possibly dumb question about housing frogs...

[Kurt]

Well, what most of us that do (or would like to) breed frogs want is to breed frogs that are as you would find them in the wild, just as nature made them. I, personally, want to keep species and subspecies pure and untainted. Mother nature got it right the first time.

[justin shockey]

i did not say he did but ant you the lest bit cures what we can create and how do you now it Wood be a bad thing im not trying to play god but you never now what you can create if you dont try

[Bigassfrog]

Well, what most of us that do (or would like to) breed frogs want is to breed frogs that are as you would find them in the wild, just as nature made them. I, personally, want to keep species and subspecies pure and untainted. Mother nature got it right the first time.

I think mixing different colored frogs from the same region is ok. It seems natural enough to me. Not all frogs/colors of frogs existed since the dawn of time. They changed and evolved and even cross bred in the wild. Taking 2 frogs that would have absolutely no contact in nature and then breeding them would be a bit unnatural. Still Im not sure I see an obvious downside to Jdogs proposal besides personal preference.

[Kurt]

I think mixing different colored frogs from the same region is ok. Still Im not sure I see an obvious downside to Jdogs proposal besides personal preference.

The original question was in regards to keeping White's treefrogs, Litoria caerulea and red-eyed leaf frogs, Agalychnis callidryas. The White's are Australasian, while the red-eyes are neotropical. Both frogs are from two different ends of the earth, so they are definitely not from the same region. The White's does have skin toxins and does get big, possibly big enough to eat the red-eyes.

Now for keeping frogs together from the same region. Its still not a good idea and here is a good example why. Pickerel frogs, Lithobates palustris and bullfrogs, Lithobates catesbeianus are closely related species and they are often found in the same pond, keeping them together would be disastrous. One thing the pickerel is seriously toxic and would poison the bullfrog, thus killing it. The bullfrog is large enough to eat the pickerel frog, which thanks to the pickerel's toxicity, would end up killing them both.

I think the only species I would keep together are green treefrogs, Hyla cinerea and barking treefrogs, Hyla gratiosa. They are known to cross-breed in the wild.

I do not mix amphibian species with any reptile species either.

I currently have 17 different amphibian species in my collection, none are mixed together and that includes the dart frogs.

[justin shockey]

but you still did not answer my question Anet you the lest bit kyris what you would com up with

[Kurt]

but you still did not answer my question Anet you the lest bit kyris what you would com up with

Huh?

[tylototriton]

As the saying goes "curiosity killed the cat"
In truth, it is personal preference whether or not you mix species. Many of us are dead set against it, but truthfully, it is the individual hobbyists choice. Interbreeding is a really common practice in reptile keeping, take a look at a dealer's list and you'll see a handful of cross-bred specimens. They certainly do come up with some interesting specimens. That being said, these animals serve no purpose other than looking pretty. Of course, here i'm comparing reptile keepers to amphibian keepers, and thats like comparing apples and oranges. I would guess that if you ever tried to sell your cross-bred stock you would become a pariah of the amphibian community, especially if they are dart frogs. Dart frog keepers strive to keep blood lines pure and keep the lineages as straight as possible. Many of the more "elite" dart frogs have entire lineage charts that are traced back to when their ancestors were wild caught.

In summary, cross breed at your own discretion.

Back to the actual topic. Mixing entirely different species can at times be dangerous. I think that in certain cases, it fine; if for instance, the species reside in the same area, do not compete with each other, cannot cross breed, and the enclosure is large enough. I do have a personal story involving a White's and a Red-Eyed. I know someone who kept them together years ago, long story short, both died when the White's tried to eat its cage mate. Again, it's at your discretion.

Best of Luck,
Alex

[justin shockey]

420 ya

[Kurt]

420 ya

Again, huh?