Kozmic Dreams Photos of Couch's Spadefoots

My Spadefoots and African Clawed Frogs

Couch's Spadefoots

Scaphiopus couchii

I purchased my first Couch's spadefoot at a local pet store in the summer of 2001. His name was Frank. He has since passed on, but he will never be forgotten.

Click here to read about Frank the Spadefoot and see photographs of him or click on his picture above.

When Frank died, I couldn't stand being without a spadefoot, so I looked all over the internet and finally found some. I had to spend a fortune on the overnight shipping. I only asked for two: a male and female. However, four were sent and they were all males. I was disappointed, but what could I do but fall in love with them---they were all cute in their own way. I named them after members of Frank Zappa's band---Terry Bozzio, Don Preston, Napoleon Murphy Brock and Ike Willis. A few days later, I noticed they had signs of the fungus that Frank had. I strongly believe it was the medication that killed Frank and that he would still be here today if I had just left him alone. So this time, I let the fungus alone. For 6 months, the fungus has disappeared with skin-shedding, then re-appeared soon afterward. It doesn't seem to want to go away, although it doesn't seem to harm the spadefoots. All four are pictured together below: top left-Don, top right-Terry, bottom left-Ike, bottom right-Napoleon.

Click on each thumbnail to see a larger view!

Terry (May 2007 - April 24, 2008)

Terry had a rough life from the get-go. He was severely dehydrated when he arrived and was blue in color due to lack of water. He wouldn't eat on his own for 3-4 weeks and had to be force-fed until he finally regained his appetite. He was doing well until about mid-April 2008, when he developed what appeared to be a tumor on his foreleg---it looked like his whole foot had swollen up. I didn't know what to do, so I was just keeping an eye on it. Not even a week later, I found him dead. He was my favorite because he looked the most like Frank.

Ike

Terry and Ike

Don

Napoleon

All Four

African Clawed Frogs

Xenopus laevis

I have 2 male Xenopus that live in a water-filled tank. They have unique patterns on their backs that make them distinguishable from one another, although I have never named them. I originally had five. There are pictures of the deceased frogs on the Pets of the Past Page. One thing that is interesting about these frogs is that they still possess a lateral line, similar to those found on most fish. The lateral line can be seen in the side view close-up pictures. This area sends messages to the brain about pressure differences and more. You can order your own pet xenopus from Xenopus.com or XenopusOne.com.

Summer 2006

4-21-07

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