Disappearing frog

[iberian]

My son is 6. Last year his uncle and aunt gave him a small terrarium and then brought us a small frog from their yard. I don't know what kind of frog it is, but I live in the northwest part of the US and the frog is small, brown, and male.

The frog has now been living in our kitchen for about 9 months. At first we were purchasing some crickets for him to eat, but this year there are often boxelder bugs that land on our house on nice days. We tested to see if the frog would like these (which we catch with a vacuum device) and he has been thriving on this free frog food. He seems happy and occasionally makes noise.

A little over a month ago the aunt and uncle brought over another frog, this time a green one, and we put it in the terrarium. At the time I wasn't sure that this new "gift" was a good idea. I wasn't sure of the sex of the new frog, I did not know if frogs are territorial and if the frog was female, I did not think the small terrarium was a good place for frog eggs or tadpoles.

When the new (green) frog was first placed in the cage the other (brown) one croaked for a while but then the frogs seemed to ignore each other and we provided enough bugs for both of them to eat.

About two weeks later we were in the kitchen when suddenly a very loud croaking began. We looked at the terrarium and saw the brown frog on top of the green frog. The brown frog's "bubble" was more puffed out than we had seen before. Our son said: "Why are the frogs wrestling?" Clearly they were actually mating but we didn't get into that discussion.

At least we now had an answer as to the sex of the green frog, and we were happy that our original pet frog did not have to remain celibate, but I was worried about the next step. At the time I was thinking that we would probably have to release the green frog or both frogs at a pond near our house.

Now finally in this story i can get to the main point, which is that we haven't seen the green frog since that that day about two weeks ago. At first I thought that perhaps the green frog was hiding somewhere in the small terrarium while it got ready to lay eggs. (I really know very little about the life cycle of frogs.) Then I figured that perhaps the green frog died and its body is in the terrarium but for some reason not immediately visible.

We haven't looked super thoroughly because we didn't want the brown frog to jump out but we are coming to the conclusion that the brown frog ate the green one. He does not seem noticeably larger. (He was already fatter and slightly larger than the green one.) But unless the green frog is somehow buried under the moss, dirt, etc in the terrarium, there is no other possibility.

Here are my questions:
1. Do frogs eat each other? Is this even possible? What about their bones?
2. Why would a male frog mate with a female and then eat her? (Perhaps because she has no use after she lays eggs?)
3. Were the frogs really mating or is it possible that the other frog was male and there was a territorial problem?
3a. Are there gay frogs?
4. Is is common for a frog to hide somehow?

Thanks in advance for all informational answers. I realize I could probably look up all of the answers to these questions, but I thought it would be more fun and perhaps more enlightening to ask them here.

[Julia]

Frogs can and often will eat other frogs provided they fit in their mouth. If the brown one was much larger then my guess the poor green one was dinner. Some frogs will burrow in the substrate so there is a chance the green one is just hiding...You probably dont have to worry about them producing eggs/tadpoles. They require proper conditions. (Temps, rain chamber etc.)

[JeffX]

I don't know too much about breeding frogs. I've never tried, and I don't want to right now. Anyways frogs do eat one another if they'll fit in their mouth. However the other frog might be hiding as well. Hiding is a perfectly normal behavior for amphibians.

[Kurt]

Here are my questions:
1. Do frogs eat each other? Is this even possible? What about their bones?

This question has already been answered.

2. Why would a male frog mate with a female and then eat her? (Perhaps because she has no use after she lays eggs?)

They wouldn't mate then eat the female. Female spiders and mantids may do this but not male frogs. In most frog species the female is larger than the male, so this is not possible.

3. Were the frogs really mating or is it possible that the other frog was male and there was a territorial problem?

It is possible that the other frog was a completely different gender and species. An overly ambitious male frog will mate with anything including other male frogs, frogs of a different species, or even one's hand. See http://www.frogforum.net/toads/2341-...nd-puddle.html for more details.

3a. Are there gay frogs?

Not in the red states there aren't. Seriously, not that I am aware of.

4. Is is common for a frog to hide somehow?

Yes, very common. Look deeper, chances are you will find the missing frog.

I would love to see pictures of the frogs so we can identify them. We need to make sure that they are the same species, as its not a good idea to mix species. Most frogs are toxic, while at the same time their skin is porous and will easily absorb toxins. This is not to say, that the frogs in question are dangerous to you. We just need to make sure that they are not dangerous to each other.

[iberian]

This question has already been answered.

It was answered that one frog would eat the other if it would fit in his mouth, but I'm not sure that this was possible. In case I wasn't clear, the two frogs were roughly the same size, with the brown one just appearing a little more well-fed. Can one frog eat the other bit by bit?

They wouldn't mate then eat the female..

Yes, I thought it surprising that after at least nine months of celibacy the brown frog would want to eat his newly arrived mate when he finally had a good thing going.

Look deeper, chances are you will find the missing frog.

We searched a little more thoroughly in the terrarium today, but still no sign of the green frog alive or dead. If it is hiding it must be buried in the dirt.

I'll try to post a picture of the brown frog if I have time and the green one if it shows up.

[Kurt]

Can one frog eat the other bit by bit?

No. Frogs, like snakes, swallow everything whole. So, if the frogs are roughly the same size, it is impossible for this to happen. Of course this doesn't stop pac-man or horned frogs, Ceratophrys sp. from trying.

[JeffX]

Yeah they swallow whole. They aren't like other animals that rip their prey to shreds.

[Paul Rust]

I would guess that it is probably Pseudacris.regilla (Pacific Chorus Frog) or Rana.aurora (Northern Red Legged Frog), these two are the most likely species to turn up in a yard in the Northwest. Of course a picture would confirm it. If you have searched as well as you think you can, try leaving them alone for a day or two. These frogs will burrow and are very crafty. If they don't want you to see them, you won't. If you keep searching and tearing apart the enclosure you could stress them to the point that they will stop eating and die. Both species are pretty durable so if it is still in the enclosure it is probably alive. Let us know how it goes.

[iberian]

If you have searched as well as you think you can, try leaving them alone for a day or two. These frogs will burrow and are very crafty. If they don't want you to see them, you won't.

Even if the green frog is hiding, I am thinking he must be pretty hungry by now since the brown frog rapidly eats up the food we put in the enclosure. It seems unlikely the green frog can have eaten since we last saw him about two weeks ago.

[Paul Rust]

Even if the green frog is hiding, I am thinking he must be pretty hungry by now since the brown frog rapidly eats up the food we put in the enclosure. It seems unlikely the green frog can have eaten since we last saw him about two weeks ago.

Sorry to say it but after 2 weeks it's likely it has escaped or is dead. If it died in the viv than you should notice a smell or small flies in there. Otherwise look for frog jerky on the floor in the room it was in. If it died I am very sorry for your loss.

[iberian]

I would love to see pictures of the frogs so we can identify them.

Here's the brown one. The green one is still AWOL.

[Kurt]

It's a Pacific treefrog, Pseudacris regilla.

[Ebony]

Nice photo. Sorry you still haven't found your frog. I agree with Paul, it doesn't sound promising. I would do a complete clean out of your enclosure though.