Today I adopted a firebelly toad (added to my others) and what I was lead to believe was a long-tailed lizard. Since I'd been contemplating adding one of these to my tree frog tank, I told the people the other day "Sure, I'll take him!" Never trust a novice to accurately ID their own critter. What I was brought was a 10 gallon tank with crushed walnut substrate (dry), a heat rock, and a textbook J. splendida.

My question is this: the literature I've come across says that this creature's habitat should be compatible with my gray and White's treefrogs, and that he's exclusively insectivorous. Can I trust this little guy with my frogs? The smallest is about 2.5-3". He's really quite lovely, and would make a beautiful addition to the habitat, but only if he'll play nicely with others. If this is a poor combination, I'll seek out another home for him, as I simply don't have space for one more tank. At the very least, he'll get a habitat makeover.

Thanks for the advice!

Welcome to Herpcenter


I wouldn't mix species. now, onto more important points.
1. Get rid of that heat rock ASAP, they are dangerous and the horror stories associated with them are numerous.

here's a link that will help you determine the setup that best works for you

http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/frogs...talfbtoads.htm

2. The crushed walnut substrate has to go, the risk of impactation far outweighs how pleasing it is to the eye

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Ken
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan

First off, welcome to the HCN! Japalura splendida is a MARVELOUS species. I once had one and he was by far one of my all time favorites. They're not too common in the trade either. Just to ensure a positive ID, your guy looks like this, correct?


As Ken has already emphasized, the heat rock and walnut bedding must go. Heat rocks are unreliable at providing a stable temperature, don't heat from above, and are known to overheat and cause severe burns. Walnut bedding is not only unsuitable for your splendid tree dragon's (one of many common names for them) habitat, but as Ken said again, they're a well known cause of intestinal impactions in lizards. Other common names for Japalura splendida include Chinese tree dragon and limestripe/ lime-stripe lizard. Agama, dragon, and lizard are often interchanged among these common names as well. Assuming your dragon is not full grown yet, he would quite possibly attempt to make a meal of your tree frogs once at his adult size. His claws could also potentially kill them accidentally from him simply moving about the enclosure.

Unfortunately for you, the 10 gallon tank also must go. Though splendid tree dragons are not large lizards by any means, they are still too large for a 10 gallon aquarium. A 30 gallon will suit him better, though a 40 is even better than that. You also will need a screen lid, and most importantly a UVB light. Frogs do not require UVB exposure, but diurnal lizards do. It MUST say UVB, as UV is not the same (UV is simply UVA, which doesn't do the same thing). I'd go with either Reptisun 7.0 (made by Zoo Med) or a self-ballasted mercury vapor bulb. If you go with the MV, you won't need a seperate heat lamp. If you go with the fluorescent Reptisun, you'll have to buy a dome lamp and put a basking light in it. Keep in mind that UVB lights need to be replaced every 6 months as well. You can read up further on why he needs the UVB here:
http://www.freewebs.com/rodents2reptiles/didyouknow.htm

That should start you off anyway. If you have any further questions though, don't hesitate to ask! Don't forget about vitamin supplements, gutloading, and all that good stuff too. And be sure and provide him with plenty of foliage.

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"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

I would like to add that you should quarantine anything you get new. You don't want to take the chance of spreading any type of parasite of disease. Some quarantine for 1 month other up to 6 months.

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Colleen

Looks like the important things have been said already, but I want to welcome you to HCN!

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~Juliane~

Thanks, all!

Fortunately for the little guy, I immediately saw all of these issues with his habitat, and had already planned the needed changes. The heat rock is not plugged in, and until I figured out if he was switching tanks altogether, he's got a light layer of damp Bed-a-Beast on top of the walnut. I'm in the retail end of the hobby, and spend my days educating others about habitats and care. However, where compatibility questions come into play, I'm definitely NOT the expert.

If I can't put the little beauty in with my froggers (and it's the frogs I worry about - they are my babies!), I'm afraid I'm going to have to find him a more suitable home, as I simply don't have space for yet another tank, especially another decently-sized one as this guy needs.

And yes - he's a beautiful, perfect example of every photo I've found under his many names (I originally found him listed as a "Himalayan tree dragon" and had to call the store I work in for his scientific name when Google only gave me botanical and mystical results!), but seems to have even lighter, brighter green than any photo I've seen.

HORRAY! You posted on the site! well done, i told you people here would know about the little guy! =^.~=

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Yes my name is D... Yes as in the letter... No i wont tell you what it stands for!!!