Description:
- Tomato frog has orange to red back, a yellowish underside and sometimes have black spots on the throat. The bright colors serve as a warning mechanism. While not toxic, it give off a yucky, sticky white mucus which is irritating to mucous membranes & serve to ward off predators.
- The frog can inflate body when disturbed
- Dyscophus antongilli is endangered in its native country as a result of deforestation and over-collecting for the pet trade. This types of Tomato frogs is protected under CITES Appendix I and are ILLEGAL in trade!
- Two other species of tomato frogs in Madagascar, D. guineti and D. insularis, neither of which are presently endangered.
Distribution:
- These frogs are found in Madagascar, Africa
- It is limited to the northwest part of the island.
Breeding:
- 18 - 32 °C temperature
- mid to high humidity
Nesting:
- -
Size:
- Approx. 3 inches (7.5cm) for males
- Approx. 4 inches (10cm) for females
Life Span:
- 5 - 10years
Diet:
- Insectivorous (insects-eating); crickets, moths, flies, grasshoppers, etc also worms and fishes.
- Remove all the remaining insects because they (specially crickets) will be harassing it at night, resulting stress, all food items should be no larger than 1/3 of the size of its head.
Habitat:
- Terrestrial; lowlands, swamps and shallow pools.
- They live well in temperatures from 64 up to 80°F.
- Container should be large enough but does not need to be high because they do not climb high much
- A large water bowl should be available all the time.
- It need a soft substrate to burrow into. If they start to turn an icky brown color, it's a sign of a unhappy frog. Ideally should have about 6 cm of a damp but not too wet base substrate mixture to dig into. This substrate can consist of pre-sterilized chopped oak & maple leaves, sphagnum moss & river sand, or you can go for some regular potting soil as long as it doesn't contain any chemicals.
- You can put a few large pieces of cork bark or bogwood on top and add a shallow water pan towards one corner.
- You should mist the vivaria once or twice daily with dechlorinated or stale water to retain moisture in the substrate.