A DANGER?
David Hall
Dendrobatid frogs have been a passion of mine for over 15 years and the obsession of keeping these animals has opened my eyes to other delights such as orchids, ferns, small creepers (vines) exotic carnivorous plants and mosses.

I have managed to get hold of a tropical moss, often offered on websites on the net that will grow slowly on cocoa panels or tree-fern slabs if kept moist, and it can handle temperatures up to 26°C.  I use native mosses for the floor of the vivaria and this provides live-food: springtails, small flies, worms, moths and beetles, but also problems in the form of slugs, big spiders and a flatworm, the New Zealand flatworm.

These are not the huge monsters that suck the life out of our native earthworms but a small, 10-20mm species, beige and chocolate brown in colour, around 2-3mm in diameter.  This moves in a snake-like fashion and reproduces within itself.  Its head goes to a shear point feeling its way along until it comes across its prey.

I have seen these worms in my vivaria for some years now and the frogs do not seem to eat them. I became concerned when I saw one devour a cricket 2-3mm long and have been removing them from the vivarium when I can.

The question is....do the worms pose any threat to the frogs?