Terrestrial caecilian keepers.

Me not and as far as I know nobody in Russia by now.
But I would love to. And am interested in any kind of information.
 
I know of a researcher group at the University of Jena (e.g. Dr. Kupfer, author of the article in Paris thread) Germany who keep and breed African terrestrial Caecilians of the genus Herpele and Boulengerula. They feed their animals earth worms. And it seems not difficult to breed them.
 
markusA said:
I know of a researcher group at the University of Jena (e.g. Dr. Kupfer, author of the article in Paris thread) Germany who keep and breed African terrestrial Caecilians of the genus Herpele and Boulengerula. They feed their animals earth worms. And it seems not difficult to breed them.
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That's incredible! I've never heard of anyone being able to breed Boulengerula. That's great news. I don't currently own any, but I am looking into getting some Boulengerula uluguruensis from a dealer here in the U.S.
 
Since April I have 2 Geotrypetes seraphinis, they are not so difficult to keep; but there are other species in my list;) (e. g. Ichthyophis spp., Typhlonectes natans)
 
I thought it was time to revive this thread. If there is one thing I'm more addicted to than caudates, it's caecilians! I've had a hard time acquiring any here in the US. The dealer here in the US who used to carry Boulengerula uluguruensis no longer imports them. However, I was able to get a Geotrypetes seraphini from them. Unfortunately, my Geotrypetes seraphini had been exposed to very low temperatures in transit, and the stress was too much for it, so it did not survive long.
 
This June mines died: they became sick, maybe the earthworm they ate contained something:(
 
Chamaeleo said:
This June mines died: they became sick, maybe the earthworm they ate contained something:(
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I'm sorry to hear that. :( I hope you are able to acquire some more. Were the earthworms store-bought or collected from the wild? I am on the hunt for more Geotrypetes seraphini, that seems to be the only species being imported for the general public here in the US.
 
Geotrypetes seraphini and Herpele squalostoma are imported together. Other importers have brought in some kind of East African caecilian which would seem to be Boulengerula fisheri [not seen], earlier this year.
 
FrogEyes said:
Geotrypetes seraphini and Herpele squalostoma are imported together. Other importers have brought in some kind of East African caecilian which would seem to be Boulengerula fisheri [not seen], earlier this year.
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Yes, I've heard this before, but I haven't been able to find either the Herpele or the Boulengerula. It would seem that, if they are being imported, it's in very small numbers.
 
Herpele and Geotrypetes are imported and sold as the same animal, though they're clearly different, having different colors, annular counts, and "tail" size and shape. The vendor with Boulengerula listed them as Geotrypetes, but Geotrypetes doesn't come from East Africa and isn't "tiger-striped", whereas Boulengerula fisheri fits both ;)

Basically, you can't trust the names on lists, especially when obscure creatures are concerned. The so-called "common names" can sometimes give useful clues, as can the other species on a list. For example, if Rieppeleon, Agama mwanzae, and various other species are on a list, then a shipment has likely arrived from Tanzania. If Conraua or Hemitheconyx are on it, a shipment has likely come from Cameroon, Togo, or other points west. That obviously narrows the possibilities. Sometimes you might be able to phone a vendor and ask for specific variants - like "all-black mandarin salamanders" or "light gray caecilians". Sometimes you just buy as many as you can and hope for the best, perhaps selling off the ones you don't want.
 
FrogEyes said:
Herpele and Geotrypetes are imported and sold as the same animal, though they're clearly different, having different colors, annular counts, and "tail" size and shape. The vendor with Boulengerula listed them as Geotrypetes, but Geotrypetes doesn't come from East Africa and isn't "tiger-striped", whereas Boulengerula fisheri fits both ;)
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I know that Herpele and Geotrypetes have been sold under the same name in the past, but in the last couple years that I've been looking, I've only been seeing individuals that were definitely Geotrypetes. You are right, Geotrypetes do not come from East Africa, but they most certainly have "tiger-striping".
 
The ones I've seen didn't, but that could have been age or local variation. The Boulengerula I refered to should have been B.taitanus.
 
Striping is quite common in Geotrypetes seraphini. All the individuals I've seen, both in person and online, have had striping.
 
I tried Geotrypetes seraphini last year. I kept them at 78 degrees in coco fiber soil mix with bark over the top. They refused all food. isopods , worms, and termites and died after a month.
 
ozarkhellbender said:
I hope you are able to acquire some more.
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I hope so;)
ozarkhellbender said:
Were the earthworms store-bought or collected from the wild?
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They were collected from wild, and I had collected them almost for a year before, without any problem.
BillYannone said:
I tried Geotrypetes seraphini last year. I kept them at 78 degrees in coco fiber soil mix with bark over the top. They refused all food. isopods , worms, and termites and died after a month.
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At first I kept them in coconut fiber too, but they were difficult to feed and they refused all food (earthworms, previously killed small crickets and mealworms). This happened in April 2010. After 2 weeks without eating I decided to place them to a simple setup (plastic box with moist paper towel and some pieces of bark, the towel was changed at least every second day or when it became polluted) and I put them in a drawer to provide darkness. The animals started to eat (only earthworms, that's when I learned what to feed them) and worked well without any problem until they got that sickness in June...
 
I know the Zoo in Philadelphia PA. (USA) works with them and have some very large aquatic ones on display. Well they did a few years ago anyway.
 
They have and aquatic caecillian at the Dallas zoo also. I saw it shedding and eating it on my visit. Weird animal.:happy:
 
The Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas has quite an impressive collection of terrestrial species also.
 
Most Impressive discussion. I too have been bitten by the caeclian bug again. I enjoy them However would like to find out more about their soil and temp needs before purchase to ensure best chance @ survival rate. I am sure species requirements differ. However I am looking for specifics on some of the one we see most often in the trade. Lomy soil or no? Baked top soil, how bout clay like soil??? Humidity??? ph of water you are misting with??? etc Oh and yes where to find??? Who are some of the importers you gent are speaking of???
 
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