African Clawed Frogs Being Dyed?

[Maddymoo]

Oh it isn't a major chain or anything, just a little shop and it is the only place I have seen coloured frogs. I came across them a couple of years ago, had never seen them before and believed the owner when he told me how they are coloured :-/ he will never get another £ of my money


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[rivkah]

If you frequent this store and are otherwise satisfied with it, I would educate the shop owner about the process, about how un-natural it is and that some will only buy this frog because of the color, what will happen to the frog, or his reputation, when the color fades? And are the few extra sales worth that?

I have found that if I have a good relationship with a store owner and calmly, very calmly (and sometimes with a little humor), explain my concerns for the creature and for the store (more importantly), the owner generally will do what I want, which could be as simple as posting a notice such as "that these frogs are un-naturally colored" , also explaining just how delight ACF can be, in this case.

I recommend that instead of just walking away from a store you have had a good history with, try to educate so that every creature purchased would be wanted by the buyer for what it really is and for its natural life span. Its better for the creature and actually better for the store.

I have certain favorite stores, and the owers are so used to me being a brat (or is it a different "b word"?) that I get away with too much, including changing descriptions and getting major discounts.

As our mothers used to tell us "you catch more flies with honey than you can with vinager".

[dodgedartfrog]

If you frequent this store and are otherwise satisfied with it, I would educate the shop owner about the process, about how un-natural it is and that some will only buy this frog because of the color, what will happen to the frog, or his reputation, when the color fades? And are the few extra sales worth that?

I have found that if I have a good relationship with a store owner and calmly, very calmly (and sometimes with a little humor), explain my concerns for the creature and for the store (more importantly), the owner generally will do what I want, which could be as simple as posting a notice such as "that these frogs are un-naturally colored" , also explaining just how delight ACF can be, in this case.

I recommend that instead of just walking away from a store you have had a good history with, try to educate so that every creature purchased would be wanted by the buyer for what it really is and for its natural life span. Its better for the creature and actually better for the store.

I have certain favorite stores, and the owers are so used to me being a brat (or is it a different "b word"?) that I get away with too much, including changing descriptions and getting major discounts.

As our mothers used to tell us "you catch more flies with honey than you can with vinager".

Two sides to this coin,..

I did some research into "animal dying" a while back.
In Asia it's very dangerous to the animals, the application, the long term effects, the danger to the people who handle the animal afterwards etc.. b/c asian markets use dangerous (sometimes toxic dyes) as they're cheap and easy to use and last longer with more vibrant colors. The benefit$$ outweigh the lost animals in the process and there's not really a lot of animal sympathy in Asia in the first place.

In the US frogs and fish are unharmed in the process.
In the US All the dyes are veggie based in most cases and for amphibians/fish/reptiles actually have nutrients mixed in so it's actually like a vitamin booster.
Those dyed froggies aren't be harmed, and are actually handled better b/c they now have additional time and effort put into them and are more expensive to lose. But if your frogs are from the US they should be fine and the US has started cracking down on imported dyed fish/frogs b/c of the toxicity of the chemicals (it may be completely illegal as an import by now.

Any mammals (again in the US) (mice/rats/bunnies etc..) no harm,.. They're just "dipped" and while I'm sure it's not the greatest thing in the world, it's not any more traumatic than a bath and it's safe veggie dye so... 50/50

Baby ducks and chickens in the US and other places however are a completely different process,.. Many are often harmed (even though the dye is safe and all external) because they're difficult to color they have to be "mixed" in with the dye, and get physically hurt in the process. Essentially they put them in a big bowl 10 deep, pour in the dye and toss them like a salad,.. it's horrible. In the middle east they violently throw a few crates of chicks into a giant tub and ram their hands in and stir them up... if you put in 50 chicks and one or two are maimed/killed,.. that's fine, slowing down costs you more money than a few lost chicks.... totally makes me sick.

[mpmistr]

I once was going to buy a ACF, it was a reticulated albino, but they had the frog under a purple light so I did not notice it was dyed until he was removed from the tank. I told the shop owner I was not interested in dyed frogs.

I'm glad that, if this is true, that dyed ACF are not harmed however I still would not want a dyed frog, I like my pets in their natural coloration.

[Felis]

Hi,

I am kind of relieved that there seem to be dying methods that aren´t that harmful. But I still don´t understand why people would like to buy dyed animals at all- in my opinion, keepers should be interested in watching the natural behaviour of their pets rather than collecting fancy-coloured, but highly unnatural specimen.

[deranged chipmunk]

Sadly, as long as there are pet stores, there will always be substandard ones. But remember, a pet shop owner, regardless of it being a large chain store or a small independent store, has to play the balancing act of showing the animal so it is retail appealing, allowing easy access for removal, and planning for fast turnover. I don't necessarily think it's not that they don't care, but they aren't permanent inhabitants, so they have to make some tough decisions that leave some aspects of their care left out. It can't be easy trying to balance retail sales, especially with purists, like us who like to point out their shortcomings. I am fortunate enough to have a local shop who really tries to balance everything well, but they do have some shortcomings and is always trying to improve things.




Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[Felis]

Hi,

very true. Every shopowner/ employee has to pay bills just as everyone else. Some try to find a balance between profit and ethics, but others don´t- that´s what make me sick.
It´s always difficult to maximize animal protection without risking business failure, but I still think that this should be a main goal when dealing with living creatures. The ones who at least try to give competent advice show that this isn´t impossible. Luckily, most of the shops in my area do so- but there are some that really only want to sell no matter what, so I have to conclude that those few people just don´t care...
But back to the topic- I´ve never seen dyed animals here and I am really thankful for this.

[Andi Eisele]

I bought my ACF as a dyed blue froglet under misinformation. They had her in a tank with all sorts of colors and they were labeled as "Candy Frogs". I, like many others I'm sure, assumed she was genetically modified like the glow fish you see all over the place. I bought her thinking she was a fatter, modified version of an ADF which we'd had in our tank before. I had NO idea what I was getting into until she ate all my neon tetras and I started to do some searching. As soon as I found out what she was I moved her into a species only tank. (I had her in a 36 gallon mixed tank.) I have done my best to give her a good life with the things that she needs now that I know what she is, but I feel like I've failed her as she's recently fallen ill. Admittedly, I did buy her because she was pretty and yes the color is slowly fading as she grows, but I adore her and her personality and would never change my love for her because she will no longer be the color that gave her her name. (Blue) i guess my point with whole message is that just because some buy them because they are pretty, doesn't mean they will all discard them once they lose their colors. Albino or blue, I love her just the same and hope with all I am that she will get better and fast so she can be with our family for years to come.