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As many of you know, Doug (Pumilio) sent a group of R. vanzoliniis out from Colorado on Tuesday, May 10Th, which were supposed to arrive overnight here in New York City Wednesday, May 11Th. The package (sent via USPS) was lost for many days and both parties had determined that the frogs were a loss.
So, around 2:00PM today, the local post master came by with a package for me to sign for. Of course, I told him how incredibly dissapointed I was in the USPS for killing such beautiful frogs. There wasn't any real point in making him suffer about it, I just wanted him to know how badly I felt the they had killed my frogs.
I brought the package into the house and brought out my camera to document the sad event of unpacking the dead frogs. The outside of the box looked good, so it wasn't thrown around too much. I removed the layers of styrofoam and the now rock-hard phase panels that Dough had placed in there (btw, the packing was really first rate).
The frogs were in individual cups and not moving. As soon as I started moving one around, the little Vanzolinii inside sprang to life! It was ALIVE!!! (I actually started doing an impersonation of Dr. Frankenstein, yelling "IT'S ALIVE!!") So, I carefully started removing the three other cups, thinking maybe one could have lived, but that that was a one-off. Cup after cup, the little guys starting bouncing around (I think being shocked out of their semi-hibernation). All of the Vanzoliniis were alive!
I brought them over to their new home (a 15 gallon vertical set-up) and carefully released each in turn into the new enclosure. I let them settle-in for about 1/2 hour, then released some wingless D. melanogasters. The frogs were ravenous! Even though the smallest one was quite skinny, they all began eating (and now, three hours later, look like little ballons from all the food they've eaten). I don't think we're "out of the woods" entirely, but I feel that it is a good sign that they are moving around well and taking food.
As many of you know around here, I am not what you would call a "prayer", but I'd like to send a little thank you to the "ethers" for getting these wonderful little frogs through their voyage around North America. Apparently, they are a bit tougher than I thought they would be. There survival is also a testament to Doug's very good work at packaging them correctly. THANKS, DOUG!
Take care, Richard.
So, around 2:00PM today, the local post master came by with a package for me to sign for. Of course, I told him how incredibly dissapointed I was in the USPS for killing such beautiful frogs. There wasn't any real point in making him suffer about it, I just wanted him to know how badly I felt the they had killed my frogs.
I brought the package into the house and brought out my camera to document the sad event of unpacking the dead frogs. The outside of the box looked good, so it wasn't thrown around too much. I removed the layers of styrofoam and the now rock-hard phase panels that Dough had placed in there (btw, the packing was really first rate).
The frogs were in individual cups and not moving. As soon as I started moving one around, the little Vanzolinii inside sprang to life! It was ALIVE!!! (I actually started doing an impersonation of Dr. Frankenstein, yelling "IT'S ALIVE!!") So, I carefully started removing the three other cups, thinking maybe one could have lived, but that that was a one-off. Cup after cup, the little guys starting bouncing around (I think being shocked out of their semi-hibernation). All of the Vanzoliniis were alive!
I brought them over to their new home (a 15 gallon vertical set-up) and carefully released each in turn into the new enclosure. I let them settle-in for about 1/2 hour, then released some wingless D. melanogasters. The frogs were ravenous! Even though the smallest one was quite skinny, they all began eating (and now, three hours later, look like little ballons from all the food they've eaten). I don't think we're "out of the woods" entirely, but I feel that it is a good sign that they are moving around well and taking food.
As many of you know around here, I am not what you would call a "prayer", but I'd like to send a little thank you to the "ethers" for getting these wonderful little frogs through their voyage around North America. Apparently, they are a bit tougher than I thought they would be. There survival is also a testament to Doug's very good work at packaging them correctly. THANKS, DOUG!
Take care, Richard.
