National Frog Month & Pet Frogs

April is National Frog Month and I though it would be the perfect time to tell you a true little frog story and to also talk about pet frogs.

Did you know that American green tree frogs are one of the most popular pet frogs? This delightful little fellow is available in most pet stores and cost between US$10.00-$20.00 each. They are relatively easy frogs to take care of. They need a large (at least ten-gallon) terrarium and do well with bark and pebbles for the bottom and a nice tree branch.

Frogs like plants and will benefit from having live plants in their terrarium. You see the Pothos plant in terrariums at pet stores. Pothos can be left in pots, grown in jars of water or planted directly into soil on the bottom of the terrarium. The plants will provide the frogs with places to perch and will help maintain high humidity. Green tree frogs thrive best at humidity levels around 75%; spray the terrarium once or twice a day using a plant mister filled with pure water to help maintain appropriate humidity levels. Do not use water containing chlorine or heavy metals, as these chemicals can soak into the frogs and kill them. Water should be provided in a shallow non-metal bowl on the bottom of the terrarium. Water in this bowl should be changed often. Captive green tree frogs should be offered small crickets, waxworms and silkworms.

Frog Story
Ok I couldn't pass up telling you my frog story. hahaha!
When I was around 23 years old I had this huge fascination for frogs. One day I noticed a fishing boat in my brothers yard was full of rain water and I thought it would be a good idea to pull the plug and drain it. As I was about to do that I noticed that the boat was full of little black tadpoles. After watching them for a while I just couldn't bring myself to pull the plug and kill all those little fellows so instead I dipped them all out and put them in a bucket. I then took them home with me and placed them in a beautiful fish tank with a nice little island for them to crawl up on once they turned into bull frogs.

This little project was so fascinating. I watched every day my little bullfrogs loose their tails and then grow their legs. One morning I got up and headed to the kitchen to fix some breakfast and noticed that my dining room wall was completely covered in blackish green dots. I thought.... what is that??? I looked closer and OH MY GOD I was in shock. My tadpoles that I thought were bullfrogs that would stay in the tank, were not bullfrogs at all. They were little green tree frogs (you know the ones that have the little suction cup fingers and can crawl up walls) Well they were crawling everywhere! Not just a few either. I had saved at least 400 little tadpoles from the bottom of the boat that day and I had at least 300 out of the tank. They were everywhere! It took me a whole week to get all the frogs out of the house. I couldn't even eat a meal at the table without a baby tree frog coming out of nowhere and leaping on my head. True Pet Frog Story of mine. Giggle~ Pam