Dr Greg Dickens — Scientific & Veterinary Adviser to The Frogfather

A little background — and why this matters

Around five weeks ago, a member of our community kindly highlighted
an inconsistency involving scientific taxonomy and naming in
one of our posts.

We took that feedback seriously. Scientific names, classifications
and biological relationships matter. They help us communicate
clearly about the animals we keep, understand the research,
and provide reliable husbandry information.

Frogfather has always been built around practical experience,
observation and animal welfare. But experience alone is not
a substitute for scientific accuracy.

With more than 2,000 articles, notes, posts and videos
in our growing library, we have begun reviewing our existing
educational content to identify anything that needs updating,
clarifying or correcting.

That is a substantial undertaking, and it will take time.
We also want to strengthen the way new information is checked
before publication.

Welcome to the team, Dr Greg Dickens

We are delighted to welcome Dr Greg Dickens,
a zoological veterinary surgeon, as Scientific & Veterinary
Adviser to The Frogfather.

Greg has lived and worked in the Amazon and Central African
rainforests, researching insects and some of the animals
that feed on them.

His interests include animal behaviour, macrophotography
and developmental science. He also keeps a range of insects
and crustaceans, alongside a breeding population of
Ranitomeya amazonica.

Greg runs the conservation charity BugSpaces
and co-hosts the healthcare podcast
Growing Up W.E.I.R.D.

And when he’s not occupied with all of that, there are
two rabbits and three children to keep him busy!

Follow Greg on Instagram:

@drgregdickens

What changes from here?

Greg will help us strengthen the scientific foundations of
Frogfather’s educational content, complementing the years
of practical husbandry experience behind the site.

• Scientific accuracy: Checking biological terminology, taxonomy and relevant scientific claims.
• Husbandry guidance: Reviewing advice against veterinary knowledge and available scientific evidence.
• Existing content: Supporting our ongoing programme of reviewing and updating older educational material.
• Future articles: Introducing identifiable scientific review credits where content has been reviewed and approved.
• Continual improvement: Recognising when new evidence changes our understanding and updating our advice accordingly.

We will distinguish between published scientific findings,
practical observations from Frogfather HQ, and subjects
where reliable evidence remains limited.

We won’t pretend that every historical article has already
been reviewed, or that any individual can guarantee
that mistakes will never occur. What we can promise is
a transparent commitment to improving accuracy and
correcting errors when they are identified.

Real-world experience.
Scientific expertise.
Animal welfare first.

Better information helps us make better decisions
for the animals in our care.
That’s what Frogfather has always been about,
and that’s what we’re working to strengthen.