Considering releasing frogs into their natural habitat...

[meganmcnerney]

We were given gray tree frog tadpoles as a surprise a few months ago. I've been contemplating giving away the froglets to friends and even possibly releasing them back into "the wild". Unfortunately, the person who gave us the tads no longer has her frog pond as a black bear destroyed it about 1 month ago!

do i consider my froglets captive breed even though they were born in the wild? will releasing them now be a "death sentence" considering that they have lived the past 2-3 months in captivity with an all you can eat buffet? will the impending cold weather hurt their chances of survival?
i'm trying to find them homes versus releasing them, but would like to know the facts and what their chances of survival would be.

there are several reasons why I'm giving them up...first, never was wild about having bugs in my house, even though it is cool to watch them hunt for their food. second, because they are nocturnal, my son rarely gets to enjoy them when he is awake, which was the reason why our friend gave the tads to us in the first place. third, i have 6 froglets in a 10gal tank and I know I need to increase the size of their habitat. money is tight and the upkeep is not making it worth it considering my son isn't able to get much benefit. fourth, finding someone to take care of them while I'm out of town is proving to be difficult as no one wants to mess with feeding them live bugs. finally, one of my cats is obsessed with the frogs and won't leave their tank alone. he is not able to get inside it, but he is able to reach the exterior with his paws and nose and i have found him many times on top of the tank. for all these reasons, I don't believe my home is a good "frog environment" at the moment.

just looking for feedback from the experts so that I do right by the frogs. Thanks!

[spankyg]

I'm no expert but I've raised whites tadpoles to frogs and currently care for 4 whites. I released one of my frogs after 8 months in captivity, and regardless of what I was told on this site, the little fella survived. I found him about 3 months after I let him free. I recognized him from his unmistakable markings and he had grown significantly.
Now this probably isn't the case everytime, but if you ask me - you have nothing to worry about. Tree frogs are very adaptive creatures.
peace

[wesleybrouwer]

You shouldn't put them in the wild anymore.
It's rather complicated to explain in a foreign language, but i'll try.

Altough the released frogs would adapt, you might severely damage the eco system surrounding you.
By adding a frog that potentially has something that doesn't hurt him, it might hurt the population it is introduced to since they did not build an imume system to it.

It's just like back in the days, when people started to travel overseas and met others.
Harmless diseases to one, became life threatening to the other,
since the others did not have a genetical resistance to this disease that was common among the others.
Also outbreed depression might occur when the genetics don't match eachother well anymore resulting in the same (or worse) disorders as you'll get by inbreeding.
Quit complicated to explain, especially in a language not my own, but i might look for the research papers if you are interested, or not convinced.

Again, introducing them into the wild population around you're house might not be a clever sollution.
Not mentioning the possibilty of transferring Chytrid or another awfull disease.
Maybe you even keep other (tropical) frogs as well, especially wild caught specimens might just carry something you don't wan't to get out there.
Altough you're frog seems healthy, it is just not worth the risk,
you are not helping the frog nor the eco-system surrounding you.
So why bother?

When it comes to catching tadpoles to watch them grow, you should put the froglets back in the place you found them.
And always be carefull if you have other frogs in home, since the collected ones might carry something dangerous for you're inhome collection and the other way around.

[wesleybrouwer]

I'm no expert but I've raised whites tadpoles to frogs and currently care for 4 whites. I released one of my frogs after 8 months in captivity, and regardless of what I was told on this site, the little fella survived. I found him about 3 months after I let him free. I recognized him from his unmistakable markings and he had grown significantly.
Now this probably isn't the case everytime, but if you ask me - you have nothing to worry about. Tree frogs are very adaptive creatures.
peace

As an aussie you should know ,
altough it is a foreign species, what might occur when introducing frogs somewhere they initially don't belong.
The Rhinella marina is an extreme example ofcourse, but they do point out what misguided actions can lead to.
Speaking of adaptable species

Normally most of the tadpoles would be eaten away, by catching lots of tadpoles, the predators of the tadpoles will suffer from it.
When putting back froglets, chances are they will decimate the amount of bugs available and so on.
Seemingly small adjustments might just wreck an entire system.
Always think carefully about what you are doing when it comes to fiddling with the chain around you,
it's great when people show interest in herping, but do it with responsibility.

[spankyg]

As an aussie you should know ,
altough it is a foreign species, what might occur when introducing frogs somewhere they initially don't belong.
The Rhinella marina is an extreme example ofcourse, but they do point out what misguided actions can lead to.
Speaking of adaptable species

Normally most of the tadpoles would be eaten away, by catching lots of tadpoles, the predators of the tadpoles will suffer from it.
When putting back froglets, chances are they will decimate the amount of bugs available and so on.
Seemingly small adjustments might just wreck an entire system.
Always think carefully about what you are doing when it comes to fiddling with the chain around you,
it's great when people show interest in herping, but do it with responsibility.

Yeah, I failed to mention that my frogs were native to that area.
The tadpoles I found were in a manmade pot in my garden (the water was drying up and they would have all died), so it wasn't like I was taking them from a pond or effecting the eco-system.
Once again, White's tree frogs ARE native to Australia, and there are thousands here in the summer time. Releasing a foreign frog into an area which is not suited for that particular species could end in disaster; but if it all checks out - no sweat.