk about the importance that a certain type of  soil plays in the lives of wild poison frogs and the ultra rare and habitat-specific species - Excidobates mysteriosus.


To become a patron, for merch, and for a 10% discount on in situ ecosystems vivariums visit 
https://linktr.ee/AmphibiCast

In this episode I discuss some of the principles and methods behind naturalistic aka bioactive keeping as it relates to amphibian husbandry. I cover how and why husbandry progressed from sterile to naturalistic, how to effectively manage waste in a naturalistic enclosure through careful planning, the importance of moisture, drainage and ventilation, and what to expect from an effective cleanup crew. 

To support the show by becoming a Patron, for AmphibiCast Merch, to support Panamanian Frog Conservation, and for 10% listener discounts on In Situ Ecosystems vivariums visit: https://linktr.ee/AmphibiCast

Have you ever dreamed of building a giant, naturalistic vivarium for your frogs? What does it take to construct, scape, plant and stock a 48 cubic foot vivarium (4ft by 2ft by 6ft)? In this  4 part series we will build a hypothetical large format vivarium from the ground up and address the challenges and rewards that go along with it!

In this episode (Part 4), I am joined by Troy Goldberg and we discuss some of the frog  choices that are appropriate for a Large Format Vivarium. We discuss communal settings in a larger tank, feeding strategies and we compare and contrast different species of dart frog, tree frog, atelopus, and glass frog. 

If you would like to purchase a tank from In Situ Ecosystems and get 10% off your purchase for being a listener. Click https://insituecosystems.com/?ref=amphibicast and make your purchase through this link.

For everything else visit https://linktr.ee/AmphibiCast

Have you ever dreamed of building a giant, naturalistic vivarium for your frogs? What does it take to construct, scape, plant and stock a 48 cubic foot vivarium (4ft by 2ft by 6ft)? In this  4 part series we will build a hypothetical large format vivarium from the ground up and address the challenges and rewards that go along with it!

In this episode (Part 3.), I am joined by Alex Menke of Frog Daddy and we discuss some of the plant choices that are appropriate for a Large Format Vivarium. We also discuss the effects of a large tank on plant growth, when to avoid larger plants, and how to plan a build that will grow in successfully without being over run. 

If you would like to purchase a tank from In Situ Ecosystems and get 10% off your purchase for being a listener. Click https://insituecosystems.com/?ref=amphibicast and make your purchase through this link.

For everything else visit https://linktr.ee/AmphibiCast

Be sure to checkout some amazing vivarium plants at frogdaddy.net 

Have you ever dreamed of building a giant, naturalistic vivarium for your frogs? What does it take to construct, scape, plant and stock a 48 cubic foot vivarium (4ft by 2ft by 6ft)? In this  4 part series we will build a hypothetical large format vivarium from the ground up and address the challenges and rewards that go along with it!

In this episode, (Part 2.) I am joined by Brandon Willis. We discuss some of the different techniques and materials used as hardscape during vivarium construction and some of the challenges associated with a large format build. We talk about the pros and cons of different methods and how to plan out an extra large hardscape in advance. 

If you are interested in purchasing any of the vivariums discussed in this series (large or small) and getting a 10 % listener discount click and make your purchase through this link https://insituecosystems.com/?ref=amphibicast

For everything else visit: https://linktr.ee/AmphibiCast

Be sure to follow Brandon on Instagram @lost.vivariums