Leopard Frog Help

[Wogsmom]

Hi, I am a little frustrated by all the conflicting info you find on the Internet about Leopard Frogs. We got our Leopard Frog as a tiny little speck in a tube of water through the mail. The second I saw that little guy I fell in love. Our Leopard Frog was born on Oct 31. He or she, is now 11 weeks old. I have had him or her in a ten-gallon tank with a large floating piece of land in the tank. I have put fresh Frill plants in him or hers tank once a week since day one. I have also only purchased dechlorinated water from the pet store. (I have killed a few fish before dechlorinating my own water -not taking any chances) Our frog, affectionately called "Wog" has huge back legs now and tiny little just developed front legs. The tail is still about 1 inch long. My first question is when will he start eating again? Should I offer live food this early? He stopped eating bloodworms about 1.5 weeks ago and I am a having a hard time with my Wog/frog not eating. I have the water about 2 inches deep and change 50% once per week. My next q’s is some websites say use a 10-gallon, some say 20 for one frog. Which is right? The other q’s is when he is a full frog and is breathing (he peeks out once in a while now) how deep and wide should his water side be? Should it be foot to head with no straining? I have seen drowning pics on the Internet and now don’t know what to do. Some websites say just enough to submerge and some say six inches deep. I don’t get why they offer info so conflicting. There is so much conflicting info and the pet store where we leave doesn’t know anything about my frog. How big should the water side be? I love this silly little frog so much and want to know that I did all that it needed. I can’t find any books specifically about Leopard Frogs. Don’t understand that. Any help and or contact with an owner that has experience would be great. Signing off, Wogsmom

[John]

- Tadpoles from the genus Rana generally don't eat a lot of animal matter. I would add a rabbit pellet or two to his tank and he should eat those.
- Tadpoles stop eating when they start to absorb their tail. A few days after metamorphosis (complete or near complete absorption of the tail) they will start eating tiny foods.
- Metamorphosing tadpoles are incredibly prone to drowning. I would remove him to a small tupperware container with a little island in water that is just barely deep enough to cover him - that way he can touch the bottom and breathe at the same time, or come out onto the island.
- Leopard frogs are more aquatic than many of the members of the Rana genus but frankly they are not an aquatic frog, and certainly not for the first 6 months or so post-metamorphosis.
- Leopards are known as big jumpers and they don't really make great pets because of their space requirements. The reason that mail order companies sell them is that they are incredibly common and used somewhat in science.
- Regarding an enclosure for the frog, when it is relatively small it won't be very aquatic (or not at all), so a completely terrestrial aquarium with no water is in order. It doesn't have to be very big (a 40 liter / 10 gallon would do for a metamorph) but as the frog gets bigger its space needs will grow dramatically.
- I wouldn't consider keeping a jumping frog like an adult Leopard in an enclosure any smaller than 45 cm wide by 120 cm long (18x~48 inches), and personally, I wouldn't keep one at all since they require so much space.
- The size of the water area for a large sub-adult or adult isn't important as long as there is one, so the size is up to you.

I hope I've been helpful.

[Kurt]

[quote=John;393- Regarding an enclosure for the frog, when it is relatively small it won't be very aquatic (or not at all), so a completely terrestrial aquarium with no water is in order. quote]

I just want to clarify one thing. I don't think John meant no water at all. A small water bowl should be provided as amphibians are prone to dessication. To pprevent accidental drowning the bowl shouldn't be too deep.

[Wogsmom]

That does help. As far as what these companies do with selling these little guys, I am where I am now. He or she might be a lot of work, but darned if I am not in love with that little guy.

I will drop a rabbit pellet in there to see if is interested. So to clarify. Now that he has his front legs and back legs, I should have the water much lower than I have now. I should lower the water to just barely cover him.

[John]

Wogsmom - you are exactly right in your last sentence.

Kurt - yes, you are correct. I overlooked that.

[Wogsmom]

Well, we moved him into a 20 gallon on Monday. He has a nice rock soaking tub about 3 inches deep (only have it filled with water about 1.5 inches) with rock stairs leading out. I used the block dirt bedding that you soak for 30 minutes as it soaks up the water. It made a nice dirt bed. I did the bed about 2 inches deep across the bottom and then place round larger pebbles (as big as his head) all around the tub. I placed him in the tub with room temp dechlorinated/ oxygenated water with a scooper (didn't touch him). He seemed so happy. He sat there for about 10 minutes and then OUT on the land. He loves the dirt. He spends most of his time around the edge of the water or back in the moist dirt. I am having a blast with the little guy. We bought baby crickets and gave him his first one today. You are right, even at 12 weeks that little guy can already jump. Gonna have to get a special hood. Thank you for your help. I am sure he will be just fine. I have to say he is very funny. He seems to sleep so deeply and then all of a sudden he does a lap with no rhime or reason. Too much fun.

[Kurt]

Kurt - yes, you are correct. I overlooked that.

I kind of thought that was the case. I figured we were dealing with a newbie, so things have to be really clear for her. Nothing can be left to be misinterpreted.

[Kurt]

Just make sure any gravel and/or pebbles are not small enough to be accidentally swallowed by your frog, as this can cause bowel impaction. FYI, the "dirt" as you are calling it is ground up coconut shell.

[Tiger Cub]

Hello. I am so glad to have found this forum. I have a Leopard Frog named Lucky that I adore (he was an Uncle Milton's Planet Frog special). He has taken an entire year to morph and has yet to absorb much of his tail, but just this week got all 4 legs and the tail is shrinking so based on your post warning of drowning I've moved him out of the Milton/Planet Frog plastic habitat, and put him in a small shallow dish where he can breath and be submerged at the same time. But I'm so worried I did this too soon, or that he'll wriggle up and over the side of the dish and his little legs are not yet big enough for him to manage to jump back in? Or whatever. I just want the little guy to make it. Not sure how well the four legs work yet. Any advice on how to get him through this stage of his morph safely is TRULY appreciated. Lucky's "life partner" frog drowned in the terrible Planet Frog habitat shortly after he'd absorbed his tail so I am completely terrified to leave my little frog in any deeper water now that all four legs are out... Any and all advice on how to know if I've moved him too soon and how to keep Lucky alive period is greatly appreciated.

[John]

As long as he is near moisture it won't matter if he leaves the water when his tail is still partially present. The water is only required to keep the skin moist, so being in a moist environment is sufficient. As regards how to take care of it once it has metamorphosed, jumping frogs need large terraria, so keep that in mind (I doubt that planet frog thing is very big).

[Tiger Cub]

Thank you very much for the info. John. Yeah the planet frog thing was way too small and yucky and deep but the little guy did climb out of his rock bath thingy I bought for the terrarium and scared the daylights out of me but I found him among the moss, (he actually seemed fine) but put him in a Tupperware container he couldn't jump out of just until I get a little more clarity on what I should have in this terrarium. I don't want him to get hurt on anything. Can he navigate around a piece of drift wood? Not sure if he'll eat the coconut peat or the spanish moss stuff I put in there on advice of my local pet store -which didn't seem real knowledgeable so I'm sort of a wreck on whether I've gotten his or her new habitat right. ... p.s. as for my name "Tiger Cub" ... just in case you're wondering ... not a sex kitten, unfortunately, just a middle aged Tiger Cub Scout Den Mom ... LOL

[Kurt]

Can he navigate around a piece of drift wood? Not sure if he'll eat the coconut peat or the spanish moss stuff I put in there on advice of my local pet store -which didn't seem real knowledgeable so I'm sort of a wreck on whether I've gotten his or her new habitat right. ... p.s. as for my name "Tiger Cub" ... just in case you're wondering ... not a sex kitten, unfortunately, just a middle aged Tiger Cub Scout Den Mom ... LOL

He/she should be able to navigate around driftwood. The substrate should be fine, no worries. The substrate you want avoid is gravel. If accidently ingested, it can cause bowel impaction.

What is middle-aged and what is a tiger-cub scout? Just wondering if I am middle-aged.

[jody]

please be careful using the petstore dried moss. it has cause lethal impaction in my frogs when ingested. the crickets hang out on it and bits are eaten accidentaly when the frog strikes. the moss contains pine needles and other small bits of leaf and sticks that cannot be digested.

[Tiger Cub]

Thanks Kurt. I think we're 65 babies ? So while I hate to break it to you I think we're doing pretty good if this is the middle! Tiger Cubs are the first level of boy scouts, 6-7 year olds. Its an experience

For the froggie, he's does seem ok on the land. Thanks for all the help. He doesn't seem to have killed or eaten his crickets though. I keep finding them dead in the water. Is there a recommendation on the types of crickets I should be getting him ??? I just asked the pet store for small. I live in the middle of nowhere so the best I can do is probably internet.

[Kurt]

Thanks Kurt. I think we're 65 babies ? Is there a recommendation on the types of crickets I should be getting him ??? I just asked the pet store for small. I live in the middle of nowhere so the best I can do is probably internet.

There is only one type of cricket available, Acheta domestica. As far as getting them off of the Internet, I think the minimum is 500, 250 if you're lucky. To keep them from drowning, I make "cricket ladders" out of needle point mesh you can get at arts and crafts stores. I cut it into strips, then cut it to length for the bowl being used. See the picture below. (I should've patented this idea, but it's two late. This picture ended up in a book.) More pics in my profile.

I am actually a '64 baby, so that would make me older than you. I want to be 21 again.

[John]

There is only one type of cricket available, Acheta domestica.

Actually I know in North Western Europe, at least, where I'm from, you can purchase black field crickets too (very similar to what I see wild here in the southern US where I live now).

[Kurt]

I used to see blackcrickets all the time around here, but in the past few years not so much. It has me very concerned.