Classification
Order: anura
Family: rhacophoridae
Genus: theloderma
Species: theloderma asperum
Habitat
These frogs are native to the southern Tibet (China), Bhutan, Myanmar, mainland Malaysia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. They can be found in the wooldland up to 2400 m above the sea level.
Outward appearance
Males are normally between 2.5 and 3.5 cm; females are a bit longer (between 3 and 4 cm).
The body of the pied warty frog is covered with tubercles and spikes, so it reminds of a small moss bush. The coloration consists of alternating green and dark brown cross stripes. The snout is a bit elongate and rounded at the end. Toes on all the legs end with round suckers. Toes on hind legs are webbed.
Character
Pied warty frogs can live and breed in any type of water body: from karst cavities to water barrels that can be far away from the forest. A family settles down in a selected area; it usually consists of one male and 2-3 females.
Maintenance care
Due to its small size, the pied warty frog can even live in spacious plastic pond, e.g. "Terra Box". A large swim area and a lot of shelters (pieces of bark, fallen leaves etc) are a must. You should be very careful about the water quality: this species avoids clean water and prefers still water, rich in organic matters and humic acids. This means you will have to prepare the water prior to the frog’s arrival. In order to do this, you should sink in the tank oak leaves and oak bark (it can be bought in pharmacies), or cork tree bark. You should leave the water until it becomes brown.
A water filter is not necessary, you can simply add some water as it evaporates, but small tank filters can be an option too. The ambient temperature should be up to 23 degrees at daytime and around 16-18 degrees at night. In the wild these frogs are fine with night temperature of about 10 degrees. If you want, you can decorate your tank with aquatic or semiaquatic plants (such as philodendron, peace lilies, pothos etc). Frogs don’t destroy them and like sitting on their leaves.
This is nocturnal species, so UV lamps are not needed. For light you can use usual fluorescent lamps. Your frogs need 10-12 hours of light every day in summer and 8 hours in winter.
Feeding
It is important that food items are easily available for the frogs, so the best option is crickets and cockroaches that don’t hide in crevices. You should put the food in the evening on the piece of bark. If some insects drown, you should take them out. Young frogs immediately after the metamorphosis eat pinhead crickets. Tadpoles eat detritus and small invertebrates.
In captivity tadpoles eat commercial dry fish food, boiled vegetables and drowned insects. Mineral and vitamin supplements are a must.
Diseases
This is a hardy species and under proper care these frogs rarely get ill. Average life expectancy is around 6 years.
Breeding
Pied warty frogs rarely breed in captivity. In the wild they tend to lay eggs above water filled tree holes in dead trees, where the tadpoles drop down into the water below. A female lays up to 12 eggs. Hatchlings come out after 8-10 days and in tow more months they turn into frogs.
