Planning on Getting a Frog?

Housing Your Frog

Frogs differ from many of the other types of herps in that frogs have the ability to adapt to many different situations. They can live very long lives if they are given the proper care in either an outdoor pond or a big tank!

Setting up the right tank environment requires a bit of thought. In the ideal situation, your frog's housing will rely on its natural habitat. Your frog's tank will need to be waterproof, and where frogs can easily be harmed by jumping against the walls of a new tank, it is typically suggested that you get an aquarium from your local pet store.

The half and half tank is the most common type.  It is a half water and half land aquarium set-up. This can be used in a few different ways, the simplest being where you would fill a tank with water then add in big land-masses such as giant rocks. There are special separators you can get to divide the water and land masses in the tank too. 

Size of the Tank

The size tank you will need depends on the kind of frog who will be living in it. Smaller frogs do well in smaller tanks, but as the number of frogs increases, so will the tank size need.   As a rule though,  most frogs do really well in a 20 gallon fish tank. 

Filtration System

Cleaning tanks is basically the same for frogs as it is for most fish, but it requires cleaning more stringently because frogs will shed their skin more frequently. The biggest drawback with the half and half tank is figuring out how to get a filtration system that will work without a full tank. There are filters that go underneath the gravel which seem to be fine, and the filters that attach to the side that are fine except when you have a tank that has a steep drop between the top and the water, the splashing noise can be kind of annoying. 

It is best to ask your pet store dealer to advise you on the right type of filtration 

Tank Cover

A soft screen is really good for this purpose. Because it's soft, it will not allow any of energetic frogs from getting hurt when hopping up and hitting the ceiling. Also, the screen allows ventilation. 

For the kind of frog that needs more of a "greenhouse" effect, you should always leave an opening in the cover for air.  It should be screened though so the frog cannot escape. 

Lighting (ordinary)

Generally speaking the best rules of thumb are:

Never use one that is too bright or you could harm your frog's vision. 

The best type of lighting for most frogs is fluorescent.

Some frogs can tell what what time of year it is from daylight.  The tank should get some sort of daylight least 12 hours a day in the room that he is in. You shouldn't have direct sunlight on the tank though, since it causes algae to grow on your aquarium walls and they will need to be need more often.

Heating the Tank

If you have a pet frog that needs to be kept in a temperature that is different from your climate, you will have to inquire about options for heating the tank. You may even need to heat the water temperature too.

Heating the Air in the Room

The best way to do this is simply to heat the room to the necessary temperature.  If you need to do this, you may want to leave the water a bit cooler, so frog's have a place to get way from the heat. 

Another way to accomplish this is to get a heating pad. You can put it under or around the outside of the tank and warm it that way. You don't want it to cover the whole bottom of the tank though as the frogs need to be able to get out of the heat if they need to. 

Heating the Water:

There are a couple of different ways to heat fish tanks that you can find in pet stores. There is the thermostat-controlled tube heater that is placed on the side of the tank. You can set the temperature and it is automatic.  

 The other way to heat the tank is with the submersible heater, which is  waterproofed with heavily coated cords so you won't electrocute your frogs. 

Substrates

The best choice is gravel. It's pretty easy to clean and it's re-usable. Be sure to clean the gravel really well before you put it in your tank! 

Frogs can accidentally swallow a gravel stone once in a while, but this is not harmful to them and usually the stones pass right through with no problem. 

Also, you can find some stones to line your tank with. The main thing is not to get  stones that are too sharp.

Sand works good as well. It is good if your frog needs a dryer environment, like a lot of toads do.  

Potting soil is a good too. It's disposable  and easily acquired.  It's also easy to keep moist and is expensive. The best thing about it is that you can plant live plants in it so it's very close to your pet's natural surroundings. 

Decorating

Moss is great for the land part of your terrarium, your frogs will enjoy it too.

You can buy plastic plants at most pet stores.  Re-arranging the decorations when you clean is a good idea. 

A log where your frog can hide is excellent for the tank. 

If you have tree frogs, add a thick tree branch so the frog is able to climb. You can cut one from your yard if you have a tree.  Wash the branch well with an antibacterial soap then put it in the freezer for forty-eight hours. Freezing it is  necessary. This will see that all of the harmful bacteria and parasites are killed. 
Frogs enjoy color so you can make a colorful background for the tank. You can make your own with contact paper. 

Diet 

Crickets are a basic part of a frog's diet.  

The majority of frogs and toads eat a wide variety of bugs.

Tiny frogs will eat baby crickets or flightless flies, even live bloodworms placed in  a shallow dish that has a bit of water for the worms. 

If you've got an underwater frog, start with frozen bloodworms or brine shrimp. 

Amount of Food

You will need to find out how much food is adequate for your particular frog. Put in about three or so crickets at each feeding for each frog and see whether they are still  hungry or if they start to look undernourished. Frogs have distinct behaviors, even within a frog species. Some will stuff themselves on any food available mindless of need and others will only eat when they are hungry. Over-feeding is not good for frogs although most will ignore food when they are not hungry. Figuring out how much to feed a frog is a matter of getting to learn about your particular frog.  You can try mealworms, wax worms or grass hoppers, but crickets seem to be what frogs like best.

 Frog Is Not Eating 

Certain frogs will only eat food that moves. Some frogs could be eating when you  don't see them.  Mostly though, a lack of appetite could be a sign of illness.  In this case, see that  the frog's living environment is very clean and see that he gets the appropriate treatment for any known disease.  Also, you may try coaxing him to eat by hand-feeding your frog.
Kill a cricket or whatever your frog likes to eat, and place it in a pair of tweezers sand try feeding him that way.  Or just wiggle the food in front of him. 

If this doesn't work, or you don't want to wait, take your frog to visit your vet for a checkup. Usually, when the frog recovers from the illness, his appetite returns.

What is the Lifespan of a Frog?

Pet frogs and toads can live for a long time. They average anywhere between five and fifteen years. 

Enter your search terms Submit search form

Copyright 1996-2008

Child Privacy Policy  |   TERMS OF USE