Help identify and then should I keep him/her?

[mickeyg]

Hi. For the past week, I had noticed my cat being very curious about a new houseplant I had bought from a local home depot. This morning, while watering it, I pulled the plant out of the planter (I had yet to actually transplant it into the larger planter) and found a tiny frog. We brought it to a local pet store, who couldn't identify it any further than "tree frog" but I'm wondering if anyone can help me identify the species. Because he came in on a "tropical" plant, I have no idea if he's native to our area, or a long way from home.

At the same time, we're wondering what we should do. Should we keep it? Should we be worried about disease or the fungus I've read about that's common in tree frogs? My sister thought that her kids (6 and 3) might enjoy having a frog as a pet, so even if we don't keep it, she might want to set up the terranium for it. Being winter, we didn't want to just put him outside. Thanks for the help.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gfiorillo/4200796997

[John]

That's a tough one. It's not a native US Tree Frog in my opinion, though I'm not great on West Coast Frogs. Looks Asian to me but it's hard to tell. Kurt Kunze would be your man for this. Do you have a larger photo please?

[Kurt]

I think the most likely candidate is the Cuban treefrog, Osteopilus septentrionalis, but based on just that one picture, I can't say for sure. I will need to see more pictures from different angles. Chances are the plant came from Southern Florida, where this species has been introduced. If indeed it is a Cuban treefrog, be careful when handling it as this frog has toxic skin secretions. Wash your hands afterwards and never touch your face untill after you have done so. If you were to get these secretions in your eye you could be in a world of pain.

[mickeyg]

Thanks for the help. I've held another photo shoot and uploaded the new pics

MobileMe Gallery

Also, does anyone have suggestions on how I can find a home for him. My cats are not playing very nicely with him and causing a little bit of a ruckus.

Gina Brady
NJ

[Kurt]

Check the links page, there may be a local herp society in your area.