How many can live comfortably?

Frogdaddy

Arachnoprince
Joined
Nov 13, 2019
Messages
1,067
Decays brown frogs with what? I really like house geckos and anoles aswell as tree frogs its why I wanted all three. Maybe I can half 3 10 gallons side by side with each of the species. If so how many of each? And I were to have 3 10s is there any other species any of you recommend?
In this post you wrote half ten gallons.
I believe you meant HAVE ten gallons.
 

Dandrobates

Arachnoknight
Joined
Nov 17, 2018
Messages
180
This is a bad idea for several reasons, many of which were already listed but here are some points to consider:
1. Each of the species that the OP listed feeds on similar prey items and they will actively compete for them. Unnecessary competition will cause stress and there is no reason to create added stressors in a captive setting. These species also compete in the wild to the point that they have displaced similar species(for example, invasive brown anoles have begun to displace native green anoles)
2. Each of these species are generally acquired as wild caught specimens with high parasite loads. Stress of capture often exacerbates parasitic infections with individuals shedding higher amounts of oova. This premise combined with a small captive environment equals a higher chance for individuals to succumb to their own and pass parasites to other individuala within the vivarium.
3. The argument that different species will live harmoniously in a communal vivarium because they occupy different niches in nature, are active at different times or reside at different heights is not valid in this type of setting. Firstly, captivity is not nature despite how hard we think it is. There are variables in nature that we cannot expect to manage in captivity. Essentially you are building a cage for several competing animal species that will have no means of avoiding each other. A 40 gallon tank simply does not provide enough room. Secondly, individuals in captivity cannot be expected to constantly behave as they generally do in the wild. Nocturnal animals will be out during the day and vice versa and arboreal animals will come down to the ground and vice versa. I have observed this first hand time and time again. A 40 breeder is not large enough to provide enough space for these animals and they are going to cross paths. Thirdly, this is not a natural recreation of a biome. To accomplish this you would need a massive area for these animals to exhibit natural behaviors and thrive. There will be constant competition for water, food and shelter whether you realize it or not.
4. Ethically -There is no benefit to cohabitating these species and you have not mastered their individual care. You are doing this because you already have your mind set on it despite what you are being told. You stated that you have little experience with any of these species and I would again recommend that you master their care as individuals before attempting a communal.

Finally (and this is a subjective but valid reason to avoid such setups ) -These species are cheap and available everywhere so there is little risk if the attempt fails. These animals are often sold as disposable pets because they are so ubiquitous in the reptile hobby. This makes them prime candidates for communal setups because no one cares if they fail.

In sum, I strongly advise you to reevaluate your goals and research / master a single species. And, as I can assure you from personal experience these setups don’t work. They didn’t work 30 years ago when I started with herps and they don’t work now.
 
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