Josh's Frogs Podcast

Tarantulas don't need much space, money or time, but they do need the right setup. Jayzun Boget, our Curator of Arachnids, helps walk you through everything a first-time keeper should know, from sizing an enclosure to what a bite would actually feel like.

Jayzun was extremely arachnophobic when he started working at Preuss Pets in Lansing, until exposure turned that fear into fascination. Now, after 26 years with tarantulas, he's never been bitten. He also shares how much the hobby has changed: by his estimate, wild-caught tarantulas went from about 95% of the hobby 15 years ago to around 30% today.

Chapters:

00:24 Meet Jayzun, our Curator of Arachnids

00:47 From arachnophobe to tarantula keeper

01:57 How the tarantula hobby has changed

05:32 Why tarantulas are great for beginners

06:51 Step one: arboreal or terrestrial?

08:49 How big should the enclosure be?

10:19 How much space they really use

12:04 Hides and substrate depth

13:43 Bioactive substrate and springtails

15:13 Moisture, humidity and field damp

16:36 Live plants and isopods

17:34 Making the enclosure a display piece

19:44 Chaco Golden Knee: great first spider

21:31 No vet visits, no shots, no spaying

22:13 Are tarantula bites dangerous?

23:53 Urticating hairs explained

25:44 Lightning round

Learn more:

Getting started with tarantulas: https://joshsfrogs.com/blog/Getting-Started-with-Tarantulas

Arachnid BioBedding: https://joshsfrogs.com/c/habitat/substrates/joshs-frogs-biobeddings?query=arachnid

Tarantula Cribs enclosures: https://joshsfrogs.com/c/habitat/enclosures/tarantula-cribs-enclosures

Shop tarantulas: https://joshsfrogs.com/c/live_insects/pet_insects/spiders/tarantulas

#tarantula #tarantulacare #exoticpets

Dr. Tom Raffel and PhD student Sergio Bermudez of Oakland University explain why, and what a frog's skin bacteria might have to do with chytrid.

Sergio's project is one of our 2026 Josh's Frogs Amphibian Conservation Grant winners. He's sequencing "day zero" skin swabs from an earlier chytrid experiment with African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) to find out whether the bacteria on a frog's skin before infection can predict how hard chytrid hits it later.

In this episode:

• How temperature and group living changed chytrid infections

• Why the frogs' skin bacteria may change because of the infection, not the temperature itself

• What temperature really does to chytrid, and how that lines up with the heat treatment we used in our own outbreak (full story in episode #68)

• What this could mean for probiotic treatments

Learn more:

Sergio's project: https://joshsfrogs.com/blog/Sergio-Bermudez-Using-Skin-Microbiome-to-Predict-Chytrid-Severity

Chytrid 101: https://joshsfrogs.com/blog/Chytrid-101

Raffel Lab: https://sites.google.com/oakland.edu/raffel-lab

#chytrid #frogs #amphibianconservation

Kevin Lux built Heket, an open-source AI tool that listens to his backyard pond all night and identifies frog and toad calls. His microphone is actually just a security camera aimed at the pond.

Josh and Kevin get into how Heket learns to tell a bullfrog from an airplane, why BirdNET inspired it, his plan for one-click sharing of verified calls to iNaturalist, and what season-long listening could add to frog call surveys. Plus how to run one at home, Kevin's other TurtlePond.us projects, and more!

This episode is part of our series featuring applicants to the Josh's Frogs Amphibian Conservation Grant.

Heket: https://turtlepond.us/heket/

Our conservation grants: https://joshsfrogs.com/conservation-initiatives

Mark and Crystal Mandica started the Amphibian Foundation ten years ago with one goal: keep the frosted flatwoods salamander from disappearing. This year their building was demolished, and they had to rebuild every lab at once across two new locations.

Josh sits down with both co-founders to talk about what bringing a species back actually requires, why successful captive breeding is only the first step, and how a summer camp for kids ended up funding the early salamander work.

Amphibian Foundation: https://www.amphibianfoundation.org

Master Herpetologist Program: https://masterherper.amphibianfoundation.org

Critter Camp: https://www.critter-camp.org

Short Finned Mako: https://oceanconservancy.org/wildlife-library/shortfin-mako-shark/

Josh's Frogs: https://www.joshsfrogs.com

Thinking about a frog as a first pet? Curator of Tree Frogs and Toads Austin Rea is back to walk through everything a brand new keeper needs to sort out before buying an animal, whether you're a parent whose kid just discovered amphibians or you're finally setting up that tank yourself.

We get into the two household deal-breakers that should stop you cold, how much space a frog actually needs, what daily care looks like next to a dog or a cat, the wild caught vs. captive bred question, the diseases worth knowing about, and Austin's picks for the best beginner species. Plus a breeding update from the tree frog and toad room!

Austin's advice if you only remember one thing: monitor your humidity.

Mentioned in this episode:

Find an amphibian vet through the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians: https://arav.org

Minimum tank size, care sheets, and setup guides on every animal page at https://www.joshsfrogs.com

Josh's Frogs is a Healthy Trade Institute certified facility, and every animal we sell is captive bred.

New episodes on YouTube and Spotify. If there's a species you want covered, tell us in the comments.

In late 2024, a single loaned-out pixie frog came back to our facility chytrid positive, and got loose in receiving. What followed: six months with no amphibian production, over 10,000 animals heat treated, thousands of swabs, $70,000+ in testing, roughly $1.25 million in lost revenue, and a phone call from the state suggesting we euthanize everything in the building.

Josh sits down with Zach Brinks, VP of Live Operations (19 years at Josh's Frogs), and we get into exactly how the outbreak started, how effective heat treatment is, and what all of it means for you at home with one frog or a whole rack.

They're called viper geckos, they're roughly the size of your thumb, and they are not venomous in the slightest. Josh talks with Lori from the reptile department about one of the more underrated species we breed here!

Lori covers the full setup, why these are a communal species,, what a proper enclosure looks like, basking and ambient temps, humidity, and where she lands on the ongoing UVB debate for nocturnal species.

If you keep leopard geckos, a lot of this will feel familiar. Same region of the world, similar temperature needs, same tail-fat storage. The differences are the fun part: no eyelids, so they lick their eyeballs clean, and sticky toe pads that let them walk straight up glass.

Triangle tree frogs (Dendropsophus triangulum) used to be lumped in with clown tree frogs, and about half of them don't even have the triangle they're named for. Josh sits down with Austin, who oversees tree frog and toad production at Josh's Frogs, to break down what these frogs actually are and how to keep and breed them.

Bioactive setups nearly identical to red eyes, sexing by body width and throat color, and a breeding process where eggs go onto submerged vegetation in an inch of water with clutches run around 700. The tadpoles are the smallest we work with, small enough to swim through a foam filter if you're not careful.

How big does the world's largest tarantula actually get? Josh sits down with Jayzun, the Curator of Arachnids at Josh's Frogs, to meet five giant tarantulas! Including a Goliath birdeater, (Theraphosa blondi), with a leg span pushing 10 inches.Jayzun has kept tarantulas for 26 years and has never once been bitten. In this episode he pulls the lids off some of the biggest spiders in the collection and explains what "giant" actually means, why leg span is a misleading way to rank them, and which giant species a first-time keeper should actually start with.Species featured:- Ornamental tarantula (Poecilotheria sp.) - an arboreal giant with medically significant venom and yellow warning colors- Colombian giant redleg / blood leg - dramatic, fast, and quick to kick urticating hairs- Brazilian blonde (Nhandu tripepii) - "Pinkie Pie," who does not like Jayzun- Brazilian salmon pink birdeater (Lasiodora parahybana) - Jayzun's pick for a first giant- Goliath birdeater (Theraphosa blondi) - The largest spider species in the worldShop tarantulas, supplies, and feeders: https://www.joshsfrogs.com#Tarantula #GoliathBirdeater #JoshsFrogs

Dial in your reptile care routine with expert advice from Josh's Frogs keeper Lori. This episode covers the essentials of Eublepharis macularis care, including ambient temperatures, basking spots, and humidity levels. We dive into preventing eye health issues, setting up bioactive enclosures, and solitary housing requirements. We also compare standard leopard geckos to the wild-type traits and care tweaks of the West Indian Leopard Gecko.

In this episode of The Josh’s Frogs Podcast, Josh talks with Aaron Capouellez from PA Woods & Forests, a traveling nonprofit conservation organization and media brand dedicated to reptile and amphibian ecology in Pennsylvania.

Aaron shares the inspiring story behind Frog Week, and breaks down how he’s using media, bioacoustics, and community engagement to protect native species. From educating over 2,000 students to protecting suburban frogs, Aaron proves that you don't need a massive grant or even a rainforest to make a real difference in wildlife conservation.

Ever wondered how a live frog safely makes its way from a warehouse to your living room terrarium? Spoiler alert: It’s definitely not like shipping socks or underwear! In this episode of the Josh's Frogs Podcast, we sit down with Simone from our vertebrate shipping team to show us the layers of the intricate, weather-dependent science of live animal transport. Simone shares an insider look at what it's like to handle up to 100 orders a day and breaks down the exact technology we use to keep animals safe. From custom-made gel packs and insulated foam boxes to the magic of EcoTherm packs. We also dive into tips for you when your new pet arrives, how we navigate extreme summer and winter weather, and much more!

Josh is joined by Notre Dame PhD candidate Gracie to look at the cutting edge of amphibian disease prevention. Gracie’s research focuses on utilizing fungal enzymes and metabolites to create a water-soluble preventative treatment for chytrid. Discover how this treatment works, its potential applications for both wild wetlands and zoo populations, and how public engagement events like Frog Fest are bridging the gap between high-level laboratory research and the local community.

Links Mentioned:

Lab: https://www.jasonrohrlab.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gracieandthefrog

John Moyles, founder of J&R Aquatic Animal Rescue, joins Josh to tell the story of how J&R Aquatic Animal Rescue grew into Wisconsin’s largest exotic pet rescue. From a lifelong career in the pet industry to creating a statewide surrender network, John walks us through the challenges of taking in more than 11,000 animals since 2020, the logistics of moving from home tanks to a staffed facility, and the organization’s next big steps.

In this podcast we talk about why releasing pet animals into the wild is dangerous, how chytrid testing helps protect amphibian populations, and the many ways listeners can help, from volunteering and donating to spreading the word on social media.

Support and get involved: follow J&R Aquatic Animal Rescue on social media, volunteer at surrender events, or contribute to ongoing fundraisers:

Website - https://www.jraar.org/Links - https://linktr.ee/JRAARFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/JRAquaticAnimalRescue

This episode explores the rise of captive-bred Malaysian dwarf toads as a pet choice. We talk about the basics and move into practical, keeper-focused information as well as breeding. The episode emphasizes buying captive-bred, working to maintain biosecurity, and more!

A deep dive into these tiny tarantulas! Their surprising colors, secretive burrows, and more! Join us as Josh and Jayzun explore Dolichothele and the world of dwarf tarantulas.

An episode for enthusiasts who love the beauty of day geckos! We dive into everything you need to know to keep day geckos, from housing, to breeding! Perfect for new keepers and seasoned hobbyists who want to level up their knowledge. :)

Austin and Josh dive into the world of Stubfoot Toads! what makes them special, how to keep them healthy in captivity, and more. Whether you’re curious about starting with amphibians or looking to improve your care routine, this episode delivers it all! :)

- https://www.amphibians.org/

- https://www.amphibianark.org/

- https://joshsfrogs.com/sp/rio-pescado-stubfoot-toad---atelopus-balios--captive-bred--toad060

Josh and Jayzun dive into the fascinating world of Avicularia Tarantulas! They talk about how to take care of them, their naming classification, and so many other things!!

Join Josh and Bruce as they dive into hognose snakes! Whether you’re a first‑time snake owner or an experienced keeper, it's time to learn all about their upturned‑snout charm.