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Theloderma corticale (Vietnamese moss frog)

Sternotherus odoratus. muskus schildpad

Origin: Vietnam
Age: With proper care, they can live up to 6 years or older
Length: 9 - 10 cm.

Care
Experience: Some experience with aquariums and terrariums is desirable.
Food: Insects of which mainly crickets.
Adult feeding: 2 to 3 times a week.
Feed young: Every day.
Water bowl: Water bath from 7 to 10 cm deep.
Water change: Every day
Nutrition
They are insectivores. Suitable insects are: crickets, worms, moths, flies and medium-sized grasshoppers. It is best to feed them when the main lighting goes out, because often the animals become active.

Water
Offer the frogs a water bath about 7 to 10 cm deep for the frogs to bathe in. The water temperature should be 10 to 20 degrees Celsius. The water can be heated with heating cables or a heating element for aquariums. The water bowl should consist of about a quarter of the stay.

Cleaning
Keeping the terrarium clean is very important. The water in the water bath should be changed daily, because moss frogs often use the water as a toilet. Inspect the terrarium daily, remove dirty furnishings, clean and replace them. The entire terrarium and interior must be cleaned several times a year. If disinfectants are required for cleaning (only use mild variants), rinse everything thoroughly and dry. This prevents the sensitive frog skin from coming into contact with chemicals.

Handling
The frog should be handled as little as possible because otherwise you damage the skin, even a little bit of salt on our hands can damage the skin. If necessary, you can catch them by running them into a container without using your hands.

Housing
Minimum enclosure size for a group of 4 frogs: A terrarium of 50x40x80 cm.
Day temperature: 10-20 degrees.
Night temperature: 10-20 degrees.
Hours of light: The lights should be on for 12 hours a day.
Humidity: During the day: 80-100%, at night: 80-90%.
Ground cover: Provide a thick layer of Hydro granules with pieces of bark, peat slabs and flat stones on top. You can still cover this with live moss to keep the power.

Design
The terrarium must have many robust large-leaved plants. Strong branches are also needed to climb. Make sure there are no splinters on these branches, the animals can injure themselves. The frogs can hide under plates of cork bark or hollowed-out trunks.

Behaviour
Hunting method: In the night often towards dusk, it hunts for insects.
Lifestyle: Vietnamese moss frogs rest in trees during the day, but can also be found on the ground during the day in puddles or in low vegetation along the water's edge. When the animals are not hunting at night, they sit on branches and leaves of trees. When it rains, the frogs can also be active during the day.
Points of attention
You can join a terrarium association, you can get tips from it and you can share your experience.

Cost and Purchase
Legislation: -
One-off costs: the costs of the animal and the accommodation.
Fixed costs: food and clean ground cover.
Unexpected costs: vet costs if the animal becomes ill