[macg]

I'm planning about 4-5 standard leucs for a 55 that's been growing in for a while, and I'd like a bit more of everyone's perspective on their preferred humidity.

I understand they are seasonal breeders (dry season followed by a wet season), and in general they can handle drier conditions. However, has anyone experienced their standard leucs preferring a consistent level of humidity in their environment?

Is it better for the frogs to create certain time frames of dry vs wet? What would be appropriate time frames?

Does anyone have a comparison of leuc humidity preferences to auratus or imitators (I have the most experience observing them)?

 

[Socratic Monologue]

I run my leucs drier than my imis, but I just eyeball it, so...

The leucs are good about hiding when they're drier and coming out when they're wetter -- though I think most frogs are similar.

I tend to do a lot of this with all my herps; I don't set heat pad temps in snake and gecko tubs to a certain temp -- I just add a couple degrees if I see most of the animals in a rack laying on the heat pad a lot, and turn the heat down a couple degrees if they're usually off the heat. Same with frogs -- if they hide too much, I mist a little more. I have a lot of microclimates in my vivs, though (cork rounds and untidy masses of vining plants) so I don't tend to get too worked up over moisture.

Not as helpful as you maybe were hoping for, but there it is.

 

[macg]

No that's still helpful. It gives me an idea of what people are trying that is working. I'll probably end up putting a fan by the vents to make it a bit dryer at first, and then see how they react.

It may also be worth looking up some info on Venezuela's seasons to see how long rain vs dry lasts. Hopefully there is some info on it.

 

[Socratic Monologue]

It may also be worth looking up some info on Venezuela's seasons to see how long rain vs dry lasts. Hopefully there is some info on it.

I like this idea a lot. Would you report back with info? I'd be interested in the numbers and where you found them.

 

[macg]

https://www.climatestotravel.com/climate/venezuela

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orinoco#/media/File:Orinoco_drainage_basin_map_(plain)-es.svg

https://amphibiaweb.org/species/1638

I'm just leaving my notes here for posterity.

Looks like San Fernando may not be a bad basis according to the Orinoco valley referenced on amphibia web. And climates to travel shows approximately 6 months of rainy season and 6 months of dry.

Temperature range is interesting too.

 

[macg]

Assuming San Fernando as a city is a decent reference, here is more climate data. Just more detailed than the previous reference.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Fernando_de_Apure

If anyone knows specific collection points, that may help pinpoint a better location.

 

[Socratic Monologue]

Looks like leucomelas don't range to north of the Orinoco:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...g/800px-Dendrobates_leucomelas_map-fr.svg.png

...although that map appears to conflict with the type locality map here:

https://www.dendrobates.org/dendrob...robatinae/dendrobates/dendrobates-leucomelas/

It looks to me that the main range of leucs is in Estado Bolivar -- bordering the Orinoco to the south all the way to Guyana (where the banded morph is found).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolívar_(state)#Climate

Dendrobates.org mentions patchy distribution, which implies that leucs may be restricted to localized habitats because of climatic conditions. I'm shooting in the dark on this, though.

 

[macg]

hmm good find. I have a hunch that you are right about the microclimates.

We could use the Estado Bolivar region as a good reference on the dry/wet season in general. I think that's reasonable.

Also, this is a video of leucs in the wild in Canaima Venezuela (in Bolivar) that you (Socratic) posted previously.

My guess is it was taken somewhere in Canaima National Park (which is huge, so doesn't pinpoint things exactly).

However, based on general climate data (https://en.climate-data.org/south-america/venezuela/estado-bolivar/canaima-55411/) I'm going to guess that about Nov - Apr is the dry season, and May - Oct is wet (really really wet). So that's about 6 dry 6 wet.

Also, some interesting things to note from the video:
1) Leucs climb...really high with the right motivation, such as calling
2) leaf litter, as always
3) they are within a forested area beside grassland as well as a body of water.
4) I hear another leucomelas calling in the distance, and the videographer seems to have found multiple calling frogs. Maybe this means it's sometime during the wet season when breeding is high. However, there still isn't standing water on any leaves (as far as I can tell). So it could be that even during the wet season, leucs probably like it a little dyer (but maybe dry is ok with water access).

Thoughts?

 

[Socratic Monologue]

That video won't play for me just now, but I do recall it.

Regarding "six wet, six dry": looks like that's what they experience in the wild. I think most keepers are not going to dry them out for 6 months (nor simulate natural habitat temps: up into the 90s there today, with humidity down into the 40% range).

I wonder what the temps and humidity are under the leaf litter? I'll guess 75F/90% year round.

In other parts of the herp hobby, we don't try to exactly simulate natural seasonal variation: keepers tend to cool temperate/montane/subtropical colubrids and like animals only for a couple months (I usually cool mine for 10-12 weeks); some breeders only cycle the daylight length. Other herps that experience severe seasonal fluctuation in the wild (e.g. many of the terrestrial geckos) do well enough in captivity (i.e. feed regularly, reproduce successfully) without a substantial variation in conditions -- and there's a strong motivation not to push seasonal cycling in animals that seem not to require it: herps do die in captive hibernation.

PS -- here's a collection point map like you asked for:

BerkeleyMapper

 

[Ravage]

My leucs call at dawn and dusk and after misting. Just some anecdotal information. I don't sweat over their humidity (is that a pun?). I hand mist every other day (normal) to every day (we season) to every third day (season of neglect). They seem happy with it all.