Noob In Need of a Frog!

[Edisons 10K]

They tend to not like loud noise so you will want to keep them away from loud noise. They don't like bright lights so you will need to figure out how fo film them quickly so they are exposed to it as quick and as least as possible.

Feeding them a day before might be enough time, but sometimes they are oportunistic eaters and will always be hungry. They can be very tempermental and change mood quickly. Keeping as stress free as possible is what you will need to do. So only handle the frog as necessary and try to keep your filming rather quick. Now not all of them are flighty and aggressive. Some are just plain lazy. If you're lucky you may get a lazy one and it won't be bothered as much. Care and handling should remain the same though.

They must always be handled with wet hands. Dampend with dechlorinated water. This keeps their skin from getting irritated as much and helps not to remove their protective mucus layer. They take time to grow depending on sex and some can get pretty large. Adult size within 5 to 8 months can be common. Always handle the frog carefully and gently so it does not see you as a threat.

It may sound childish, but talking to them helps with stress. If they are accustomed to your voice they will not be as stressed. They like familiar surrounding and sounds.

I'm not sure what other advice to give during filming. Just have the frog's best interest in mind.

No loud noises and don't hit them with the spots. Got it. And I have absolutely no shame when it comes to talking to my animals, lol. I do it all the time. It's a normal routine for me.

i live in San Diego and i currently have 5 pacs that i need to get off my hands they are babies and super cute. They are left over from the San Diego Super show that i didn't sell. I bought a bunch from LA reptile planning on selling at LA show in January but that just fell through. so i have extra frogs on my hands. Selling them for 25 a peace. buy 4 get one free. also i will give you 100 of the appropriate sized dubia roaches for free.

What kinds of pacs do you have? Are there pics? I'm hoping for two that look similar to start with.

Just putting it out there, I really can't recommend using any type of frog for filming. Even with the most docile species, you definitely run a risk of getting a nervous frog that is stressed by any sort of interaction: Even someone walking past an enclosure with three sides covered can be enough to cause them to stop eating... Just search old forum posts. Even with the calmest species, it's a common problem.

Eh... Honestly, there's just no way to do it without it being unnecessarily stressful to the frog or risking a bite-and-toss to anyone nearby. Even in situations where the stress isn't a serious issue with most reptiles, it can cause serious hunger strikes and even death in frogs. There's really no way to spin performing with a herp that is beneficial to the herp... At best, it doesn't cause lasting problems from stress.
Just to be VERY clear: I'm not accusing you of abuse. I really do commend you even bothering to look for info on a species you want to work with in this sort of situation. But it's definitely not the 'path of least stress' for a frog. I just have pretty strong opinions about using animals in entertainment that can't understand the process or really benefit from behavioral rewards (like a dog).

If you won't consider ANY other herp than a pac; I'd recommend a non-albino Cranwelli. Cheap, fairly calm, species, and albinos may develop vision issues (and get bitey) with exposure to light. If you'd consider another frog: White's tree frogs tolerate handling better, sit still on most perches, and are brightly colored. PLUS; they have adorable faces and tend to follow action in a manner that an audience could relate to.

Any way you might consider something like a bearded dragon? They come in some wonderfully bright paint jobs, deal with commotion well, sit still, ect. Have you seen Dead Bodies? It's a great Irish film that features a beardie in much the same way you're talking about using a frog-- and a beardie would be a fraction of the bite risk, and not run NEARLY as high a risk of stress/handling issues.

The series is a fantasy/fairy tale type gig and there's the occasional appearance of the frog king, hence needing a frog. I like the pacs for their size and colors, and that sort of comical but also almost regal look to them. I'm much more familiar with lizards, so if I could get away with using one I definitely would, but the series calls for a frog.

That's very good to know about the albinos, so I thank you for that information. I'll steer clear of those for filming then (though I might want one as a pet - they're pretty!). What I'll probably wind up doing is getting two pacs right off the bat, and hopefully at least one of them will have a more laid-back personality where it'll tolerate the film process a little more. If either of them loses their appetite over it then I'll try to work out something else, maybe get a third frog and hope that the new one does a little better. I'd be keeping them, btw, not handing them off to anyone else just because they didn't make good film stars, lol. I'm usually the sucker that rescues animals in need. I foster dogs as it is.

Anyway, if it doesn't pan out, it doesn't pan out. I'm not going to kill a poor frog over this thing. The tree frogs are a little smaller than I'd like, but I'll keep them in mind if it looks like this is going to be just too hard on the pacs, so thanks again for the information.

Thanks, in general, to everyone on here for not busting out the pitchforks and flames on me just for mentioning wanting to use these guys in film. I was honestly expecting a lot more backlash, so I very much appreciate you all being so civil and helpful. I highly respect your love and expertise for these frogs, and I want you to know that I'm taking everything you all say under careful consideration.

So as of now I have:

No albinos.
As little handling as possible, and filming the frog in its enclosure would be better than taking it out to film it.
If handling is needed, hands must be moist with dechlorinated water (and anyone who's iffy about the frog will never pick it up for fear of them dropping it or worse, throwing it!)
As little noise and light as possible.
Try to stick to evening shoots.
Feed them a day before shoot.
If they already seem agitated or off in any way prior to their scene, skip it and come back to the scene another time when they seem more ready.
Keep the time they have to be on set to the bare minimum.
Talk to the frogs (me, being the handler, anyway)
Cease using any frog that doesn't seem to be tolerating the process very well.
Probably minimize cast and crew as much as possible to only those who absolutely need to be present for the scene.

Anything else? I plan on making like a sheet of rules that'll be all over set and passed out to all cast and crew. I want them to think of me as "the crazy frog lady" by the time this thing is done, lol. I just want to make sure everyone takes this seriously enough, though, because again, the last thing I want is for one of the animals to get sick over this thing.

Thanks again for everything. Please mention anything else you can think of if there's more, and I plan on keeping you all updated on the progress of this thing as I go along. That way I can hopefully keep you all at ease over this project as much as I possibly can, considering the circumstances.

[dragonfry]

I tell you what, pac man frogs bite hard!
I purchased mine at a trade show in 1992.
She picked me i guess. Because i watched her eat another froglet in the bin with all the baby frogs and when i poked at her she bit my finger too. So i told the lady "I'll buy that one!" Figured she was a good solid feeder. She was about the size of a silver dollar back then. She still with me today and she about a pound and still tried to bite me when she wants to be fed. But i have taken Ed to teach ins and other child friendly events over the years. I don't allow children to handle her, she's too big.
I think a good healthy fron can handle some stranger holding then from time to time. But daily probaly not. But if she were a prop peice in a film i don't think that would be harmful.
Fry

[Edisons 10K]

Lol, I still have a scar on my thumb from where my iguana bit me back when I was like 14. He was still fairly young at the time, thank goodness, otherwise I might've lost the tip of my thumb! He was pretty tame, too. We were sitting out on my driveway just basking in the sun when a giant moving truck came flying past. Scared the bejeezus out of the poor guy and he just lashed out at the closest thing to him, which happened to be me, lol. I know all too well the unpredictability of an "attack!"

[GrifTheGreat]

I'm not sure what your timeline is for when you will be shooting this, but you may want to look into getting sub-adults or adults. Babies are the most readily available, but they start out small - about the size of a half dollar. Most will take a few months to reach mature size. Also, babies can go through some dramatic color changes, so two frogs that look alike as babies might end up looking very different as adults, not to mention possible size differences since you can't accurately sex the babies. Granted, the general populace is not going to notice if you switch out a male for a female. I pretty sure "Lassie" changed gender quite a few times....

If you do go through with this, let us know when and where to watch! I am curious to see this.

[reptileszz]

Have you ever seen a pixie frog? They are ginormous! Just wondering as size seems to be of some importance here.

Carole

[GrifTheGreat]

Have you ever seen a pixie frog? They are ginormous! Just wondering as size seems to be of some importance here.

Carole

Ummmm......the reason I didn't recomend a Pyxi to this member is because of the much higher chance of being bitten and having their hands maimed and a possible broken finger. Also not very bright in color even though the shear size would attract attension. Some are laid back, but when it comes to a hungry frog attack a Pyxi takes the cake or rather your finger. Lol!

[Edisons 10K]

Hahaha! I hadn't seen a Pyxi before, but given the whole broken finger/maiming possibility, I think I'll pass, lol. In response to when the shoot will be, it's going to be several months before we're ready to be on set, which is exactly why I was starting to look for my frogs now. I was hoping if I raised them up from baby froglings that they'd be a lot more trusting of me when I needed to handle them as larger frogs. I kind of figured there'd be a possibility that the coloration may change as they grow, but I'm hoping if I get two from the same breeding that look similar as youngsters that odds will be better that they'll look similar enough when they're older that I can trade them out. I'm sure there'll be those super detail-oriented people who'll be like, "That frog has a longer spot on its left side than it did five minutes ago! Omg! It's a different frog! For shame!" but honestly I don't care that much, lol. Anyone who's searching for those little flaws doesn't know how to watch TV just for the fun of it. Like you said, no one really seemed to notice that Lassie was a boy half the time, lol. I'll definitely pass on the station to you guys when it gets on the air, but it's going to be a long time! I'll keep posting updates along the way. I'm going to check out Repticon on the 23-24th, so maybe I'll pick up my frogs then. I'll post pics as soon as I get them!

[Edisons 10K]

So we made it through the night, which I was clearly very paranoid about since I'm wide awake at 5:30 in the morning for no other reason than to get up and check on my babies, lol. I'm concerned about the heat inside the tanks, though. I have ten gallon tanks, on which I stuck a 10-20 gallon Zoo Med Reptitherm heater on the side (following the provided instructions for best placement location). The humidity levels inside the tanks stayed where they needed to be all night, but the heat never seemed to rise above 72 degrees F. Granted the temp in my room probably dropped to about 55-57, so hoorah that we held in the 70's, but doesn't it need to be in the high 70's to low 80's range for these guys to be happy? Should I try sticking another pad on the tank, or maybe get a heat lamp? Granted right now I'm not worried about them freezing to death because the external temps haven't dropped too drastically yet, but even in Los Angeles the night temps in Dec - Feb can get down to freezing. I don't have central heating in the loft, so while our individual little room heaters keep us from becoming human icicles, I want to make absolutely that my frogs stay warm, too!