Bolitoglossa dofleini pics

[VirgiChris]

Here are some pics of ours tree giant palm salamanders, that we've kept for over three years :happy:
Only females, so we are actively looking for a male.

 

[Opacum]

WOW! Those are fantastic!

 

[slowfoot]

Wow! They are amazing! I never knew arboreal salamanders could get so big

 

[Otterwoman]

Wow, they really are monsters! Imagine seeing one in a tree! I don't think a lot of people keep them, good luck finding a mate!

 

[Viv]

WOW. Thats so cool. How do you keep these?

 

[VirgiChris]

They are in a terrarium 85*50*140 (cm) with rainfall system, temperatures between 22 and 27°C. They are very active when the rainfall is put on and it's often that we see them on the top.
We 'd kept them almost like red eye tree frog.
They all had a preventive treatment for chytrid when they arrived (Itraconazol).

 

[Viv]

Is the rain system just a pvc pipe with holes drilled in it and a powerhead pumping water into it the tank. Is it a false bottom tank with a water "sump". Are there lots of branches in the viv? I want them so bad but I probably won't be able to get any. Haha

 

[taherman]

Great salamanders! I've never seen any that big, unless the person in the photo has tiny hands! It seems that males rarely show up in the pet trade. Do you know what country these animals came from?

 

[Kaysie]

I never realized they were so big! It's great to see they're doing well; usually they don't last long in captivity.

 

[Azhael]

Impressive!!!!
Bolitoglossa is an amazing genus, indeed.
It is great to see some doing well in captivity, as everybody is commenting, they usually don´t last long.

 

[KevinS]

Amazing animals-thanks for sharing!

 

[grius]

Amazing! could never have thougt there was a so large aboreal species!

You guys say that they dont last long in captivity, could this maybe have something to doo with temperatures? 22-27 i kind high for salamanders what i know, but they obviously do fine in little warmer environments, i mean that other keeprs may house this species too coold and therefore with no success?

 

[Azhael]

I think it´s more likely a direct effect of the stress and bad conditions of importation. The same happens with H.orientalis, Pachytriton, Paramesotriton....the process takes a toll, and if the species is somewhat delicate, then the toll is too high and the animals are never able to adapt well to captivity. Also, being tropical species, these probably get shipped with a variaty of other tropical amphibians that carry the gods know what.....

 

[VirgiChris]

The rain system is a pvc pipe with hole drilled, we collect the water in another tank where we put a pump. It's not really visible on the following pic (sorry for the quality) but they have quite some branches.
I think several things do that they don't last long in captivity, but the only two we lost at the begining were those which didn't get a chytrid treatment.......
We think also that temperatures and alternation of wet and dry seasons (as they get in nature, they come from Honduras) are very important.
Here is a little video where you can see the rain falling in the viv :
YouTube - Bolitoglossa - Chambre de pluie

 

[Viv]

Whats the background made of? That is so cool.