Home | Livestock | Shop | Care Sheets | Feeding | Health | Articles | Q&A | Gallery | Events Diary | Guest Book | Links | Forum

Care Sheet: Pauliani's Dagger Frog (Boophis pauliani)

Common Name: Pauliani's Dagger Frog.

Scientific Name: Boophis pauliani

Distribution: Madagascar.

Size: 20-25mm.

Sexing: The males of this species may be heard calling. The skin on the back of males is granular where as in females it is smooth. Also the colouration in these species is sex specific see notes below.

Colouration: The dorsal surface of males can range from greyish-green to yellowish-green. Females are usually always a light brown, sometimes with two yellow dorsolateral bands. Both sexes often have black and yellow markings on the flanks.

Requirements: These small agile frogs can jump over a large distance and so require a fairly large terrarium. A 15-gallon tank would be adequate for a group of 6 adults. They require a woodland type set-up with a substrate of bark chips, topsoil and moss. Furnishings such as logs, cork bark, bamboo and sturdy thin-leafed plants can be arranged to provide a number of climbing, perching and hiding places. A small water bowl (no deeper than the frog's height at rest) must be provided with clean de-chlorinated or spring water. The water will need to be changed daily to avoid the build up of ammonia and bacteria in the water whilst changing the water it is a good idea to visually inspect the tank and remove, clean and replace any soiled items. The tank will need to be heated to a daytime temperature of 24 - 26°C with a drop at night to 20 - 22°C this can be done with an under-tank heat-mat controlled by a thermostat. It is not advisable to use spot / heat lamps with amphibians and so a separate light source should be provided by the means of a fluorescent UVB tube. Once every two-three weeks the tank and its contents should be completely cleaned and sterilised using an amphibian / reptile friendly disinfectant.

Feeding: For adults a mixture of suitably sized insects including small crickets, flies, caterpillars and moths should be fed every two-three days. A calcium and vitamin supplement should be used once weekly. Young frogs will take hatchling crickets and fruitflies, these should be fed every day and a calcium and vitamin supplement used two-three times a week.