I just got back to uni after a few weeks at home. Unfortunately, whilst under care of my flatmate a few things went wrong, and I was left with only two golden mantella (and also lost my own homebred green anole!). Utterly gutted... there are parts of a herp keepers "common sense" that you really take for granted that every one should know... but they dont.

So, in a rather depressed mood I threw together a smaller enclosure for the remaining mantella (two males by the looks of things). After this I started to take apart their old tub in order to make a bit of space in my room.

what should i find in there but tadpoles! At least 3 from a quick scan, swimming around in the water layer below the bark chips.

So it just goes to show, whilst bad things do happen, good things can be found as a result. It also proves that you should be VERY careful when getting someone to look after your animals.

Sorry to hear about the losses but keeping my fingers crossed for the tads.

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Dead enough for life

Thanks Colin. Ive had terrible luck with these... ive had two episodes of sudden death in them which interestingly coincide with when I have been away... Not that the person necessarily was guilty of negligence, more nievity. As I live in the room with all the heros, I am constantly subconciously monitoring temperature. Also, having kept all my animals for a wee while now, and having done a lot of research etc before getting them, I am far more in tune to picking up small problems and reacting to them... wheras such things may go entirely unseen by someone who is only completing a list of tasks.