WE CAUGHT A FROG!!! How do we keep it alive??

[yoshimi]

I'd love to know what the outcome was here. I have a wild-caught toad and fought with myself til I was in pieces over whether to keep her. Then it was winter, and 5 months later, she's still here, an inch larger, and I'm in love. Different needs than a tree-frog, but I feel bad that this girl's words were thrown back at her. She was looking for help. And found the little guy in SC so she couldn't just toss him out the door.

An inch big, he could've eaten baby crickets. Of course, proper enclosure comes 1st. I figured that out pretty quick. Had fun and learned a lot setting up a decent home. Funny to find that a "free" wild-caught frog can cost a lot of time and money. The time goes to research, research, research. As quickly as you can cuz you've got a helpless little creature waiting. Banjo sat in an empty blank disc thingy, still wet from the rain, while I googled feverishly. Went out in the dark to get dirt and whatever I could find to make a temp home in a plastic drawer. Her home now is a 22.5 gallon. And toads are forgiving. If I'd scooped a tree frog up from the sidewalk, may have been a different story. A weird story. But I felt the same way as KimiBear before the snow came, setting her on the ground. So small and vulnerable. Now she's bigger and fatter but I still see my baby when I look at her.

I know, intellectually, that wild animals need to be left in the wild. 99.9% of the time, I follow that rule. I wouldn't pick another frog up and take it home, but if I went back in time, I'd probably do the exact same thing. Banjo was on the sidewalk when I abducted her, and sidewalks tend to be built next to streets... The next warm rainy night, I won't hop out of the car and grab some off the road, but I can look at her sitting in the food dish and KNOW, she will never be one of them.

If this girl's sister kept the frog, she was probably scared away from the forum, which I think is a shame, with all the info and experience available here. I didn't post until I had things under control. I didn't want to be picked on, I wanted information. I was getting enough of the "let it go" from my bf and the part of me that worries all the time. It was a race against cold weather to decide whether I could care for her. Didn't have the time to post about it! Stinks that in one day, this girl is here asking how to care for a frog caught on vacation, that she could feasibly get the supplies to care for, and then >poof< gone.

[Heatheranne]

It can certainly be a hard choice. I do believe that wild animals should be free and with their own kind. There will always be instances when we have the opportunity to rescue and help them. For those instances, my opinion may differ. I would rescue any hurt, ailing, or lost animal if it were in my abilities to do so .

You've done a great job! See, it's the others that continually bring in wild animals, that I feel are not doing them a favor. If we all took in wild frogs, numbers would decline, and many would die due to improper housing, leading to illness. They would miss their opportunity to breed within their species, producing more little toads. You have taken the time to educate yourself, have kept him/her safe, and have given a nice home .

Though I do feel we should not take from nature, this is often a tough subject that can sometimes vary depending on circumstance.

[yoshimi]

It can certainly be a hard choice. I do believe that wild animals should be free and with their own kind. There will always be instances when we have the opportunity to rescue and help them. For those instances, my opinion may differ. I would rescue any hurt, ailing, or lost animal if it were in my abilities to do so .

You've done a great job! See, it's the others that continually bring in wild animals, that I feel are not doing them a favor. If we all took in wild frogs, numbers would decline, and many would die due to improper housing, leading to illness. They would miss their opportunity to breed within their species, producing more little toads. You have taken the time to educate yourself, have kept him/her safe, and have given a nice home .

Though I do feel we should not take from nature, this is often a tough subject that can sometimes vary depending on circumstance.

Turns out Banjo is a girl, so I don't have to take him down to the pond when he starts calling and wait while he mates with someone. Yes, this is something I jokingly considered doing. I don't feel the same way about bringing a lady toad down there. I'd be plucking questionable toads off of her, scaring away suitors. That's my baby girl.
I brought home a perfectly healthy juvenile toad, who happened to be in the wrong place, so in keeping her, she HAS to stay that way. I knew I'd made a mistake, so being so careful not to make another. I agree, repeatedly bringing home outside animals is wrong. I did it as a kid, but I was more willing then to let them go. I didn't have the benefit of easy internet access to find out how to care for things. That's what this girl did. She looked to find out what she had and came to ask for help. I guess, on a forum (which I'm not used to), all we have are people's choices of words to quote and respond to, but we never got to find out what happened, because she stopped posting. I pm'ed to ask and maybe she'll get a notification, maybe not.
My experience does make me jump in on things I see a bit much.. I just hope that little frog is ok somewhere.

[yoshimi]

Got a reply, she's a nice girl, but you guys were right, the frog didn't make it. They did try. Set up a home and fed him crickets, etc. Here are some pics of Turtle:
What a beautiful frog. No, I don't know why the water was so low or if it was always like that. The point of these is just that he was a cutey.
Then here's the giant cricket their dad put in the tank that scared the girls (and probably turtle, too):
Other pics, I won't show. It's a shame, but I guess a lesson was learned. I hope so. Rest in peace, Turtle.

[Heatheranne]

What a beautiful frog. I definitely think there were different circumstance between Turtle and Banjo. It would have been nice to know Turtle was roaming free with all the rest of his fellow tree frogs. I am sorry if we hurt her feelings in saying so. That was not the intension :/. I am an honest person. This is the same reason I purchased my bullfrog as captive bred rather than taking one from any nearby ponds. I still feel they deserve their freedom. Rescuing them is different. I do feel we have a responsibility to continue their good care once bringing them in and that we have to be careful releasing them. I tend to think once we adopt them and bring them in that we should keep them. Trust me, I have taken in plenty of wild caught critters in my younger years too. You did Banjo a good service and now she is in a good safe home. But, you also did what you needed to do to provide what she needs to be healthy. Don't doubt yourself for that .

Another friend here raised up tadpoles that would have died and set them free, except all but two. Hers are also doing well. I feel the same about hers. She saved them. I too rescued toad tads last year from a drying puddle, though we set ours free after they were grown enough to catch their own food. We set the group free in phases (they grew at different rates) , together in small groups.

Remember, I am just one person with one opinion. You'll see quite a few threads of people I commended for saving frogs and toads for various reasons . Overall, I just don't believe we should take happy, thriving amphibians from the wild. I'd rather see them happy in nature with their own species .

[yoshimi]

What a beautiful frog. I definitely think there were different circumstance between Turtle and Banjo. It would have been nice to know Turtle was roaming free with all the rest of his fellow tree frogs. I am sorry if we hurt her feelings in saying so. That was not the intension :/. I am an honest person. This is the same reason I purchased my bullfrog as captive bred rather than taking one from any nearby ponds. I still feel they deserve their freedom. Rescuing them is different. I do feel we have a responsibility to continue their good care once bringing them in and that we have to be careful releasing them. I tend to think once we adopt them and bring them in that we should keep them. Trust me, I have taken in plenty of wild caught critters in my younger years too. You did Banjo a good service and now she is in a good safe home. But, you also did what you needed to do to provide what she needs to be healthy. Don't doubt yourself for that .

Another friend here raised up tadpoles that would have died and set them free, except all but two. Hers are also doing well. I feel the same about hers. She saved them. I too rescued toad tads last year from a drying puddle, though we set ours free after they were grown enough to catch their own food. We set the group free in phases (they grew at different rates) , together in small groups.

Remember, I am just one person with one opinion. You'll see quite a few threads of people I commended for saving frogs and toads for various reasons . Overall, I just don't believe we should take happy, thriving amphibians from the wild. I'd rather see them happy in nature with their own species .

Agreed on all counts. Not abducting any more critters. There were some success stories with cats. One pretty girl greeted me on my way to 7-11 about 13yrs ago. She was there waiting on the way back and she walked with me for a block or so til I decided this cat wanted or needed to come the rest of the way. She did, cuz she had babies Dec 31st 1999, and I had no idea she was preggo. Only 3 and 2 died. Then Lucky (the surviving kitten) passed away unexpectedly a few years after I'd left home. But before that, Allegra (cat I took home) got busy with another rescue cat before we'd gotten him neutered, and they had a litter he got to play with before he had to be put down with feline leukemia. Those babies and Allegra now live in NH with my mom. That story just makes me happy, nothing to do with frogs other than to point out how much easier it is to care for a mammal than an amphibian or reptile. Something furry can let you know what it needs, and if anything goes wrong with them, the solution is common knowledge.

I'm excited to check out the local wildlife around here this spring/summer. With a look, don't touch attitude. I hope this girl, or rather her sister, adopts the same attitude, rather than any more frogs. I don't think her feelings were hurt. She's young, bounced back, and as I said, you all were right. Intentions were good, but follow through was lacking.

Before this thread turns a year old, I can say at least we got closure for it. While I don't believe in a people heaven, I hope there's a heaven for all the Turtles. They deserve it more, I'd say.

[Heatheranne]

I agree. Though still, sometimes they do need our help. Something to keep in mind.

[MaxVanity]

I used to live by a lake and often times would find frogs trying to cross the road, or too close to the edge of the road. When seeing this I would pick them up and walk them down to the bank and set them by the bank. I never tossed them in the water I just sat them close enough to the lake to show them where the water source was. This in general was saving their lives and leaving them where they belong.

Though she found the frog in SC she could have still set it loose outside where she was after she went home. I'm from illinois and find green tree frogs all of the time out here.

[yoshimi]

I used to live by a lake and often times would find frogs trying to cross the road, or too close to the edge of the road. When seeing this I would pick them up and walk them down to the bank and set them by the bank. I never tossed them in the water I just sat them close enough to the lake to show them where the water source was. This in general was saving their lives and leaving them where they belong.

Though she found the frog in SC she could have still set it loose outside where she was after she went home. I'm from illinois and find green tree frogs all of the time out here.

True, I think she's in Georgia. Would have been preferable. That's sweet about the frogs. When you see actual turtles trying to cross the road (as there are around here from time to time), you have to put them on the side they were trying to get to, or they'll keep trying to cross the road. There was one struggling to get up onto the curb and my bf stopped the car so I could get out and bring it up onto hill where down below there's a creek.
Wherever Banjo was headed, I should've just let her go there. She wasn't in immediate danger, but when I scooped her up and looked at her, I just kept walking. Now I'm responsible for her. And I don't know where she was going, or coming from. She was pretty far from the pond, on sidewalk on a corner in a residential area. Across the street was train tracks, another street, and then more houses. Someone's yard, even my own, would probably have been just fine, but when I did take her out and sit her on the ground, she just sat there and looked so tiny. And there were suspicious birds about. Discovered later they were only there to eat the wild strawberries.

I agree. Though still, sometimes they do need our help. Something to keep in mind.

I've learned the hard way you've got to know when you can help and when it's just going to be heartbreak. When I lived closer to the city, saw a baby pigeon under an overpass, trying to cross a small street, just flapping his wings. Picked him up and noticed his beak was bent sideways a bit so I took him home. He couldn't fly but he scared the **** out of me trying while I slept. Borrowed a cage used to transport dogs and he was good for about a month maybe. Thought he was eating, but came home from work one day to find him dying. Even tho he needed to be put down, rather than call Animal Control, I took a cab to Angell Memorial in Boston, with him in a wooden wine box and wrapped in my "emo kids do it better" t-shirt. They were so nice there, and as the guy turned the corner with the box, I was in tears. The people around felt bad, but if they knew what was in the box, I'd be outted for the total weirdo that I truly am. Then again, some of the tears were due to how kind the staff was. Treating my pigeon like they would any other creature in need. Ah, Spike, miss you buddy.

*I'm not sure what bad word I used there... I do it without noticing, sorry. I'll try to proof-read more.

[yoshimi]

Actually, that bothers me a LOT. At the point where they stopped caring for him, maybe at the introduction of that monster cricket, they could've let both Turtle and the cricket go. He'd have had a 100% better shot that way. If she'd stuck around on here, could people have convinced her? Maybe. Would she have stayed even if there was all around support for her new frog endeavor, tho? No idea. And that's an unlikely situation anyway. Now my 1st thoughts toward someone with a caught frog who doesn't know how to take care of it will be, "let it go!" but it will depend on their attitudes and potential dedication tho. Ok, I have roaches to pack and mail before post office closes.

[Lija]

rest in peace Turtle in your green heaven

that is such a sad story and that is so important to repeat endlessly live creatures are not toys, you can't just take them out of their home and do whatever, i hope lesson learned here. i hope.....

Heather i couldn't agree more, sometime wild ones need our help, but if not, we should let them be and Crystal, you know I'm sure we all here are weirdos of some sorts to majority of people for just how much we love and care for a frogs

[yoshimi]

that is such a sad story and that is so important to repeat endlessly live creatures are not toys, you can't just take them out of their home and do whatever, i hope lesson learned here. i hope.....

Amen to that!

[Heatheranne]

rest in peace Turtle in your green heaven

that is such a sad story and that is so important to repeat endlessly live creatures are not toys, you can't just take them out of their home and do whatever, i hope lesson learned here. i hope.....

Heather i couldn't agree more, sometime wild ones need our help, but if not, we should let them be and Crystal, you know I'm sure we all here are weirdos of some sorts to majority of people for just how much we love and care for a frogs

Agreed . Though, I care for our frogs and adore them just as much as our cats. I think having a respect for nature in general is what most of us share here. Each genus and species are special in their own ways...frogs or other .

[MaxVanity]

To be perfectly honest I was angered the instant I read the title of this thread and had hoped someone would speak up and tell the person to release the frog back into the wild. I was thrilled to see I wasn't the one who had to take that role because I wouldn't have been as nice about it, but not too happy to see that advice wasn't taken. It's sad to see they honestly thought a little tiny tree frog could eat such a large cricket, and that that may have caused the frog's untimely death. I just hope in the future they will leave these wild creatures where they belong, in the wild. It's okay to rescue, not okay to kidnap.

[yoshimi]

To be perfectly honest I was angered the instant I read the title of this thread and had hoped someone would speak up and tell the person to release the frog back into the wild. I was thrilled to see I wasn't the one who had to take that role because I wouldn't have been as nice about it, but not too happy to see that advice wasn't taken. It's sad to see they honestly thought a little tiny tree frog could eat such a large cricket, and that that may have caused the frog's untimely death. I just hope in the future they will leave these wild creatures where they belong, in the wild. It's okay to rescue, not okay to kidnap.

Actually, that was their dad that put it in, trying to help, cuz store was out of tiny bugs for him. But the actual thing that killed it was much worse. Which is why I 100% agree and am angered now that I know for sure what happened, that it wasn't set free. As I said earlier, at the moment they were afraid of the cricket, they should've let it and Turtle GO. All they'd have to do is leave the tank outside sideways and both would have found their way to freedom. I felt bad for the girl, her sister, and the frog, because mine was a kidnap. But I'm ok with criticism and/or opinions about it. It's nothing I don't already know. Now, I just feel bad for the frog.

[Lija]

I care for our frogs and adore them just as much as our cats. I think having a respect for nature in general is what most of us share here. Each genus and species are special in their own ways...frogs or other .

that is true, same here same for everybody see signature below well kids are kinda exception lol

[UncleChester]

Crystal, thanks for getting a follow up even if it was bad news.

I think the responses here were polite and appropriate. Urgent 'rescues' a possible exception, no one should go into pet ownership on a whim. In between the suggestions to release the frog there was plenty of advice on how to care for it, which was hopefully heeded to make it's last days were as comfortable as possible. At least until the unfortunate incident you've been hinting at.

I do hope the experience has increased their appreciation for nature and the potentially bad outcomes of taking in animals you aren't prepared to care for.

[yoshimi]

Crystal, thanks for getting a follow up even if it was bad news.

I think the responses here were polite and appropriate. Urgent 'rescues' a possible exception, no one should go into pet ownership on a whim. In between the suggestions to release the frog there was plenty of advice on how to care for it, which was hopefully heeded to make it's last days were as comfortable as possible. At least until the unfortunate incident you've been hinting at.

I do hope the experience has increased their appreciation for nature and the potentially bad outcomes of taking in animals you aren't prepared to care for.

In my PM I did say that to her, that there was a lot of really good important advice in there. But sometimes the "let it go!" chorus (however right it was) when you don't want to, can turn you off of listening at all. I wrote because that was what I worried had happened. Can't say whether that was the case. Can't say whether anyone learned anything (besides me). I know through pics exactly what Turtle's fate was. It's exactly, if not worse than, what you all were afraid would happen if she didn't let him go.

Sorry guys, I forgot one of the good ones...