Bolitoglossa dofleini Warm or Cold climate?

I have just purchased a Bolitoglossa dofleini and Iam keeping it cold like the rest of my collection. Should I be keeping him warm judging from what part of the world they come from?

first off, get it treated for chytrid. All of the ones I am aware of that have been screened in the USA are all positive and they can/do die from it.
Second, keep it much drier than most other caudates with a high humidity. The substrate should be almost dry to the touch
third
Keep it between 72-80 F (22-27C)
fourth feed it small meals daily as they usually do not have any fat reserves left.

Ed

Hey Ed, Thanks for all those tips. I wasn't aware of the chytrid, that helps explain some things.

Hello Ed,

how would you treat chytrid in Bolitoglossa?

Eike

Its the same treatment as used in anurans, a intraconazole solutions for 10 minutes a day for 10 (or 11 days). Here in the USA, you need a perscription for the itraconazole.

Ed

Hi Ed,
Interesting about these chytrids in B. dofleini in the USA. We had the same problem in Europe with B. dofleini. Perhaps a clarification on the use of itraconazole. The problem with the (European) itraconazole solutions is that they are not water soluble and just form a "film" on the bathing solution. Moreover they contain products, possibly harmful to the amphibian skin. I tried this solution and it simply didn't work. Nowadays I use itraconazole using the guidelines of http://coloherp.org/cb-news/Vol-28/c...iomycosis.html

Successful?

Hi Frank,
That is why I didn't bother with dosages etc. I have no idea how it is formulated over there but that is the basic regimen we use to treat it.
I was on the phone with an aquarium in England the other day who just documented chytrid in their caecilian collection.

Ed

(Message edited by Ed on February 18, 2005)

Hi Ed,

The chytrid monster is everywhere... (we found them in Italian newts also) There is one big problem with this fungus: it appears to be very common in nature actually (often associated with massive die offs) BUT its pathogenicity for most amphibian species has not been proven yet. That is why I am very cautious about a result from the lab from salamanders with chytridiomycosis: we just know to little of the disease, certainly in urodelans. It is far to easy to blame the fungus for all problems going on in amphibian collections. I think that the plethodontid salamanders are at higher risk because of their lack of lungs and their dependency on skin and mucosal respiration and I am convinced that chytridiomycosis might constitute one of the major factors in the very high mortality of imported central American salamanders (a lot of contacts possible with e.g. anuran carriers during transport). Ed, have you had any clinical problems in the urodelan collection with chytrids until now?
Hi Eike, yes, this treatment is succesful in eliminating chytrids from frogs and salamanders.

Hi Frank,
Chytrid was reported as the cause of mortality (pers communication from the vet tech at another facility) in the dolflini (which is why I commented on this species specifically).
From a communication with the ex-reptile Curator at the Baltimore Zoo, when I asked him about the bolitoglossids in the chytrid hotzone in Central America, he indicated that these were also being extirpated along with the high-altitude anurans.

In general, I agree with you Frank that chytrid is endemic within wild caudate populations, along with bullfrogs, tiger salamanders look to be a carrier. (Xenopus are apparently immune and may have been the initial carrier species for global distribution).
There are a couple of recent papers that discuss differential susceptiability to chytrid but it does appear in general to be more lethal in captive collections that in many wild populations.
We have not seen chytrid in our collection to date. The pathologist screens all amphibian necropsies for chytrid however, if we did get chytrid in the collection we would treat all the amphibians as we are a holding institution for a couple of very chytrid sensitive species (Atelopus zeteki and Bufo baxteri)

Ed