Tomato Frog Questions & A Few Photos (Crossposted [and updated a bit] to get information.)

[LetsBeSuperFriends]

(If crossposting is not allowed, I apologize, and admins do what you need to do.)

I work at a local pet store and we had been caring for these little Tomato Frogs for about 4 months, when, on the 17th of October, I brought them home. I had fallen in love with these little things as we were growing them up. They arrived at my work as teeny, tiny little babies (each could fit on a quarter) and they've grown quite a bit (now 2" and 1.75").



Though I take care of them at work to the best of my ability, I have only had dwarf aquatic frogs of my own before these guys. Never a reptile, never another amphibian. So I had started doing more in-depth research when I started considering bringing them home a couple months before actually getting them. I even joined this forum and another before bringing them home. Though, somehow, I completely missed the section titled "Tomato Frogs, Painted Frogs & Microhylids." Or else I would have posted here first. :/ Duh me.



I have TomAto (bigger) and TomAHto (smaller) in a long 20 gallon terrarium with Eco Earth substrate which I mist mornings and evenings, and before bed if needed. I've given them a couple Exo-Terra caves and (so far) 3 live potted plants and a big chuck of driftwood that slants over their water bowl. They seem to really appreciate the privacy the driftwood provides them in there. I need a bigger water bowl though, because TomAto gets right under the water and tries to swim. There really isn't room for that. Two small strides and there's no more room. Poor frog.
Two of the plants, I have no idea what they are, but the frogs have stripped the lower leaves off the first one I put in their tank. I'm suspecting the guy at the one petstore may have suggested the wrong plant in that first one. The other plant was part of a houseplant I recently inherited, but when I draped it over part of the driftwood, part of the vine became dried out and shriveled from being too close to the red light. Oops. The third plant is a pothos cutting, which is the main plant I keep reading about. What is the best lighting for them? I have a UVA/UVB light currently. I have read that the frogs themselves do not need the UVA/B, though some say it helps promote their colour. I just wanted to have some sort of light on the plants because the corner the tank is in is rather dark, and my friend gave me the fixture and bulb for free, as well as the light dome for heat, so I had them. Would a full spectrum bulb be better for the frogs and plants?
I have the lights plugged into a timer, so they get about 12 hours of light and of darkness. They also have an undertank heater plugged into the constant power outlet, but I'm not crazy about the amount of heat it gives off. If it's a good one, are you supposed to be able to leave your fingers on it's underside (no glass between) without them getting uncomfortably warm?



Now that I've given the last few of my tropical fish left to my sister-in-law, I will be moving the frogs into my 55 gallon aquarium. I know they don't absolutely need that big of a space, but I always think that bigger is better for "caged" animals. I also think I'll keep the 20 gallon to feed them in so they don't lose the crickets when I feed those. But we also have 2 more now at work and I may be hooked on these cute little things! So the 20 gallon would be sterilized and used as a quarantine, and to grow them up a bit more before trying to house all 4 together in the 55 gallon. Are they typically aggressive or territorial frogs? If I would be risking anyone's safety, I will just stick to the two I currently have.

They croak in the mornings and in the evenings. I am not sure what genders they are since they are still fairly young. I'm not sure if both are croaking, but when I have been close enough to actually see which one is talking, it has been the smaller one each time. Typically they stop talking when they hear me moving closer to their terrarium though.
If it ends up that I have two males, will I have aggression issues to worry about or have to separate them? I kind of think I have one of each, since one is noticeably bigger, but then again, they still aren't mature yet. And I'm a total newb so no real clue...



I give them crickets, mealworms, butterworms, hornworms and red wigglers. I didn't realize before purchasing that the red wigglers were more bitter tasting than the night crawlers or I would have bought those instead. Is there a way to make the red wigglers more palatable? LOL I have been wanting to get them some small fish to try, but I read that frogs can't swallow water into their bellies. That they take water into their vents (it's like drinking with your butt!), as well as absorbing moisture through their skin, of course. This may be a stupid question, but I'm new to this, so I ask anyway: if I got them small enough fish that they could eat, will they become injured if they eat them in (and thus swallowing) the water? Or would I be better off to buy the canned (Exo-Terra) fish and try feeding those? I'd prefer live fish for a few reasons though, one being enrichment from hunting their food. The thought of roaches disgusts me, but maybe I can bite the bullet at some point and find some. Currently I have a store that can try to get pheonix worms. Is there anything else I can look for to vary their diet? This area is kind of limited, but I'm known to drive out of town for ferret food, frog food is just another reason for a road trip.

Thanks in advance for any answers to my questions and any extra information you guys can give me. I've searched for more info on these guys online, but mostly I just find fact sheets. If anyone out there has experience with these guys, I would love to hear from you! I just want to do what's best for these guys, like every other animal I bring into my home.

[LetsBeSuperFriends]

Anyone?

[Strider18]

First of all, I would stop feeding mealworms, immediately add they can cause impaction, the other thing is to not feed fish to your frog unless they are 100% parasite free. I can't answer the rest of your questions as I do not keep tomato frogs. I hope this helps!

0.1.0 Psuedacris regilla

[LilyPad]

I do not have any experience with tomato frogs myself, but I do notice they have nose rubs. Have they always had them? It might be beneficial to copy/paste and fill this out so others (with experience) can help you when they see this post -

QUESTIONS

1----what 'kind' of frog is it ( what species)
2----please include a photo of the frog
3----Please include a photo of the frog's current enclosure
4----size of enclosure ( W" x D" x H" )
5----# on inhabitants - ( if there is another frog --- is there a size difference ? )
6----has or was the frog kept with a different species or with any other tank mate
7----is there a new tank mate----was the new tank mate quarantined
8----what is the typical humidity level
9----what temperature is maintained
10---what is, specifically, being used to maintain the temperature of the enclosure
11---describe the enclosure lighting ( very specifically)
12---describe enclosure maintenance ( water changes, cleaning etc)
13---what kind of water is used
-----for misting
-----for the frog's soaking dish
-----is de-chlorinator used / what brand
14---material(s) used for substrate - be very specific
15---enclosure set up:
-----if recent - describe how the enclosure was cleaned
-----plants( live or artificial) if artificial plants are used are they plastic or fabric
-----describe wood, bark , and background materials
16---when is the last time the frog ate
17---have you found poop lately
18---how often is the frog fed
19---what size feeder is given
20---what other feeders are used as treats
21---what is the frog's main food source
22---do feeders roam free in the enclosure or is the frog bowl fed
23---vitamins - what brand and how often
24---calcium - what brand and how often
25---was the frog without calcium for any period of time
26---approximate age of the frog
27---how long have you owned the frog
28---who cared for the frog before you
29---is the frog wild caught or captive bred
30---how often the frog is handled -- are gloves used ( what kind of gloves)
31---is the enclosure kept in a high or low traffic area
30---has or was the frog properly quarantined (yes or no)
-----for how long
32---has the frog been treated with any medication:
-----for what
-----name of medication
-----for how long
-----what dose
-----was medication prescribed by a herp vet

[LetsBeSuperFriends]

Yeah, I know that too many can cause impactions. I will stop if I have to, but I only give them 2 or maybe 3 worms, one a week or longer between. Is this infrequency still enough to cause issues?

I hadn't even thought of parasites on the fish. I guess I just thought it would be like fish, if they ate them up there'd be no problems, since it's not like they'd be living together. Thanks for that. So quarantine tank for 2 weeks before feeding them, if I ever do choose to try feeder fish?

[Strider18]

Usually quarantine is about 1 month, the fish week also have to be tested for parasites, as some of the parasites that don't harm fish, can kill frogs if you're not careful.

0.1.0 Psuedacris regilla

[LetsBeSuperFriends]

Alright, I probably won't bother then. I don't have a way to test for parasites on fish, aside from whatever the one and only "exotics" vet in my city would do. And I'm not going to pay for testing just for the frogs to eat them... Ahh well, 1 less enrichment item. It's not like there's nothing else for them to eat.
Thanks Strider.