Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Choosing a frog as a pet
• Part 2 of 3: Housing your frog
• Part 3 of 3: Feeding and caring for your frog
• Tips
• Warnings

Frogs are fun little creatures that make unusual and rewarding pets. However, there are many, many species of frogs in the world, each with its own specific care requirements. Use this article as a general guide to choosing and caring for a pet frog. But be prepared to do in-depth research on the type of frog you choose.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Choosing a frog as a pet

1. Get familiar with some good beginner strains. The first thing to realize when it comes to frogs is that there is a wide variety of frog species available - some are easy to care for, while others require a lot of time and specialized knowledge. If this is your first pet frog, it is highly recommended that you select a suitable beginner species such as one of the following:
   • Dwarf Clawed Frog: Dwarf clawed frogs are a great choice for beginners. They are small, active and easy to care for. They do not need live food and live completely in the water.
   • Chinese fire bellied toads: These frogs are a great choice for beginners looking for a frog for a terrarium. They are fairly active and do not grow too large.
   • Coral Climbing Tree Frog: The Coral Climbing Tree Frog is possibly the easiest tree frog to care for - they are quite active, easy to feed and even accept being handled every now and then (which is very uncommon for frogs).
   • South American Horned Frogs: South American Horned Frogs, often referred to as "Pacman frogs" in English, are large land-dwelling frogs that are easy to care for. They are very quiet, which reduces the need for space, but also makes them boring pets for children.
   • As a beginner, you should avoid poisonous frogs and expensive frogs. Poison frogs are often very fragile and require complicated care, and expensive frogs are a risky choice for those just starting out with frogs. Better to start with a strain that is inexpensive and easy to care for. Then you can start on more challenging strains.
2. Don't keep wild frogs as pets. While it is possible to catch and keep wild frogs as pets, there are a few things to keep in mind.
   • First, it can be difficult to figure out what kind of frog you actually caught. Different species have different needs with regard to feed, temperature and habitat. So if you try to keep a wild frog in the wrong conditions, it can die.
   • If you do decide to catch a wild frog, make sure you take a good look at the environment in which you found it. Was it hopping around leafy, grassy forest floor, hiding under a rock, or swimming around in a pond? You will have to reproduce these conditions at home.
   • However, you should still try to find out exactly what kind of frog you have caught. This can be done on the basis of images on the internet, reading frog books or by asking a nature expert in the area. This will help you determine exactly what the frog needs.
   • Second, many of the frog species found in the wild are protected species, and some are even in danger of extinction. By removing a frog from its natural environment, you are doing damage to wild frog populations, especially if it is an endangered species.
   • In fact, it is also illegal to take protected species from the wild. Make sure you are well aware of the rules in the Netherlands before catching a wild frog.
3. Take into account the size of the frog and the space requirements of the frog. The size of the frog (when fully grown) and the size of the bowl it needs should be your first consideration when choosing your pet.
   • Sometimes tiny frogs at the pet store become giant monster frogs when fully grown. The Pyxicephalus, for example, die pixie frog is called in English (the name suggests a mini frog), you can buy less than an inch in size, but it can grow up to 8 inches long.
   • Large frogs need a lot of space. For example, a full-grown American bullfrog needs a container of 285 liters or even larger. If kept in containers that are too small, these frogs can become unhappy and sick.
   • Large bins take up a lot of space in the house and take more effort to keep them clean. These frogs will also eat more food, making them more expensive to maintain than smaller frog species.
   • This is another reason to do your research and make sure you know what kind of frog it is before you buy it.
4. Consider the frog's nutritional requirements. Before you rush to buy the cutest (or ugliest - whatever your wishes are) store-bought frog, take some time to find out what it eats.
   • Most frog species like to eat crickets, worms (such as mosquito larvae and earthworms) and other creepy crawlies. In any case, it's important to remember that frogs generally want live food, especially if you tend to fear that sort of thing.
   • Larger frogs will often want firmer food, which may include mice, goldfish or guppies. Providing your frog with this can be a lot of work and is not for the faint hearted!
   • In addition to this, you will have to consider true the frog's food must come from - the supermarket probably won't stock live crickets! Do you have a large pet store in the area that also has supplies for the more exotic animal species?
   • Of course it is possible to find food for your frog in the backyard, but that can be quite time consuming and incalculable. In addition, garden pests are often exposed to chemical insecticides, which are unhealthy for your frog.
5. Find out how active your frog species is. Another important consideration is how active your preferred frog is. This is especially important if the frog will be a pet for children; most kids want a pet to keep them busy.
   • Many of the larger, unusual or weird looking frogs are popular among beginner frog keepers, but these frogs are often the least active species and will simply sit still like a statue and sleep all day long. This can get really boring very quickly.
   • If you are looking for a more active frog, you should focus on smaller frogs, water frogs and certain types of tree frogs. These species will often jump around or swim, making them that much more fun to watch.
   • Also keep in mind that even the most active of frogs don't do much other than jump around or eat a cricket - you can't take your frog for a walk, teach it tricks, or keep it in your hands all the time. It is therefore important to consider whether a frog is really the right pet for you (or your child).
6. Understand that keeping a frog as a pet is an obligation. It's important to realize that having a pet frog doesn't take the same amount of time as a goldfish - in fact, a large, well-groomed frog can live up to 25 years!
   • As a result, you will need to prepare well to care for your frog for many years to come - to feed it, keep its environment clean, and take care of it when it is sick.
   • Also, think about how you're going to arrange this on future vacations, when someone has to take care of your frog while you're away. It can be hard to find an available volunteer if your frog only eats live crickets or even mice!
   • If you take a frog as a pet, but find that it is too much work or too expensive to keep, then you will need to get rid of it through the appropriate channels.
   • If you found a wild frog in your backyard or a nearby park, you could release it in the same place you found it. Be careful and place the frog as close to the original spot as possible - be it under leaves on the forest floor or next to a water stream.
   • However, if your frog is a species that is not found here and that you have bought in the store, then you cannot release it into the wild. You will have to return the frog to the pet store, sell it to a new owner, donate to a local school, or try a nearby animal shelter.
7. Find out if you need a permit. Sometimes you are required to have a permit to keep certain frogs as pets. Especially if they are endangered species or poisonous frogs.
   • For example, the dwarf clawed frog is illegal in parts of America because it is a danger to the local animal population if released there.
   • Contact associations or the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality for more information about frog keeping.

Part 2 of 3: Housing your frog

1. Figure out what kind of container your frog needs. Different types of frogs have very different needs when it comes to the tank. So make sure to do your homework before buying one.
   • Terrarium bins: These are the most basic of frogs, but can only be used for frog species that come from dry environments.
   • Aquarium tank: This type of tank is only used for aquatic frogs - it is basically an aquarium with water, just like a fish tank.
   • Fifty fifty: This is the most common type of frog box, where half of the box is filled with water, while the other half is dry. Most frogs do well in this environment.
   • Paludarium tray: A paludarium is specially designed for tree frogs, who like to climb on branches. These bins are generally taller and narrower than other types of bins.
   • Pond: In some circumstances you can keep local frogs in a pond in your backyard.Sometimes just building a pond will lure frogs into your yard, and you won't have to go through the trouble of catching them! However, non-native frog species should never be kept in an outdoor pond, as they can seriously upset the local ecosystem by eating local frogs and other endangered insects.
2. Place the container in a suitable place. Once you have the bin, you will have to decide where to put it.
   • It should always be placed where it is not exposed to direct sunlight. This can increase the temperature, making it uncomfortable and perhaps even deadly dry and hot in the container.
   • The tray should also stay away from the kitchen, as smoke and other gases from cooking can be harmful to the frog.
   • You should also take care not to expose the tank to propellants (such as aerosol paint in the garage or hairspray in the bedroom) as these can be absorbed by the frog's skin and are likely to make it sick.
3. Fill the container with the correct material for the culture medium. Nutrient media is the material you use to cover the bottom of the container. Your main consideration here should be how moist or dry the tray should be, and how easily the material can be cleaned.
   • Pebbles are a good option for most common frog species - the pebbles are easy to keep clean and come in a variety of colors and sizes. Other good options include potting soil, pine bark, sand, and cedar or pine sawdust.
   • Once the breeding ground has been laid down, you can look at how you are going to arrange the inside of the tank to the taste of your frog! You can cover the pebbles with a layer of moss, which makes the container look much more natural. Just make sure to keep the moss moist by regularly spraying it with clean water and checking it for mold.
   • Placing a few rocks in the tank is also a good option, it gives your frog something to climb on. Make sure there are no sharp edges on the rocks that the frog can hurt itself.
   • You can also decorate your container with plastic branches or small live plants, and a hollow log provides a nice hiding place. Buy or make a colorful background for your tank, for example a rainforest background. This will quickly make your frog feel at home.
4. Find out what your frog needs in terms of light and temperature. The temperature and heat requirements for frogs vary greatly by species, so be sure to do your research before setting up your tank.
   • Unlike lizards, snakes, and turtles, most frogs have no special needs regarding lighting, as they get all of their required vitamin D from their diet.
   • However, you will usually need to provide a light source that will burn for up to 12 hours a day, especially if the tank does not have access to natural light sources.
   • Fluorescent lights are the safest option for frogs as they don't get too hot. Hot lighting sources can be dangerous if the frog decides to jump on top.
   • When it comes to heat, the ideal temperature for your frog will depend entirely on the species. The easiest way to change the temperature in the container is to change the temperature throughout the room.
   • You can also buy heat lamps (which hang above the container rather than in the container) or heating pads (which you can wrap around the outside of the container) to increase the temperature in the container.
   • If you need to heat the water in an aquarium or half-by-half tank, you will need to purchase a glass tube heater or fully submersible water heater.
   • Make sure to turn on any heaters a few days before putting the frogs in the tank. This gives you the chance to check that the temperature is right, and adjust it if necessary.

Part 3 of 3: Feeding and caring for your frog

1. Feed your frog crickets (and other crawling pests). As noted above, most frogs will eat crickets, worms and other insects, while larger frogs will also eat mice or goldfish as a bonus.
   • How much and how often to feed the frog depends on the individual frog and will initially come down to a process of trial and error.
   • To start, try feeding your frog three crickets a day. If he eats all three quickly, and starts to look hungry over the next few days, you can increase the number of crickets. However, if he only eats one or two and ignores the rest, you can give less.
   • You can also experiment with different foods such as mealworms, maggots and grasshoppers to see what your frog likes best. Water frogs will generally eat frozen bloodworms or salt crustaceans.
2. Keep your frog clean and hydrated. It is very important to make sure your frog gets clean water every day as it uses it for both drinking and bathing.
   • Frogs are more likely to absorb water through their skin than through their mouths. Therefore, they often tend to simply sit in their water bath or pond for long periods. This water must be chlorine-free if possible.
   • You have to clean the tray every few days. To remove poop, clean the sides of the tank, check for mold or algae, and generally maintain a healthy environment for your frog.
3. Try to handle your frog as little as possible. Frogs don't like to be handled, plain and simple. Therefore, you should try to keep your frog in its tank as much as possible and enjoy yourself just looking at it.
   • If you can't resist lifting it, make sure you wash and dry your hands thoroughly and don't put on lotions, as frogs can absorb these things from your skin and get sick.
   • Be aware that it may flounder when you pick it up and possibly pee on you - this is a sign that your frog is stressed from picking it up and you should return it to its tank as soon as possible.
   • Also, be very careful not to drop your frog while holding it - even if it is struggling - as falling from a height can seriously injure your frog.
4. Pay attention to your frog's health. Once your frog gets sick it can be very difficult to treat and the prognoses are rarely good. Therefore, the best way to keep your frog healthy is to keep it from getting sick to begin with.
   • If your frog is starting to look skinny or unkempt, ask yourself if you are offering enough variety in its diet. A frog cannot survive on a diet of crickets or mealworms alone. One of the most common deficiencies in frogs is calcium deficiency, so consider sprinkling your frog's food with a calcium supplement.
   • Watch for signs of red leg disease, which is a potentially deadly disease that is especially common in captive frogs. Red leg can be recognized by the redness of the skin on the underside of the frog's legs and belly. Frogs that suffer from it often become lazy and pathetic. If you suspect that your frog has red leg, scrub the container well to remove the parasite, then give your frog a sulfamethazine bath daily for two weeks.
   • You should also watch out for signs of fungal infections such as dropsy and spring sickness. In these cases, you will likely need to see the vet for antibiotic treatment for your frog.

Tips

• Do not use pet stores as a guide! They could be wrong! Some pet stores have beautiful displays, but do their research on the computer. Many pet stores make terrible mistakes with setups for hermit crabs and other animals.
• Do not let younger children come close! They can crush or hurt the frog.
• Freeze-dried flies are also a great food for frogs. You can buy this at a pet store.

Warnings

• Always use chlorine-free water! Tap water can kill your frog if it isn't chlorine-free.
• This article about grooming is a general article. Research your frog's grooming needs before bringing it with you.