Frog Suggestions?

[mel]

I posted a while back about Tripod, the three-legged frog that we had taken into our home. Sadly, we lost him a few weeks ago. One of our cats knocked the top off of the enclosure and we lost Tripod - literally. Couldn't find him anywhere. There was no evidence of frog consumption by the naughty feline but we turned the house upside down hoping to find him alive. At this point, we've resigned ourselves to a loss.

I've discovered that I miss him terribly. I loved hearing him croak throughout the day and I kept his enclosure in the kitchen and I swear he'd watch me when I was there. I really enjoyed his company.

Having made the decision to become a permanent frog person, we visited a local reptile store. I was really overwhelmed. I want something that will make noise and that I don't have to feed rats to. I'd prefer something small-ish (like the Pacific Chorus). We looked at an Amazon milk-something or other, which was interesting, but the guy at the frog store said they weren't necessarily vocal. I'm also not interested in spending more than $30 or $40.

I'm committed to changing the enclosure/set-up so that I don't lose another frog. In doing so, I could also change a few other things - like adding a heat pad or something.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

[missclick]

what kind of frog was tripod?
my whites tree frog calls multiple times every evening and is a very very hardy and an easy keeper so are my fire belly toads that are noisy all through the day but they are semi aquatic
my amazon milk frogs are not noisy at all

[Kurt]

If you put any frog in a rain chamber they will sing, providing they are male. Fire-bellied toad sing a lot even with out the rain chamber. They do however lack the vocal sack that most frogs posess, so there call is on the quiet side.

[mel]

what kind of frog was tripod?

He was a Pacific Chorus tree frog. Of course, we have his type in our yard but it doesn't seem right to me to kidnap one and bring it inside. Tripod was a fluke - my husband ran him over with the lawn mower which is why he was missing a leg. In his case, it was the opposite: It didn't seem right to return him to the wild since he was compromised.

I just googled the White's tree frog and I really like the look of them. I live in the Pacific Northwest and don't know of many frog purveyors.

[missclick]

i love pacific chorus tree frogs, i kept them as a kid. (i also live in the pacific northwest coast-most of the time) I got my white's from petco, petsmart also has them sometimes, as well as a few locally owned pet stores. theyre like 20 bucks most of the time.

[Paul Rust]

Sorry to hear about Tripod.

[Deku]

i love pacific chorus tree frogs, i kept them as a kid. (i also live in the pacific northwest coast-most of the time) I got my white's from petco, petsmart also has them sometimes, as well as a few locally owned pet stores. theyre like 20 bucks most of the time.

I would say go for male green tree frogs. Or chorus frogs. They are easier than milks. By the look of a milk frog its care seems similar (to my opinion) as that of a dart frog. They also look delicate. Also if you are interested in wild frogs and toads. Try catching a male american toad. They have a nice soothing voice. Just if you want to listen to them. I would keep a large water area. Temps up to say 72-76. I would feed them heavily. Turn off lights, and it should be calling around late 7pm to 10pm. After 10pm you may or may not hear them. ussually after a couple of hours they settle down. So yeah...

[mel]

Sorry to hear about Tripod.

Thanks, Paul. I'm still mystified as to how it happened. The top of the enclosure is metal and kind of heavy - and fit pretty well so how one of the cats dislodged it is beyond me. It was only shifted a little - but clearly just enough for Tripod to find his way out. We have no idea of what happened, exactly. It makes me really sad.

[Kurt]

Americanus does not occur in the Pacific NW.

[Ebony]

Mel, Im so sorry about Tripod.

[scribbles]

I'm sorry about Tripod. My male Fire-Bellied Toads (Bombina orientalis) call all the time. They are relatively small, inexpensive, very active and easy to care for. I would recommend this species to you.

[mel]

Haley, the Fire-Bellied Toad looks so beautiful! How big do they get and how hard are they to obtain?

I'm kind of starry eyed right now, honestly. So many options. We stopped at our small town pet store today and they have an Amazon Milk frog for sale ($80) and several Red Eyed Tree Frogs for $30. I really liked the Red Eyed Tree frogs. While we were there, one was being particularly active and he was fun to watch. It really is important to me that I get a frog or toad that sings because it was really my favorite thing about having Tripod. To me, it's what makes frogs and toads much cooler than fish or lizards: You get to hear them talk.

We have also decided that no matter which frog (or toad) we choose, we will be upgrading the enclosure to something that our crafty cats can't break into. We are also talking about all kinds of environment options, be it something warmer than we had and maybe a running water feature.

[1beataway]

I would second the recommendation for the fire-belly toads. I don't have them, but my best friend has 10, and I work with them. They're flashy with their bright orange stomach, they're easy to take care of, they don't get very big (maybe a couple inches), and though they're not incredibly loud, you can still hear them. They're fun.

[Lacey]

I would second the second. Fire belly toads are also active all the time not just at night. They are not shy and they are very easy to care for.

[mel]

After getting very excited at the prospect of acquiring a Fire-Bellied Toad, we have learned that they are illegal to own in our area:

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/OARs/56.pdf

Anyone familiar with these restrictions? Do other states have similar laws?

[Kurt]

I have never seen a state restrict the keeping of frogs as much as Oregon does. Holy ****! Some of what's on that list is not likely to find its way into the American frog trade, period. In Massachusetts, there is only one frog on the restrictions list, the eastern spadefoot toad, Scaphiopus holbrookii holbrookii.

[adawinters]

Well, since you didn't want to take a chorus frog from the wild, I'm guessing you'd be happier with buying a captive bred (CB) frog than a wild caught (WC). This is shifting my vote to the red eyed tree frog, which is more likely to be CB than WC, and it is not on your state's listing of banned frogs (unless I missed it in my quick read-through.)

[1beataway]

Move out of Oregon. Move to New Hampshire. You'll be close to Scribbles and Kurt and eventually myself. What could be better?

[Lacey]

That's too bad about not being able to get Fire bellies. I think they would be perfect for you. I'm not too sure that RETF would be the best choice because they only chirp on rare occasions unless they are in a rain chamber. Also, they don't move around at all until it is completely dark. And during the day they are sleeping under the leaves so you don't even see them. For the most part.

[scribbles]

That's too bad.