good frog suggestions

xBurntBytheSunx

Arachnoprince
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i am going to a reptile/invertebrate show next month and my question is what kind of frog would be a good pet...mainly low maintanence, no need for larger enclosure...and cheap too haha..

any suggestions?
 

scorpio

Arachnodemon
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Painted Asian Chubby Frog - Kaloula pulchra

Pac man frog - Ceratophrys ornata/cranwelli

pretty much all land frog species are easy to keep. The only main difference is the price! They will range from $3 to $100+
 

Highlander

Arachnobaron
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Albino green tree frog,Red eyed tree frog,horned frog,Tomato frog,Whites tree frog.
 

Wade

Arachnoking
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Baby Pac Man frogs can go for less than $10 at some shows.

Most Bufo sp. (true toads) are hardy and mske good pets.

Wade
 

Highlander

Arachnobaron
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Fire belly toads go for very cheap.Not exactly exotic but easy to care for.
 

heyjeyniceid

Arachnobaron
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Whites Tree Frogs, very easy. You dont even have to spray them down daily like its suggested in caresheets. I work with a women who has 5 in a 50 gallon and just has a big waterbowl for them whenever they want to moisten themselves down.

the ones at my work are very enteraining and expect crickets every morning at 9 am sharp.
 

xBurntBytheSunx

Arachnoprince
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hey thanks for the suggestions...i'll just have to wait and see what is available...i think all frogs are pretty neat so i doubt i'll be picky. so thanks for the suggestions, i've read up on several of the species. i think i've decided i don't really care if i don't have space for more critters, i can always get another shelving unit haha

if i had my pick of all the species listed i think i'd go with the asian chubby frog...but i read they can be noisy. does anybody keep them and know first hand if they are all that noisy or not? the reason i ask is b/c i will be keeping it in my bedroom, and i need my beauty rest. a little chirping isn't going to bother me but an insessant noise machine is something i'd rather not have....i suppose if worse comes to worse i could always lock the little bugger in the closet until it shuts it's mouth
 
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Malkavian

Arachnolord
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I've had the pleasure of hearing an asian chubby start calling in a petstore. Loud doesn't even begin to cover it! I suppose you could make sure to get a female
 

xBurntBytheSunx

Arachnoprince
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i was also considering a tomato frog...they look pretty neat and wouldn't require as large of a tank as a pacman frog...

but i have a few questions..

are they noisy?, how often do you have to change substrate usually, and i also read they are illegal "in trade" does that mean it would be illegal for me to buy one?
 

minax

Arachnoknight
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Tomato Frogs...........

The tomato frog males are not as loud as many other species, in my exp. But...............you would need as large of a tank as a pac-man frog. The pac-man frogs get very large, requiring a large tank, but they are the most lazy of the amphs. :) .!! The tomato are much smaller, but they move around much more.

Cleaning the cage................depending on your set-up, should only be changed every few months, even stretched out to 6 months, if your tank is big enough, and spot cleaned much more frequently. A dirty tank or water bowl is a frog's worst enemy, and cause the most deaths in captivity.

The Tomato frogs are legal, as long as they are captive bred. Most I have seen at shows are captive bred. Actually, to clarify a complicated situation................one species is endangered, The Dyscophus antongili.................and when they are available, the captive bred babies are very expensive. They are very bright orange, while the frogs you see at shows are the yellow-orange D.guineti, which is legal for import. The only worry in my exp. might be parasites............always a concern with a wild caught animal. I think your choices of the three frogs...........pac-man, tomato frog, or the Asian bullfrog, are all great choices. Pick the largest frog, with the most white colored throat, and it might/should be a female, if you are concerned about the call. Personally............I love it when they call! :D The only disadvantage to this method is, you could get an old frog. And.............watch the frog's weight very carefully, the first couple of months you own it. If it does not gain or maintain weight easily, your frog has a parasite problem.

Find a local vet. who might be capable of treating these problems, if needed. Years ago, I completed a lot of research on parasite treatment with frogs. It was in it's infancy then, as a science, much like treatment of T's is now. I still have some of the old frogs left, that I treated for various parasites, long ago. If you have any questions, or need help with your frogs, just post it or send me a p.m...............I would be glad to help. Happy frogging!!! :D ;)
 

xBurntBytheSunx

Arachnoprince
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hey thanks minax! i just had a few more questions. i would like to know more about them before i get one (to help me decide if i should get one or not). first are they social animals at all (do the need company). and if so would a 10 gallon tank be big enough for two?

also i wouldn't mind a male if it wasn't very noisy. reason being, it will be right next to my bed, and i don't want it to keep me awake at night. do you think males would be noisy enough to be bothersome?

also how often do you have to change water?

right now i am just basically trying to decide if keep a frog will be more effort than i will want to put into it. thanks a lot!
 

minax

Arachnoknight
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Hey!!

Sorry for the late reply............been VERY busy! ;)Anyway.............in my exp., the "Asian bullfrog" (Microhylidae Kaloula Pulchra), is a great buy, though all are wild caught. I bought some about 8 months ago, and they were very small, and now they are over 2". Tough as nails, and so far............are not as loud as the horned frogs and the White's tree frogs I have. The Asian bullfrog is actually a toad, with very small eyes and mouth.............hence microhylidae.

I have a male and female, and the frogs get their name from their call...........some think it sounds like a bull, or cow! :confused: :) My male.............sounds like a belch, or burp when he calls...........and it is not offensive, as far as being loud. It is kind of like a ghostly moan..........the first time you hear it, you will wonder if it came from a frog! Not near as loud as my White's treefrog male, who honks and growls like a big bulldog. As for the social aspect.............I think they like a buddy in there with them, though they will do fine alone. I have my toads in a 10 gl., and they still have plenty of room, and they are probably 2/3 grown. As far as the water, they love to sit in it, as these are South-east Asia species, and love the wet and moisture. Change the water bowl every three days, and sometimes you might have to change it every day or 2, if they defecate in it.

Be careful, and do not use water that has been treated with reverse osmosis . They cannot regulate it, and will take on too much water. Make sure your tap water does not have too much chlorine............if it does not smell, you are probably okay. I use mineral water here, as the water is heavily chlorinated. If I use tap water, I test it with an auq. water tester. You can get the Asian toads very cheap now, and they are VERY tough, and easy to care for. Another great choice might be a Tomato frog, as they do not call loud, but they are more expensive. Let me know what you choose, and if you need any more help, okay? :)
 
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minax

Arachnoknight
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Actually............

I just misted off the toads an hour ago................and they DO sound like bulls when they call! Though it is not very loud. :D
 

xBurntBytheSunx

Arachnoprince
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well i went to the show today and came home with a female chubby frog.

for the moment i have her in a 15" by 8" critter keeper, and have her in probably 70% peat and 30% potting soil.

she promptly buried herself and now i can't see her :( but i'm sure she will come out for a walkabout at some point.

they had a great looking tomato frog and if i had more money might have got that instead...but the chubby frog was $7 while the tomato frog was $25...so that pretty much made the decision for me.

my only question now i guess is how much and how often to feed?

hopefully within the next several weeks i'll be able to upgrade her enclosure to a 10 gallon tank with plants and hides. my room mate wants a snake so if we go back down to the show sometime this summer i'll probably pick up a buddy for her.
 

minax

Arachnoknight
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A New Frog!

So.........you got a new toad!? :) Sounds like you are off to a good start. They do not need much room, and I use the potting soil and peat mix as well. If you use a hide, like a cut in half flower pot, or a curl of cork bark, you can use less substrate, and they will still have a secure hide. Or...........sometimes the toads/frogs will not dig as deep, when they have a good hide.

One great thing I have learned over the years about amph. is that they love a secure spot to bathe. If at all possible, try to put in a shallow pool for them, and do not fill it up much higher than their vent; or just over halfway up the lower throat. And I have learned that they feel much more secure and stay out more if you put some sort of shade or cover over the pool. I use a couple of artificial broad leaves, or an artificial fern. You can put it in the ground, or use a suction cup and attach it to the wall. Think about it............what are a frogs/ toads greatest threats? Usually hawks/ owls, or some kind of generalist predator, such as a raccoon, or some other mammal.

The point is, the frogs get attacked from above in nature 99% of the time. So.........when you give them this secure place to stay,with over head cover, they will adapt much quicker to their surroundings. I have found it makes a huge difference in every species I have tried it on. Some even just stay out and bathe most of the time. Just shape the leaves, where they open in the front of the pool, and hang down toward the sides and back.

As for the feeding question.............should be fairly simple, though each person you ask will give a different answer. :rolleyes: It can depend on the temps., but I would feed the toad 2 times a week, crickets no longer than the width of her head, at most. Feed 8 to 10 at a time, and sprinkle a little calcium and D-3 maybe once a week, to prevent metabolic bone disease. The chubby frogs can grow very fast, so you could feed 3 times a week, just watch the frogs weight, as obesity will drastically shorten their life. And...........you could try waxworms as a treat; mine just go insane for them. Waxworms are high in fat, but this can be offset with a high quality protein gutload, such as chicken mash. And you can mist off the cage heavily, this brings my toads out of hiding every time. What size is your Toad? This can effect the feeding schedule as well. :)
 
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