Pet Frog

COMMON NAME : Frog and Toad

SCIENTIFIC NAME : Various, but those belonging to the general Rana, Hyla and Bufo are commonly kept

DISTRIBUTION : Worldwide

HABITAT : Moist areas with access to water for breeding

ADULT SIZE: 0.6-40 cm(1/4-15 in)

GENERAL: People constantly confuse frogs and toads. Generally, toads are warty and frogs are smooth, and toads tend to walk while frogs hop. In addition, frogs are more dependent on water and for this reason their vivarium must be kept pretty humid which means that hygiene is really important. Tanks should not be kept in full sunlight and a fluorescent tube in the hood is a good idea. Unless you are a really experienced amphibian keeper you should not take spawn from the wild as was so commonly done a generation ago. Frogspawn is not the easiest of things to rear to maturity and most people lose it through lack of experience and care.

Many toads return to the same pond each year to breed and most toads breed in water but there are one or two odd ones, such as the Midwife Toad, where the male carries the strings of eggs around, wrapped about his back legs, until they hatch. On the other hand there are a few species of Xenopus that never leave the water. These should live in a tank full of water rather like fish, but it is virtually impossible to make their tanks look natural as plants are torn to pieces as the toads scrabble around.

FOOD : All amphibians are carnivorous and in the wild they will take any animal of suitable size. In captivity, therefore, they should be fed on live food such as Bluebottles, mealworms, crickets, locusts, wax moths, earthworms, small mice, chicks and fish such as Guppies or Goldfish. The chicks and mice should be supplied freshly killed. Multivitamin compound should be added. Tadpoles and small amphibians should be kept away from larger ones.

HOUSING: Trying to keep frogs and toads in an outdoor enclosure never works very well as the populations decline and disappear, and are preyed on by all sorts of animals. However, if you are lucky enough to have a large pond in your garden that is free of Goldfish, then you can enjoy a wild population of frogs. An acquaintance of mine is in this fortunate position and during the breeding season it takes a good fifteen minutes to walk the length of the garden carefully enough to avoid treading on the multitude of frog lets that cover the grass.

A greenhouse is a great place for keeping all sorts of frogs from bullfrogs and Marine Toads to tree frogs and if it has suitable ponds and plants in it and can be maintained at a correct temperature, they will thrive. The temperature and humidity will depend on the species of amphibian and reference should be made to the conditions in which they live in the wild.

A large, well ventilated aquarium is also suitable. The floor should be covered in peat or loam with 25 per cent activated charcoal to keep it sweet. Pebbles beneath this layer help drainage. The vivarium must be covered, for frogs can jump higher than you might think, and tree frogs can climb vertical glass with no trouble. The peat should be covered with growing moss to prevent it getting in eyes, food and water.

A variety of hiding places need to be constructed using slates, florists' bark and terracotta flower pots. Pot plants should be added for appearance and to provide further hidey holes and if you are keeping tree frogs they are vital for climbing about and sitting on. A large pond should be provided which needs cleaning at least twice a day. Frogs are very aquatic animals and mucky water can cause all sorts of problems as amphibians absorb water through their skin. Hygiene is absolutely vital and the whole tank must be carefully cleaned regularly and the plants taken away and hosed down and tidied up, but do make sure there are no animals sitting on the underside of leaves or snuggled down in the compost before you do this.

BREEDING : The easiest species to breed are those from temperate zones: after a period of hibernation the frogs and toads enter the water in spring, and breed more readily than those from the tropics. Males and females are often difficult to tell apart though in some species the females are larger. During the breeding season, however, male frogs develop a large dark callous on their front feet and can be observed calling. After the eggs are laid they should be moved to a separate tank or the tadpoles might beaten. Young tadpoles feed on algae but as they grow they become carnivorous. As they metamorphose into frogs islands should be provided onto which they can climb