Do pinhead crickets have the amino acid profile to support growth in La Hotte bush frogs (Eleutherodactylus bakeri)?

Citation

Toddes B. 2017. Do pinhead crickets have the amino acid profile to support growth in La Hotte bush frogs (Eleutherodactylus bakeri)? In Ward A, Coslik A, Brooks M Eds. Proceedings of the Twelfth Conference on Zoo and Wildlife Nutrition, Zoo and Wildlife Nutrition Foundation and AZA Nutrition Advisory Group, Frisco, TX.

Abstract

The Philadelphia Zoo has been working with Haitian frogs since 2010. La Hotte bush frogs (Eleutherodactylus bakeri) were collected in order to develop captive husbandry/breeding protocols. E. bakeri was once a very common frog in southwestern Haiti, but due to habitat destruction, the species is now considered Critically Endangered (Hedges et al., 2004). This species is small compared to other species of frogs typically kept at zoos. Wild adult females are approximately 4 centimeters long and may weigh up to 4 grams when gravid, while males are somewhat smaller. Females can lay communal nests with individual clutches of up to 30 or more per female (Hedges et al., 1987; Hedges and Thomas, 1992; C. Martinez Rivera, Philadelphia Zoo, Philadelphia, PA, personal communication) and have a seasonal reproductive cycle from May to November. In captivity, reproduction typically begins in June, about a month after the onset of an artificial rainy season (C. Martinez Rivera, Philadelphia Zoo, Philadelphia, PA, personal communication). Froglets in this species are extremely tiny when they hatch. At this stage, springtails are offered as the only dietary item. As the froglets grow, they transition to a diet of pinhead crickets.

[Toddes] Do pinhead crickets have AA profiles sufficient to raise Haitian Frogs.pdf     135 KB