Green frog + Bullfrog / Dusted crickets

[Gnag the nameless]

Bumpy's already settling in, finding nice spots by the piece of driftwood I put in the tank She's not found the cave supported by moss yet, but I bet she will. That, and the driftwood both give great basking spots and hiding spots. I've placed one cricket in the tank, though I doubt she'll eat it. Gnag is already acting different, as if she were less stressed out. She's more out in the open than normal. Maybe it's just me, but still. Oh, and I nearly forgot: I have wallpaper on the back and one side of Bumpy's tank, I have to leave one side open for the UVB lamp.

[I washed the driftwood very thoroughly before adding it to the tank, and used the water-conditioner on it as well.]

[Bombina Bob]

Im glad to hear that bumpy has settled into her tank, its usually normal for the rana species to get stressed and jumpy when startled and Brian is right, the frogs will not get lonely. and Deamon amphibians no offense taken, i didnt mean to say they can be together if they are two different sizes but you are definatley right about that.

[Gnag the nameless]

Yeah, she's still jumpy, but she always has been.

Also, she just molted her skin. Maybe stress caused that? Other than being scared, though, she seems fine.

[Psychotic]

It's nice having them in separate tanks. But I just wanted to point out that green frogs will also eat other frogs. They are similar to bullfrogs in that they will try to eat anything that moves no matter if it's another frog. I keep both bullfrogs and green frogs.

The aggression you saw was not just because the other frog was a different kind. During feeding they get very excited and will lunge at anything that moves. They will bully each other. Bite each other on mistake. As long as they are relatively the same size however they have never tried to actually eat each other. They will fight over crickets. I normally feed them separately to avoid this.

Also if you ever get another frog be it either green frog on bullfrog they will sometimes bully each other without any food involved. I have one big male green frog that has claimed the entire shelf thing I built for them to sit on. If any of the other two green frogs attempt to get up there while he is there, he will push them off.

For me it is the opposite when it comes to temperament between green frogs and bullfrogs. All three of my bullfrogs are shy (unless it's feeding time). They hide all the time. They will only come out at night if they think I'm asleep. My green frogs can be seen out any time during the night or day and are not shy at all. They always think I'm going to be feeding them and will even jump into my hand thinking I have food.

As for croaking, that has nothing to do with aggression. My bullfrogs and green frogs do it all the time. They have several different types of calls. They even making little sounds when they eat. Even females croak. However they have different croaks than the males and usually do it less frequently. They do not do the typical mating calls either. So when sexing, sound isn't a very good indicator unless you are familiar with the various calls they do. I always go by how big the frogs tympanic membrane is to sex. On a male they are huge and there is no doubt if it's a male or female lol. As a juvie it can be a little harder to tell the difference in size.

Here is a male and female comparison and you can also see their ridges very well in case you might have any doubts about if you have a green frogs vs. a bullfrog.

Male:


Female:

[Psychotic]

Thought I should clarify on the bullfrog sounds. Males vocalize much much more often than females. However females can make sounds too. Only males make advertisement calls (mating call). They are also more likely to make the long grating sound they do. I have not been able to find a sound clip of that. I guess I'll need to make my own. Mine do it during feeding and I think they are telling each other to, "Stay away from my cricket!". They can also make a sound that sounds a lot like a green frogs "rubber band" sounding mating call. However it is much shorter and deeper in tone and not much of a twang. They make this sound when they push each other. It's a territorial call.

Sounds that I have heard both male and females make are release calls, startled calls, and they can both scream (very disturbing). The release call is usually a quick call that is done over and over until let go. It sounds more like the "Ribbit" sound that people associate with frogs. To me it sounds a little like a zipper being zipped kind of slow.
A started call or alarm call it a quick chirp like "Eep" sound. Though mine also make that sound when they pounce on crickets. It's adorable!
The scream is a sound they make when they are very distressed. It sounds like a mix between a cat yowling and baby crying. I have not heard my frogs make this sound. But I've seen videos of it.



Here is a website with with various calls you can actually listen too. Sounds of Lithobates catesbeianus - American Bullfrog
Much better than trying to describe what they sound like. The only sound that is missing is that grunting/grating sound. Other bullfrog owners probably know what I'm talking about.

[Psychotic]

Another interesting video with some of the sounds that bullfrogs and green frogs make.

[Gnag the nameless]

Wow! You're like the Frog Forum Ranid expert, Psychotic!

Yeah, Green frogs are almost identical to Bullfrogs. I have a tough time distinguishing even the adults of each species from one another at my nearby lake.

Bumpy is the most shy frog I've ever seen. Move too fast, move within her line of sight, she flies into a frenzy of swimming, and then ducking undercover. Gnag, even when I am moving around a lot, will head into hiding at a considerably slower rate than Bumpy. Also, she's much more photogenic- she will sit still for a very long time. My avatar photo is one of her. I had aimed the flashlight down at her, but I only did this for a few seconds so as not to stun her.

I tell their genders by the eardrum and size. I was also mystified, since female bullfrogs aren't supposed to croak from what I've read. So, that explains it, and reinforces the statement that Bumpy is a green frog.

I am certain Gnag is not a Green frog, the ridge around her ear is very pronounced and her coloration and patterns are not like that of a Green frog, but a Bullfrog. Her nose is more blunt, and I cannot see any ridge going down her back, at all.

That female looks a lot like Bumpy, except Bumpy is a darker color. The ridge along the female's back is also the same as Bumpy's, a bit harder to discern than the males.

As for their sounds, I've been hearing 3:
The grating sound
The adorable "Eep!" [I love that one.]
And the territorial sound


Honestly, I'm not sure if I made the right choice in seperating the frogs. Bumpy seems less active unless scared, and then she goes into a frenzy. Gnag hasn't been active, but she never is during the day. However, it's only been the first day. Hopefully, the night will bring better results.

Here's Bumpy's new setup:

The setup from the front. I had to keep one side of the tank bare for the UVB light.

The water area. I will place crickets on the water reeds so they do not drown and she can spot them easily.

Her land area other than the driftwood. She was in the cave during this photo.

A front view of the tank. You can see her in the cave.

I'm still very concerned, she doesn't seem happy. She's hiding, and with fewer hiding spots than I'd originally wanted, is scared too. I might move the log onto land partially to provide cover. I've only 10$ spare as of now, so I can't get much more decorations. Any ideas?