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PA Woods and Forests Storyline

  • Thread starter PA Woods
  • Start date
Hello,
The title says it all! This post will keep up to date with a new storyline focusing on the ecosystem of the woods and forests and how it consists of many parts. This thread is designed to highlight vivarium keeping, bee keeping, gardening, amphibian help (providing breeding ponds and habitat to live.)

The main focus on this thread will be comprised of many featured creatures. Eastern Gray Tree Frogs, or also known as The Gray Army to many of you who follow them on other threads and YouTube. These frogs are one of the two species I can confirm that I am working with closely. We will observe together their lives through a long battle with parasites, their hopeful brumation, and their move into the new enclosure which will be temporary until the real enclosure in the fall.

The Gray Army relies on many other organisms for survival and this storyline will show us the balance and the intricate depth of an ecosystem. Why do I emphasize an ecosystem? Let me welcome in the other species native to PA that will have a major impact on the enclosure. One keeping it as clean as possible and also acting as a garbage disposal and waste management: the Giant North American Millipede is a detritivore which eats dead matter. Poop, dead leaves, and fungus which can effect the quality of life for the Gray Army will be taken care of by these millipedes.

One of my all-time favorite insects it is and it is amazing to me that I get the opportunity to keep them. I would love to allow them to reproduce and release them near the area I'm creating (that we will learn later is significant) to the to this story and the ecosystem. This species of millipede is also found in my woods. I actually collected one of mine from being killed by a neighbor. They apparently crossed the road and one was saved by me. There weren't many that I know of in these woods, but I would like to allow the captive millipedes the opportunity to give back to the ecosystem where they were rescued.

This next part is very very cool. Imagine growing fruit, and that fruit is fed to the millipedes, and the crickets. So the millipedes get to taste the fruit of the labor and the frogs get a more nutritious meal from the crickets. Accompanying the Gray Army and Giant Millipedes is the Leafcutter Bee.

This bee will be given the essentials to pollinate plants and crops inside a greenhouse that I'm going to purchase. The Leafcutter Bee I decided on because I wanted to keep the bees safe in a greenhouse from predators near my artificial frog breeding pools. The leafcutter bee tolerates hot conditions and is said to be a good greenhouse bee. They will pollinate blueberries and many other crops that will be fed to my feeders and my millipedes.

I am also planning to use a handful of male bees as a feeder one time a year for the Gray Army. I will put the bees in and I'll set a timer. Once the timer goes off any bees that survive I will take back outside. Just a cool feeder for the Gray Army, and also it brings together the importance of the bees and how they are also a food source for the frogs.

I will not just allow the bees to live in the greenhouse, but butterflies, green lacewings, and even grasshoppers that I plan to breed and feed to my toads. I will open the greenhouse when the temperature is right and allow the bees to pollinate outside. I'll have the door open during the day and close it at night. So literally the bees should fly back to the greenhouse at night for protection and shelter. I'm really excited to see this in action.

Not only do we have an enclosure and a greenhouse, but artificial vernal pools. Both American toads and gray tree frogs breed in these pools of water. The ones we rescue from road patrols will be taken here to breed hopefully, and we have a large pond on the property if they are picky. Also for my toads and tree frogs tadpoles propagated by the members of the PA Woods Community (my toads and tree frogs.) Both amphibians of mine will replenish the woods and area where they came from with giving back life. So the frogs and toads will have a place to live and breed, I will supply feeders and appeal to many insects to come to the area with the pools and greenhouse.

The bees in the greenhouse will pollinate fruit which will bring wild insects to the area for the neighbor frogs and toads, but also provide fruit and nutrition for my enclosure for the Gray Army, and maybe my millipedes can breed as well as the gray tree frogs and we can continue to put out many creatures into the ecosystem.

Thank you for reading this thread and I look forward to posting updates as we move forward as well as pictures and links to videos soon.

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First major update on the PA Woods and Forests Storyline...

The Gray Army had their fecal samples tested.......and they were negative!!!!

The Gray Army WILL hibernate soon and be the first to be given the opportunity! This is very big news because these guys have been in quarantine all of 2019 and a large part of 2018. Now in 2020 they are given the chance to hibernate then breed then live inside of a custom enclosure. I will explain in detail soon of the events that have taken place elsewhere in the PA Woods and Forests Community which is not good news, but this storyline focuses on the Gray Army and they are celebrating right now.

I am feeding them as much as possible to get them plump bellies so they sleep well. The enclosure I am looking at is a 112 gallon 4x1.5x2.5 (in feet) enclosure. Here the Gray Army and Giant Millipedes will thrive and begin the co-op breeding project to replenish both the gray tree frog and giant millipede populations. What do you guys think about the nickname for the millipedes? What do you think about the nickname for the group as a whole? (The Gray Army and Giant Millipedes)

I am going to ask my professor about hibernating the millipedes just to see if it is possible and worth it for them. I am very excited to be keeping these two groups in a larger sized enclosure to really see how they behave. I am sure most people don't think a millipede can have arboreal tendencies. This species may sleep under logs in the day, but at night they will climb and explore in search of something to eat. It will be interesting for me to see the relationship between both the Gray Army and Giant Millipedes.

Here is one aspect I'll have to ask my vet and professor. Millipedes have predatory mites that protect them, so as you all know the battle with parasites is always on the horizon, but could the mites on the millipedes protect them from these parasites trying to hitch a ride on them? If the predatory mites do protect the millipedes then the millipedes are in no danger of carrying parasites from the frogs. Also frog parasites can they even parasitize the millipedes? I'll have more information on this when I find out!

I am trying to decide on plants for this build because as the Gray Army sleeps this is actually going to be the first build for 2020. I will have this enclosure done first because it was a change of plans for me, as I thought I would be building a 240 gallon first, but now I must hold off on that project for the moment. I am looking at two different ferns and the ivy (Pachysandra) that I have used in previous builds.

I will be searching for more giant millipedes as the spring approaches. Due to my change of plans for what enclosure I will be building first now I can confirm 100% yes I will be purchasing bees. But not the Mason Bees. I am purchasing a greenhouse and I found the Leafcutter Bee to actually be the best species for this type of setting. They apparently do well in heat and humidity. I will have them this year as long as they don't sell out in the month of February.

Leafcutter Bees are very cool bees and they are a summertime species, so we will have them around in June and July for some very cool videos hopefully this year. I am very excited to share more on the three stars of this storyline as more continues to unfold!

I forgot to mention this is a collaboration project including my photographer who will be keeping different species that we will be attempting to breed and replenish into the wild.

I can say his two stars that may appear time from time are the Chinese Praying Mantis and the Redbelly Snake. This snake doesn't eat frogs and is not threatened in the state so it is safe to keep. I am very excited to see how he does, and just to mention he is the creepy crawly guy. He will keep the mantids, snakes, centipedes, and even house centipedes! He even keeps leeches!

I am excited to see how our collaborative efforts will impact the native ecosystems around us. His group will pop in time to time so be on the lookout for anything non Gray Army and Giant Millipedes.

The Woods Vivarium (my American toads) might also make cameo appearances in this storyline as well. They have their own thing, but they are members of the PA Woods so it would make sense to include them from time to time. Their update will be coming soon.

As for YouTube there is a Dumpy Family (White's Tree Frogs) video coming, introduction to the Giant Millipedes, and another Gray Army video coming soon.

As of right now the Gray Army is in the #1 spot for the channel due to some circumstances that have happened. More on that in another update, but for 2020 and even for Frog Week the Gray Army will represent the brand. What are your thoughts on the Gray Armies ascension in 2020?

What are you most excited to see between the Gray Army and Giant Millipedes, Leafcutter Bees, and the guest inhabitants the Mantids and Snakes?
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One of the last updates before brumation...

As you all know of the great news, the Gray Army is parasite free. I am preparing for the opportunity to brumate them in February. That doesn't mean I won't have updates, but it means I won't have as many about new information on them. I felt it was a good time to discuss what's new with the Gray Army and Giant Millipedes while we begin the most important month of their lives.

Another chance to weigh the Gray Army and it was good. The girls Melania and Meredith continue to gain weight. Both are 28 grams. They both have gained weight and look wonderful. Bane lost less then a gram and I am going to hold him and Dante out of brumation until they gain more weight. Bane I need to get to at least 23 grams (he's so close!) Dante needs to gain weight also, but he's a younger tree frog. He's 14 grams currently and I would like to get him close to 20 grams. With that being said it will be very fun seeing how Bane and Dante handle getting spoiled and offered food in abundance.

I do have an idea for which Gray Army member will be featured as the star for the 2020 storyline. It's almost unanimous, but I want to wait until after brumation to announce the star for the series.

As for the giant millipedes these guys are doing great. I'm looking forward to observing them more when they get the opportunity to live in the enclosure with the Gray Army.

I have been figuring out more details about what enclosure the groups will live in and I've been looking more in detail about the solitary bee keeping. I have made a decision on the enclosure but again I am going to wait to share because the enclosure I have decided on will blow your mind.

I was able to get more pictures of the Gray Army and Giant Millipedes! Check them out below!

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The second update for the Gray Army, and first for the Giant Millipedes...


This year for the PA Woods and Forests Brand it is the year of the Gray Army. They have been the story of the YouTube channel and most of the updates. We are going to continue in 2020 with the second update of the gray tree frogs, and the first real update on the others featured in this storyline.

The Gray Army is thriving in what could be the last few weeks of quarantine for them. They are soon to brumate, and while they do, I will be preparing their forever home. The Gray Army has to be weighed one more time because I am trying to get the females to 30 grams and Bane to 25+, and Dante I am hoping to get his weight to at least 20 grams. While they wait and fatten up I am hard at work to get the supplies needed for the brumation.

While the group rests during their brumation I will be creating their new enclosure. The enclosure will be well established before they enter it come the summer. If I can finish the foundation level of the build which is the bio drain and the soil it will be a major step forward. My goal is to plant the enclosure with the native and naturalized plants and seed the vivarium with springtails, but not isopods.

The giants are going to control the ecosystem. In place of isopods, Giant North American Millipedes will enter into the enclosure to control the mold, decaying plant matter, poop, and any organic problems. These millipedes are huge! I am looking forward to seeing how they respond to being given such a massive enclosure. For several months the enclosure will be ruled by these thousand legged giants. As you know, we will be hoping to document these critters and hopefully bring some positive camera time to make people less squeamish of these creatures.

The new Millipede is the star of the show already. The new Millipede who you have seen in many pictures is already the most active above ground millipede that I own compared to all millipedes. The orangish coloration makes it distinguishable, and we believe to have identified this millipede as a female. Regardless of the gender this millipede will be heavily featured in the next episode of the PA Woods and Forests Storyline. Be sure to checkout the new giant millipede and see how it came into my care.

The artificial vernal pool and greenhouse are here! I was saying how important it was to create a safe place for neighborhood frogs and toads last year, and I hope to build just that this year. I bought a decently large rubber container and it's the size of a modest vernal pool around my area. This hopeful breeding site will be fenced in to keep out birds and mammals, but the holes in the fence will be big enough to let frogs and toads in. I am hopeful the native amphibians will accept my offer and lay their eggs here. We also have a pond down in the yard so we will see what the frogs and toads like more.

The greenhouse is going to be a Leafcutter Bee safe haven. I am hoping to get the bees soon and hibernate them along with the Gray Army. The bees play an important role and I'm hoping my greenhouse will be the best protection for them protecting them from birds and others. If the frogs eat some bees then no harm done, but I do not want the bees to be eaten by the birds. I am going to open and close the door to the greenhouse so the bees can remain protected from intruders. If they pollinate inside the area fenced in for the frogs then they will be protected themselves.

I am going to purchase the bees hopefully this week so I will update you all on the status of that later on. Purchasing the Leafcutter Bees and watching them work throughout the summer will be a great experience. We will get to highlight the bees in our work to help save the frogs and toads, and hopefully we can make a difference with these bees as well.

I can confirm the Gray Army and Giant Millipedes home finally. After giving it much thought I have decided these creatures will inherit the 125 gallon. This tank was originally scheduled for the Skinks, but because I wanted to do research with these animals; I felt it was fair to give them the second largest enclosure I have. I am very excited to see how the Gray Army will maneuver around the enclosure. How will four gray tree frogs and roughly four to six giant millipedes use this space? Will they spread out? Will they live in close proximity? This will be discovered by us this summer!

I hope that you are all getting excited for a 125 gallon Gray tree frog vivarium and seeing the Giant Millipedes roam the enclosure. I will keep you updated on the builds of the 125 gallon Gray Army and Giant Millipedes vivarium, Artificial vernal pool, Greenhouse, and Leafcutter Bees.

Keep an eye out for the next video!
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This storyline is shaping up to be epic...

There are many exciting layers to this update. The Gray Army who's the star of this storyline is thriving right now. They still are preparing for brumation, and are continuing to gain weight. I have almost all of the pieces to brumate them I'm waiting on two key components. The most exciting part of their update is still to be explained. The Gray Army's enclosure has come and I'm considering building it and allowing them to live inside of it before they brumate. The Exo Terra XL or 36x18x36 will be their future home.

I'm about 80% in on building it early or at least some type of version of it. We then would have a chance to see the millipedes interaction with the tree frogs. The only thing that's holding me up is a background. If i build the background they can't go in. If I don't build the background then when the tree frogs brumate, I'll have to take the millipedes out to completely build the enclosure. So neither idea is foolproof. I'm still kicking around the idea so I'll update you when I have a decision.

The Giant Millipedes are doing great. I still see the Petco specimen and boy is she hungry. I haven't seen a millipede eat like her, and the coolest part of their update is that I can handfeed her. I can hold a fish pellet out and she will grab it. You can hear her munch on it with those large mandibles! I'm really looking forward to giving these two giants a large home as well. There is a new video coming out over the weekend to showcase this female millipede.

The last part of the update is the more wild one so to speak. I purchased the bees and their accessories! So we will have the Leafcutter Bees for 2020. I have the greenhouse and most of the supplies for that. I have most of what I need for this side of the storyline and I'm looking forward to working with and filming the bees. I'm not sure if we will get to see the Gray Army eat a couple this year, but it's okay because that's not the main reason I purchased them. The bees can help me by pollinating my plants which will help the outside world. I will be sure to make a video of the bees and the storyline as a whole soon as well.

There is a lot to be excited about with this group of animals. The Gray Army is healthy, the Giant Millipedes are active and eating well, and the Leafcutter Bees are on the way. Be sure to stay up to date with this storyline because things are going to get better and better as time goes on.
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Sorry for the delay...

Hey guys,
I know that it's been a while and I apologize for not posting sooner. Life has been crazy lately and everyone can understand that right now. I have some good news to share with you about this storyline.

The Gray Army is still healthy, and I am very happy to report that Meredith and Melania are of the required weight to begin this month hopefully the brumation protocol. I'm very excited to begin this and allow them time to rest and naturally live out this part of their lives. The Gray Army overall has gained more weight and appears to be thriving. We are just waiting for the two males (Bane and Dante) to gain the weight needed to confirm all of the members are good to go. They have a video in the works I hope to finish very soon for you all.

The Giant Millipedes are also doing well. The Petco Millipede is doing great and I still see her out every day. She still is a hungry little thing. I'm really excited to share more about her in the upcoming video and to post more about the Millipedes overall just because I find them to be such fascinating creatures. The Giant Millipedes are thriving also.

The Leafcutter Bees are in! I actually went through with it and got the bees. I'm happy to say they are in the refrigerator and waiting to join the Gray Army in the brumation protocol and enclosure this month potentially. I'm very very excited to see what we can observe from these bees for their short lifespans, but very important and essential lives. They will not appear in this upcoming video, but the following video for the Gray Army they will.

There is nothing but encouragement for these creatures and I hope to continue the good news soon for everyone.

Checkout some cool pictures!

Checkout the new logo below!
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Reorganizing the priorities and storylines!

Hey guys it's been a little while. I have some big news to share with you all and I am very hopeful that you guys will be excited and maybe even comment on what is in this update.

I have done so much reorganizing with my Storylines and on my YouTube channel that has most control over how these posts go. I was thinking about how much I'm going to do with the Gray Army and how I could potentially come off as I'm not as interested or I don't like my two exotic enclosures as much (Five Lined Dumpy Family), so I have decided to do something that is possibly complicated and simple at the same time.

I plan on merging the two storylines together and at the same time keep them separate. The simple answer is the exotic animals will have their thread and updates on forums and groups, as well as have their own exclusive playlist on my channel just as everything is organized now. That's simple I'm going to have separate stories I report on with those specific animals, and everything will be organized.

The complicated area is incorporating the exotics into the main story that's featuring The Gray Army and variety of different projects. On my channel I have in the description of the Gray Army's story that the playlist is about my terrarium keeping, so I got the idea to incorporate the enclosures that could potentially be an afterthought if I do not represent them well. So I figured that including them into the story of a general terrarium keeping playlist would help them stay relevant and avoid long absences from the channel. This also gives me more potential to create competitions and more creative crossover videos just for fun. I also get to talk about the exotics in this storyline and the Gray Army in the exotics storyline.

For the most part the updates will be separate because I already have threads started for both groups, and the updates would be too long for you to follow probably lol, but I hope that allowing crossover content will not only keep things interesting and fresh, but both fanbases of my different animals and their storylines have more interest in the other. It can also give people who follow me for the Gray Army something to root for if we have versus videos and you have to vote for the winner of some competition. I hope to create more innovative ideas and to bring people together all while I tell their stories individually and together.

I hope that you guys are interested in this merge or crossover between the two storylines on YouTube. As I said before it will not effect on here as I share stories only about one group at a time.

The Giant Millipedes mated tonight
The Gray Army is preparing for hibernation
The Leafcutter Bees are sleeping and awaiting the Gray Army to join them in the hibernaculum.

The Five Lined Dumpy Family (Exotics) are in an odd place.

White's Tree Frogs are in quarantine and getting rid of ringworm

Finn is battling parasites

Skinks are inconsistent in activity because the cold weather effects the room they are in.

Florence is not as active either.

A video is coming to discuss the merger/crossover/co-op stories.

Checkout the channel and tell me if the home display on the channel is easier to understand and navigate!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4nG2pYgsr50aiDHpDE_CFg
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  • #10
Gray Army begins brumation this upcoming week, video coming of the merger/crossover of Exotics and Gray Army storylines...

Some great news for different areas! The Gray Army is set this week to begin brumation. They all appear healthy and alert. Next is going to be the anticipated component of inducing brumation. I'm very hopeful things can workout with this. It's a good test to see how much I have learned and to actually go through with it. The Leafcutter Bees will be moved to ensure the Gray Army has a smooth transition into brumation. After all is said and done the bees and tree frogs will be sleeping next to each other for a few months.

The Gray Army will be featured in the upcoming video explaining the merger for them and the Exotic animals. That post was shared recently explaining the situation. I hope you will be watching as we send them off into a good sleep. One good thing about the brumation is that one group will not sleep. The Giants. The Millipedes will not brumate and will remain active all year. So we will in fact have something to showcase inside the home of the Gray Army when it is made. But the word giant is not singular.

The Giant or formerly known as Large Land snails that lived with the Skink Dynasty are leaving the PA Woods and Forests Community. I will be looking for snails that have not been infected potentially with the parasites that have plagued the Gray Army. I will be on the lookout for the snails when things warm up. We will have two giant armies living with the Gray Army as they awaken. I was finding that my Skinks are more opportunistic then I thought as they eat more of the snails food then the snails can eat. The Gray Army doesn't have a taste for fruit or vegetables. The snails will help break down decaying matter and are just really fascinating to watch inside the terrarium. What do you think of the Giant Snails joining the Alliance with the Gray Army and Giant Millipedes?

Will you be watching the most exciting episode that features the three enclosures and animal groups?


What do you guys think? Should we combine the PA Woods and Forests Storyline and Exotics Storyline and just talk about all the groups together or do you want separate posts about this group and separate posts about the Exotics? I haven't asked you guys what you want and I want to hear your opinion as the readers? I can find a way to combine them if you want?

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  • #11
Get the popcorn ready for this one...

We have some really serious stuff happening and to discuss with this update!

We last left off with much work to be done with the Exotics and Gray Army. I have been filming for a few days straight and I will have a lot of good content to choose from. This video coming soon will be equivalent to the Avengers movies from Marvel with so many animals and stories included. So many animals and stories to discuss; we are going to explain literally everyone but the toads in this upcoming video. There will be many answers to questions you may have had and I believe this specific update will explain the future for the animals, storylines, channel, and my presence on Forums and Facebook groups.

Let me end with the most exciting news to keep you waiting and so you read the entire post because if you skip you will miss something important. First we will start off with the Forums and Facebook groups. I have decided with how much busier I have become that I am going to either be leaving some Forums and groups, or I will be let's say a less then part time contributor. There are many reasons why I have decided this decision either because of being too invested in my work, personal life, school, and so on. With so many groups I will not be able to keep up with answering questions or creating posts. On some groups I did not feel as welcomed or taken seriously which is frustrating for me because one of my degrees I'm pursuing is herpetology. Overall I just feel more obligated to spend my time and invest it where I feel welcomed/needed/wanted the most because that will be more fulfilling to me. Don't worry because I am writing this to display my commitment to this group!

The Gray Army is half going to hibernate and half delay hibernation. The females weigh the weight I want and have fasted much longer then they should have so I am going to push to get them in the hibernaculum this week to avoid starvation. The males are underweight so I need to feed them heavy and then after some time and following through with the process I will chill them and then add them to the hibernaculum. Just wanted to give an update on them.

I hope that you are ready for the big news now. The main component of this post. You are not going to be ready for this. I'm not ready either! After some consideration and asking some biologists questions, and doing research on the topic I am going to attempt to do something you probably never saw coming. I am going to attempt to merge the Gray Army and the Skink Dynasty into the 125 gallon. There have been many questions and many steps thought out before this happens, but I am announcing the attempt at this.

I was supposed to build native southern and northern setups for the different groups, but after some consideration for the needs of temperature, humidity, and other factors it made some sense this should be at least considered. There are many variables needed to be figured out before this happens, but we are in the process of moving two historically important groups together into the same enclosure. Speaking of the enclosure; I will use plants from the north and southeast so both species have some familiarity with the terrain.

As for the Gray Army and Skink Dynasty we will have some must see videos because we don't have to have hypothetical faceoffs with these groups. We can have some very fun challenges and hopefully get some fans from both groups involved in the festivities. Hobbyist week looks pretty interesting with this storyline brewing doesn't it? How will four tree frogs that have no real hierarchy handle the dominant skink? Will Pharaoh show aggression or tolerate the Gray Army? When Meredith or Bane swoop down to assult a cricket what will the response of Pharaoh be? How will Florence handle the Gray Army? Will the Gray Army try to eat him? Will the skinks attempt to spoil the upcoming face-off between some Leafcutter Bees and the Gray Army?

All the animals will have to be negative for parasites and I will have to strategically figure out the answers to as many of the questions that I raised as possible.

With a true merger looming I will also at a later date combine the two storylines, YouTube playlists, and Web posts on the groups. Max and the Dumpy Family will be included in the storyline, but will not be merging with anyone. They will live happy Dumpy Tree Frogs only lives. So the YouTube channel, posts on here, and lives of the Gray Army and Skink Dynasty are changing as we know it.

What do you guys think about the upcoming attempt at merging the Gray Army and Skink Dynasty in the 125 gallon? Are you excited for the posts on here and the YouTube channel to include the three storylines for the animals and you can see what everyone is doing all In one video/post? What face-off challenge would you think would be interesting for the Gray Army vs Skink Dynasty (like who eats the most, who is the stealthiest, who is the better hunter for example.) Trust me I have many details to explain as we go forward.

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  • #12
Work has been underway for the upcoming video...

It's been a little while since the last post and I thought now would be a good time to catch everybody up to speed on the 3 different groups of animals how they are doing, the Skink Dynasty and Gray Army coming under one roof, the bees, and other stuff. I think I'm going to create a new thread soon to include both readers from the two active threads that have been going on.

As of now we have a lot of footage from the Giant Millipedes. I hope you are interested in seeing Giant Millipede sex. Finally we get a chance to showcase the male and wild Giant Millipede in this video. There are other millipedes in the video and I'm not sure of the species until I have a friend come over and sex them. The millipedes are doing wonderful right now and are very active. They will be ready day 1 to enter the 125 gallon Fringe Forest. I'll explain why it's a fringe later.

The Gray Army (gray tree frogs) are half sleeping and half eating! I am trying to fatten up the two males Bane and Dante before anything else happens. Both Bane and Dante have been calling and I'm sure they are happy to be eating again. I'm hoping not for long though so we can get the ball rolling for them to brumate as well. The girls are doing great. I'm going to check them after I write this. They won't be asleep that much longer. I am looking forward to having them back and I'm hoping they will bless me with Gray grandfrogs! You will see Melania and Meredith in the final moments before they went to brumate. Bane makes a great appearance and he is finally caught on camera longer then 5 seconds.

The Skink Dynasty is doing well. They are still in their bioactive enclosure and will sometime be awaiting quarantine once the gray tree frogs are back from brumation. Pharaoh will grace us in the video and he has been doing good. He's been more secretive lately so I've been watching him. He's eating really good. Amsi has not been visible in a while. She might be gravid again this year so she may be sitting on eggs. Let's hope that she can raise up some babies this year also. Florence and Baby Cope's are doing great but not much to report on for them here.

The Dumpy Family is doing well. I'm about to send a fecal sample of them and the toads to see where we are at. If it's negative that's the best case scenario. We need multiple negative tests for them to go back home. I'm hopeful they get a negative test. The sooner they are clean the sooner theirs and the 125 Gallon are built. See the Dumpy Family's enclosure will go where the skinks is now. So we will swap the terrariums once it's time. The video will be so big it will have to be two parts. I'm going to show you these guys in quarantine and just how they are doing. Max is doing well!

The bees are good and we are soon to put up the greenhouse. I'm looking forward to seeing the bees and offering them for the plants around the area. I'm also excited to see some of the males face off with the gray tree frogs.

The 125 Gallon Fringe Forest is going to be my equivalent to New York City. It will be the enclosure that never sleeps. Pharaoh and Amsi will rule while the sun's up, and an army of gray tree frogs, a copes gray, and squirrel tree frog will hop around the enclosure in the dark while the giant millipedes and giant canyon isopods scurry along the soil. I'm calling it the Fringe Forest because there are animals that will represent all around the United States. Mosquito Fish and Canyon Isopods from the west, Gray tree frogs and Giant millipedes from the northeast, Squirrel and Cope's tree frogs and Southeastern five lined skinks from the southeast. Part of the enclosure will be humid, damp, and luscious with plants for the tree frogs while the other part will be drier, warmer with mostly rocks and logs for the skinks. There will be small water features that parts will include the mosquitofish. I am going to pay homage to the north and south by using plants from the northeast and some from the south. Pothos might even make it into this build. I'm going to add plants that I've used before and I'm actually really looking forward to mixing up plants for this build. Let's hope it can happen in 2020. Let's hope I get to design the Dumpy Family's enclosure as well. I'll have more information soon.
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