Looking into thumbnails...

[themann42]

I'd like to make a new vivarium, big suprise, this hobby really is as addicting as you all say. It prolly won't happen till summer time, but never too early to start planning. I'd like to know what you guys think about thumbmails.

So, I'd like to know a little more about thumbnails and your guys' personal experiences. I think what I'm curious about more than anything, is how active are they? I have Leucs right now, and they're always out and about, making them really enjoyable. I've heard that thumbnails often like to just sit in their bromeliads and not do much, is that true? I want frogs that I can watch hop all over the place.

My other consideration for a new tank would be something like tincs or even geckos of some sorts.

[Mantellaprince20]

Thumbnails in general are fairly active..........only a vast majority of them will duck and cover if they see you glaring in. THere are a few that are more bold than most tincs, like the D. imitators. I have heard standard lamasi are pretty bold as well. Then if you also start looking into the egg feeders such as pumilio, they are very bold (have you seen the pics of the male blue jeans taking on a full sized tinc??? ). And, like you say, it is never to early to start planning your next viv .

Major rule of thumb though: the more hiding spots and vegetation you plant in your viv, the more active and more often you will see your frogs. If they always have somewhere they can dart into, then they will feel a lot more comfortable than only having one or two good spots to hide in. SO, if they have more hiding spots, in question, they will utilize more of the viv . I have a group of vents in a VERY thick 75 gallon, and generally vents are very shy frogs. Mine are just as bold as my imitators though, and I contribute that to their vivarium and the way it is set up. Anyway, take care, and ask away, I am sur eothers will help answer

ed parker

[themann42]

thanks for the reply. the only reason i might not want imitators is because of their colors. even though they're still sweet looking, i want frogs that will really stand out, like my leucs with bright yellow. the imitators are a yellowish green mostly.

edit: just looking them up i noticed intermedius is a form of imitator. are they just as bold as a regular imitator. i like their orange much better.

I really like the Lamasi, they have a much brighter yellow and their patters are just as awesome.

from ur post i'm assuming now that pumilio are not thumbnails? i always thought they are. i thought it was a general term referring all the types of frogs that are really small. so when i started the thread saying thumbnails, i meant to include pumilio too. they're pretty bold you say?

[NCSUdart]

Intermedius i've found are even bolder than imitators. Lamasi are very expensive atm, although you can get panguana or green leggeds for around 100 (my green leggeds are very shy). Pumilio are good, man creeks are in ready supply and as long as you set things up right for them are very hardy.

[slaytonp]

My own imitators are the most lovely of colors-- Their backs are made of the tricolored gold of of the Black Hills jewelry, yellow gold, red gold and greenish gold, fading on down into the lower back that joins legs of reticulated black and blue. I don't know how one can beat that for color, unless one has some problem with color blindness or a lack of distinction among hues and tones of color.

[c'est ma]

What a beautiful description, Patty!

I'd say, if you have a chance to see the species you're interested live (as opposed to in pictures), grab it. (Attend a show, visit a breeder, etc.) For some of them it's hard to get a picture that really does them justice.

My intermedius, for instance have an almost metallic sheen to their yellow-orange coloring that I can't get to show up in photographs. Very different from the strong but more waxy yellow of leucs, for instance. (Hmm, wish I were as good at descriptions as Patty...)

--Diane

[Jordan B]

I would highly reccomend vents as a first thumb. They are hardy, bold, and about as forgiving as a thumbnail frog gets. Scott MacDonald sells great vents . The ones I got from him are breeding like rabbits! Standard lamasi are frogs that I would wait on getting. They can be touchy frogs. I waited a few years before working with frogs like that, and am now delving into a lot of the rarer frogs now that I have 3 years in the hobby under my belt. Some people would consider that fast as well, although it really varies from person to person.

Jordan

[themann42]

thanks for all the responces! i guess these guys aren't as shy as i thought. plus if pumilio are pretty bold as well, that really opens up my options. there are so many morphs of pumilio, are pretty much all of them just as bold as others? i guess this decision is going to be pretty hard to decide on just one kind of frog, i want all of them! it will eventually prolly end up depending on price and availablility. also, if any of these aren't particularly suitable to partial noobs (like mentioned about the lamasi above), let me know. i have about 1 year of experience with leucs and that's it. no experience with thumbs or pumilio yet.

[mnchartier]

Not trying to hijack this thread but I think this may benifit you also.

Ed,

You stated a highly vegetated viv will help make them use more of the viv, could you post a pic of that 75 gallon to illustrate how much vegetation you are refering to plus I love to see others thumb vivs. I also am looking into venturing into thumbs in the next 6 months.

[Dane]

While not true thumbs, I would reccomend red or orange Bastimentos as a first smaller frog, they are the boldest members of my collection, and if the conditions are right, they'll produce froglets for you with minmal effort on your part.