"Herptoculture" in recent years has improved immeasurably, with many reptiles being captive bred in all shapes and colours. Wild caught is very occasionally found on dealers lists of the commoner species, as healthy "better do'ers" are produced in enough numbers to satisfy the hobbyist/pet market.
Likewise, Dendrobatids, Mantellas, and other frog species, through necessity, are now bred very successfully for captive/conservation purposes.
"Caudateculture" I feel is still in it's infancy, and many common species are still imported in large numbers, (mainly from Asia and the former Soviet Union), often languishing in squalid, overcrowded conditions, in uninformed pet shops, and dying an early death.
Care sheets, with the correct information, is admirable, and these should be encouraged.
I feel Forums such as this, educate anyone who is mindful, to keep and breed these wonderful animals, in the correct conditions that they require. The many knowledgeable people who contribute to this site should be admired.
I remember when I saw my first fire salamander, some forty five years ago, in the back of a Florist's shop.... he used to collect moss and ferns in France for the shop.
Then there were european pond tortoises (Emys orbicularis) and tree frogs, (Hyla arboria) in the shop. I kept the frogs in tall glass sweet jars, and fed them on "bluebottles", hatched from maggots, collected in a bucket full of sawdust, under a piece of rotting meat....my mother was not amused. When Autumn came, and the food source ran out, I released the frogs around the pond in my parents back garden. The colony survived for twenty five years, when my parents sold the house, now directly under the main flightpath of Heathrow Airport. The new occupants filled the pond with gravel, to create a low maintenance garden. There are still chirps at night though, from the midwife toads,. (Alytes obstetricans)
In the following years I journeyed Europe extensively with my parents, and collected many species/subspecies of Salamandra, the offspring of which I still possess.
Both releasing non-indigenous animals and collecting salamanders, are now of coarse illegal.
Sorry, I'm rambling again....it's my age you know!
Andrew, my point was that, two species mentioned on your CB list, are in fact WC....the muelleri are in fact probably Xenopus laevis poweri, not that you are expected to know that, as you probably haven't even seen them. There is also a caudate on the CB list which is also WC.
My personal opinion is that Caudata.org, being a non-commercial site, should not entertain adverts or links, directly or indirectly to Petshops.
(Message edited by mike on June 03, 2004)
(Message edited by mike on June 03, 2004)
