INTRODUCTION

      Although I’ve kept amphibians for decades, I still can’t help watching common species in pet shops and herp (amphibians and reptiles) shows. These fascinating animals come in a variety of sizes, shapes, colors, and personalities, but all seem designed to enchant their owners. Nocturnal species appeal to night owls, while brightly colored, active species make superb daily attractions in naturalistic vivaria (enclosures for live animals). Amphibians excel as children’s pets, centerpieces in planted vivaria, research subjects for amateur biologists, and a lifelong passion for serious herpetoculturists.

      For all their beauty and charm, amphibians are relatively fragile animals that require specific temperatures, foods, and enclosures. The species discussed in this book require water or high humidity to thrive, and keepers must pay special attention to the quality of their water. Keeping a pet amphibian healthy and happy requires knowledge about its needs. In this book, I give step-by-step details about amphibian care. You’ll learn how best to keep your new pet and how to help it thrive for years to come.

      In recent years, the popularity of frogs and salamanders as pets has surged. To keep up with the demand, several species are collected from the wild by the thousands and are now standard fare in pet stores. Unfortunately, these mass-collected species tend to be inexpensive and sold as disposable living toys, typically marketed to appeal to children rather than adults. Because these amphibians are most often marketed to children, the habitats recommended for keeping them are sadly unsophisticated. Consumers often see these amazing creatures in austere and Spartan environments—small, unlit, plastic terrariums without plants or filters. These special and beautiful creatures end up debased by the setting in which they appear. This inhumane approach creates far-ranging negative consequences, and it performs a great disservice to the animals (which live impoverished lives and die prematurely) and to the children and adults who purchase them.

      In contrast, amphibians kept in attractive, enriched environments display a greater range of behaviors and far longer life spans, providing years of beautiful and captivating activities. These biologically complex (but easy to make) naturalistic vivaria encourage study, creativity, research, and an evolving awareness of the natural world.

      Taking the above ideas into consideration, this book plans to present the correct way to keep frogs, newts, and salamanders, with an emphasis on the step-by-step design of decorative and functional vivaria. To the surprise of many, these setups are relatively easy to maintain and comparatively inexpensive, costing about the same as basic aquarium systems for tropical fish. Indeed, many of the species covered in this book can be successfully kept with fish.

      This book also aims to raise consciousness and promote education. To address these issues, I included chapters about the benefits of vivaria in the work place and the use of amphibians in naturalistic vivaria as a valuable tool for teaching biology.

      As long as I’ve kept amphibians and as much as I love to watch the frogs and salamanders in pet shops, I’m also aware of the important issues facing wild populations of these creatures. Unmonitored and unmanaged exploitation of amphibians is not acceptable. If we are to continue to be able to keep frogs and salamanders in captivity, we must give attention to conservation, sustainable use, management, and commercial herpetoculture of these