My big fat Rana Aurora

[DFM]

This here is Hopsin. He is a wild caught r. aurora that my friend got january of 2012. My friend no longer could care for the frogs so I am now the owner of this huge (~4in long) frog.

[Gnag the nameless]

Nice! Where'd you find it? Reminds me of my juvenile Bullfrog Gnag [Guh-nagg]

I do suggest breeding it. Those frogs are actually endangered [In my area, at least], but if you could breed the frogs, putting the eggs, tadpoles or froglets into a nearby lake, it could help reboost their population. Just a thought.

[DFM]

I didnt find it. It was found by a friend of mine who used to be my roommate then moved out, leaving the frogs behind.

I will do some more research about the local population and conservation status. Breeding it would be a challenging and rewarding project, I may just have to consider this

[DFM]

I remember, he found it in his front yard in suburban western washington.

[kueluck]

That is one beautiful looking frog, and looks very well cared for.

[Gnag the nameless]

I agree. The red coloration is amazing, and it looks to be of a healthy weight and size. He is really beautiful. In my area, spotting a Rana Aurora is a rare and precious moment. We usually only have Green frogs or Bullfrogs here.

[DFM]

His back legs and his feet are HUGE! This picture shows that off well.

[Gnag the nameless]

Wow! Even compared to my juvenile Bullfrog, Gnag, that frog has some big legs and feet!

[Sehnsucht]

Hi. I'm the original owner of this frog. I have a lot of pictures of him and I can answer any questions about him.

Nice! Where'd you find it?

I caught it in my driveway a year ago. It was hopping across the street and avoided getting popped by a car, and then freaked out my friend who was standing in the driveway smoking a cigarette. I came outside, caught it, and realized right away I had found something special.


1 month in captivity, the day he got moved into his current, appropriately sized, glass tank.


I lived near a small patch of swampland about 3 blocks north, which is the direction he came from (though I only saw him for one block) and presumably he was on a journey to my neighbors lawn, which had this one bush that frogs seemed to love to live in. However I suspect because of his size (he was pretty close to top of the food chain based on how large and healthy he was when I caught him. Plus day 1 he took the largest frog poop I've ever seen in my life. I have a picture of it somewhere.) that he came from the MASSIVE swamp about 10 blocks to the south of me. A big chunk of the woods infront of the swampland was getting cut down for development at the time I found him.


3 months after being caught

That is one beautiful looking frog, and looks very well cared for.

Thank you! I put a lot of effort into caring for it and I learned a lot about frogs and especially wild caught frogs along the way. He has definitely been spoiled and his new owner spoils him even more than me.

[T3RR1B1L15]

That is an impressive little guy. I wish I had the space to keep true frogs, but they usually need big vivs

[MatthewM1]

Beautiful frog, I think there's something cool about keeping something that you can say you caught yourself locally.


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[Sehnsucht]

That is an impressive little guy. I wish I had the space to keep true frogs, but they usually need big vivs

It needs quite a bit of vertical space, it can hop ridiculous distances and heights. It has a handfull of spots it enjoys hanging out in, one of its favorites being the corner which DFM posted in the original post. I thought it would require more space than it has right now, but it seems really happy. I think we plan to redo our other viv first, but I think when we get to doing Hopsin's tank I'll get him a bigger viv again and use the one he's in for another frog.
It lived in my bedroom for a few months and I only heard it jump and hit the side or ceiling of the viv once in that time. When it happens it's LOUD!

Beautiful frog, I think there's something cool about keeping something that you can say you caught yourself locally.

I agree. He is a sight to behold in person.

[DFM]

It needs quite a bit of vertical space, it can hop ridiculous distances and heights. It has a handfull of spots it enjoys hanging out in, one of its favorites being the corner which DFM posted in the original post. I thought it would require more space than it has right now, but it seems really happy. I think we plan to redo our other viv first, but I think when we get to doing Hopsin's tank I'll get him a bigger viv again and use the one he's in for another frog.
It lived in my bedroom for a few months and I only heard it jump and hit the side or ceiling of the viv once in that time. When it happens it's LOUD!



I agree. He is a sight to behold in person.

I made sure to keep a good spot for him in the corner to chill in when I got him the new water dish

[GrifTheGreat]

Very impressive guys! Now all you need to do is find a boyfriend for your frog in order to breed.

I assume that it's female because you have never mentioned hearing the frog call and due to its size. It appears to be in good hands.

[DFM]

Yes, Hopsin is definitely a female. She's in the room I sleep in and i only ever hear her when she's hopping around at night.

[Sehnsucht]

Yes, Hopsin is definitely a female. She's in the room I sleep in and i only ever hear her when she's hopping around at night.

I agree. I don't think males get this big & I never heard her call in the time I owned her, even when I would hear other Rana frogs calling outside.

[Namio]

Male Rana aurora will be around 3.5 inches top with visible nuptial pads. You guys are right that this individual is definitely a female. Northern red-legged frogs are powerful jumpers and are very active at night, so a larger enclosure (20 Gallon+) should be provided for one individual frog, especially for a female. Never house this frog with another individual in the same tank. Otherwise you risk disease transmission. Like all wild-caught frogs, Rana aurora can carry chytrid and these guys can do it asymptomatically, so just keep that in mind.

[Mentat]

Very nice frog, congrats DFM !

[DFM]

Hopsin gave me a bit of a scare recently, but some pedialite and a quarrantine for a few days while her enclosure was redone did the trick. She is one hell of a resilient frog thats for sure. I couldnt afford any meds or a vet, and im certain that it was a bacterial infection, but she pulled out of it and last night she was very active chasing crickets all over the enclosure