Frogs and Toads

Crickets, superworms, waxworms, fruit flies, flies, grasshoppers, some floating food sticks, earthworms, blood worms are just a few of the possible food choices. To receive the best possible diet, you should vary the diet as much as possible. Always take into consideration the size of your pet when choosing its food. Wild caught insects can be great for adding variety to your pet's diet, but be careful to capture in a pesticide-free area

Amphibians sit in water and absorb it through their skin - most amphibians cannot swim following the tadpole stage so it is important to provide easy access water dishes - adding rocks if it appears too deep and the frog may drown - this is especially true for small mantellas and poison arrow frogs. Always use dechlorinated water!

There is usually a problem with housing two different species of animals together because they may not be immune to the others poison. These secretions can also be dangerous to people if ingested, so always disinfect your hands both before and after handling frogs. Please ask for recommendations.

The normal housing for a frog/toad can be seen in our Reptile Room. All these animals need access to water at all times. They drink their water by sitting in a bowl or pond and absorbing the water through their skin. It is extremely important that the water be clean and dechlorinated. Use an easy access bowl as most cannot swim and will drown in water that is too deep.

Most will benefit from full spectrum lighting and some external heat source. Please ask for information on your particular type of animal. The easiest way to obtain proper heat is through an aquarium heater placed in a pond area or from lighting. Common temperature range is 70-78º F but each frog has different requirements. As with most animals, the light should imitate their natural environment by having a twelve hour on and twelve hour off system. If you prefer to have a light on 24 hours, you should use a black night-light at nighttime.

Fluorescent lights are long tube shaped bulbs which do not give off heat but give off uvb rays that allow proper usage of the vitamins and minerals in the food. Without fluorescent bulbs many animals develop metabolic bone disease. Amphibians are to be kept with the lowest amount of uvb, 2%. Keeping amphibians under a stronger uvb light is dangerous for them. Fluorescent bulbs need to be replaced every six months. If you wish to mix species, be sure to choose those with similar UVB requirements as your frogs: the UVB that certain lizards, for example, require is harmful to frogs.

It is best to always wash your hands after handling any animal, and this is especially true when handling frogs or toads. If you have an open cut, the secretions may burn and if your hands were not washed after handling, you may become ill from the secretions. Handling amphibians should be limited to cage cleaning time only as most amphibians have a slime coating on their skin which is part of their immune system. When you touch them you break that protection allowing germs to enter. You can also introduce salt from your body, soap, lotion, etc. from your hands enters through their skin.

There are many different frogs and small lizards that can be mixed to create a very attractive and active community tank. Mantellas, green tree frogs, long tail grass lizards, day geckos and anoles can be added to create a natural habitat that is very appealing to people. Normally the community tanks require a 3% UVB light and small heat sources. Running water and live plants are a great addition and many species of amphibians will not acclimate without the live plants.

It is critical to know what the temperature zone is for your pet and to know what the tank temperature is inside your tank before putting the animals inside. Keeping an animal too warm can cause over heating and death in a matter of several minutes. Keeping an animal too cool will cause a weakened immune system, trouble digesting their food and trouble functioning normally. Use two thermometers to register the temperature on both the cool side and the warm side. It is important to give the animal a choice on which side they need to be.

There really is not a clear difference between the frog and the toad. When a scientist would discover an animal with smooth shiny “wet” looking skin, it would usually get the name FROG, and the dry “warty” looking skinned animal would become the TOAD.

Most frogs and toads secrete a poison in their skin. This poison is sometimes excreted when the animal feels threatened. The poison is their protection against predators. Their poison can make the enemy sick.

Remember not to handle amphibians for their sake and for yours. When you handle them you rub away their protective slime coating.

Using live plants is recommended for use in amphibian tanks. Live plants help with the air quality and breaking down of the waste products.

When feeding your pets be sure to provide enough food to keep them plump but not too much that it is crawling around the tank uneaten. Uneaten food could possibly start to eat your pet! As the amphibian will only kill what it intends to eat and will not defend itself against the other food items.

If you have any questions about your pet please contact a reptile room manager for instructions on the proper care.

If you have any questions regarding your pet, please feel free to contact the Reptile Room at 717-299-5691. We are here to share information with you, so you can enjoy years of enjoyment with your new pet.