"Amphibian husbandry — species POTZ thermal gradient for self-regulation; caudatans cooler than anurans"
Source: Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com), a copyrighted professional veterinary reference. Per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3, the points below are paraphrased derived fact summaries: numerical values and proper nouns are preserved from the source, but sentences are rewritten and not quoted verbatim.
Claims
*[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Giving amphibians a thermal gradient within their preferred optimal temperature zone (POTZ) lets most species regulate their own body temperature. *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Tailed amphibians (caudatans, e.g. salamanders) prefer noticeably cooler temperatures than tailless ones (anurans, e.g. frogs). *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Infectious and nutritional diseases are common in tropical amphibians kept in poor conditions. *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Some municipal tap water contains chloramines. *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Suitable substrates include gravel, soil, sphagnum moss, and mulch. *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Heating soil to 93°C for 30 minutes is recommended to kill arthropods such as trombiculid mites and helminth parasites. *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Substrates may be frozen to help eliminate pests, and enclosures need adequate ventilation (1–2 fresh air changes per hour) to prevent disease. *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Most adult terrestrial and aquatic amphibians eat invertebrates — earthworms, bloodworms, black worms, white worms, tubifex worms, springtails, fruit flies, fly larvae, mealworms, and crickets. *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Vitamin and mineral supplements are needed to prevent nutritional disease. *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Supplements are usually given by gut-loading insects, using calcium-rich commercial diets, or dusting insects with powdered multivitamins that include vitamin D3 and calcium. *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Quarantine is often neglected, which can introduce disease into a captive collection; owners should be advised to use it. *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Veterinarians should perform a postmortem and consider histology for amphibians that die in quarantine. *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* During quarantine, regular veterinary checks should include at least an entry and an exit examination. *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Useful quarantine diagnostics include faecal parasite exams, water-quality testing, skin scrapes of abnormal areas, PCR (e.g. for chytridiomycosis or ranavirus), gill biopsies, and bloodwork when the animal is large enough.