Interesting to read! Take a minute!

[MariePey]

Hey guys!

Wow its been a long time! Lol

Ok. So.. i started doing serious observations on my WTFs. Meaning I have a journal on behaviours, things ive done like cage cleaning or the days i fed and also if any health concern arises.

That said, I have become a pro on which temperature and humidity MY wtfs respond best.

With all that.... Ive got two out of three that shows begging behaviours I can not understand. I have read about behaviours in animal, begging behavioyrs in animals and also all types of learning that animaks are capable of. But still, the begging thing poses me great questions.. lol

So at night, once their lights goes off, Tylt, my 11 years old that i rescued last winter, comes up to the glass doors, moves around, bang around, belly flops in the bowl, give once or two low croaks to get my attention and keep his circus going forever WITH or WITHOUT food in the tank. He will do this for days in a row every night. Their tank is in my living room by my couch so he is fully capable to see me. So one night, back 4 months ago when all that started, i decided to take him out to see if that would settle him down.. well, sure enough! He will sit in my hand or on my clean towel that i brought out just fir him and he will NOT move and looks absolutely content for up to half hour! All this got me by great surprise the first time! I couldnt veleive it! That night, i out him back in his cage and he was totally settle for that night and a few days afterwards. Then all of that starts again. WITH or WITHOUT food! I took him out a second time about a month and a half after the first time. Well exact scenario again but this time, once i put him back, he continued the begging??!!! Hmm....

At that point after my readings i figured maybe the temperature or humidity wasnt good. Gradually changed my humidity. No changes in behaviour at all.... tho the boys appeared more green and less shiny so i kept it that way.

Gradually change the temperature.. no changes t all again. The behaviour kept going.

Well, it was about three weeks ago now, Tylt was doing his circus again and decided to take him out again. Exact same thin. Out for half hour or so and never made a peep and looked absolutely happy. I inspected his body for any weird lesions or bumps or anything, nothing. Put him back and he kept begging that night but settled for a few nights afterwards.

Kept my readings on it all and talk to ohers. No clear understanding still..

So two nights ago, there he was again, doing his shananigans! Decided to take him out. Once i open the cage, i realise is wasnt Tylt this time but Giggs! My younger anti social! I was in shocked but proceed to the same thing as before and even tho it was a different frog, i got the exact same results. There quiet watching tv with me. I was stunned! Like what the hell is going on there!

And last night, one of them was doing the same and decided to take him out. It was Tylt this time. Same thing. Same time. Same results.


My question... would this be a learned behaviour now? Why are they wanting to come out?

To all my frog friends, with deep respect, they are frogs. Not dogs. Do they honnestly have feelings and sone common sense? I know they are obviously capable of learning as i teached them the feed bowl method. Are they really just wanting to come out and hang out?

I find this quite interesting as i have made sone cganges in habitats and it hasnt changed nothing


I swear... something special habitates deep down in my frogs...


Lol any thought?

PS... please dont ask about temp, humifity, cage size and all that. All if THAT HAS been figured out. Only behaviour at this point!

Thanks

[Cliygh and Mia 2]

Maybe it associates you with a perch or a mate

[MariePey]

Could be very possible. Definitly warms my heart up thinking this way! ❤

I know tht every animal and human being on this planet, conciously or unconciously, feels the difference in female hormones depending on the time of yhe month. I even went that far in my researches but according to the times that the boys have shown this behaviour, no patterns associated with my hormone timing either. lol

Thanks for the thought!!

Maybe it associates you with a perch or a mate

[elly]

My little one does the same thing.* He goes crazy in the tank, but when he comes out he's calm. Mostly.
I think the cage frenzy might have to do with frustrated hunting instincts. Once they get out they have more area to survey and look for bugs so they're calmer and more willing to sit there and scan the area. That's my idea anyway. edit: Also it may have something to do with the area outside the cage being less familiar.

*My big frog on the other hand is only just beginning to be willing to leave his tank.

[MantidBro]

Interesting indeed! maybe they feel more free out of the cage so then dont feel the need to escape?

[MariePey]

Interesting indeed! maybe they feel more free out of the cage so then dont feel the need to escape?

Thanks for your reply!

The hypo there toadally make sense.

Was able to talk with a biologist and looks like i dont quite hace a full answer..


Coukd be also breeding/hormone frenzy. Meaning they might of associated me with the female kind.. I am a female, just not quite green! Lo

The other possible option, has environment is not the issue, might of been a simple learned behaviour. Especially from my younger one has he jjst started that a few weeks back..

Still quite interesting!

[irThumper]

I doubt it's a breeding reaction to you. You are a mammal.

That being said, I don't live with your frogs so can't make suppositions on why they act the way they do, but I DO know that tree frogs in general seem to be quite intelligent. When I first got my Milkies they were just over a year old, too small, way too thin, and wild as could be! I'd go to clean the cage or something and they would jump like kangaroos in the opposite direction; having to get ahold of them for precautionary anti-fungal treatments for 11 days was nerve wracking to say the least. I never thought these frogs would calm down. Anyway, I've had them since June and they have doubled their size at least, and a little something changed them from wild leapers to bug beggers... I was bowl feeding these guys crickets, with the occasional waxworm, and decided to try them on butter worms. They didn't want the butter worms. Those things were spendy, so I left them in the bowl and added crickets-- a couple more days went by and no butter worms OR crickets were eaten. I removed the bowl and tossed the bugs down the toilet. I was worried that the Milkies hadn't eaten in 3-4 days when they had been eating everyday, so I tried something on a whim. The frogs were perched in their sleeping spots, still dozing even though I had just turned the red nightlight on. I took a cricket and held it under the first ones nose... GLOMB! He grabbed it and crammed it in, FIRST time ever trying to hand feed (remember I couldn't even get close to them before). Tried this with the other frog with the same results. I gave them each four crickets. The next night I turned off the lights and they immediately woke up and turned toward me. I looked at them looking at me and wondered if they'd hand feed for me again... YES! They actually came toward me and eagerly grabbed up every cricket I handed them. They have been this way ever since, and will watch me from inside the tank or come toward me anytime of day or night (when they are awake) and I just walk by. My WTFs don't even do that, lol, though they will turn toward me and prepare to glomb when they know it's feeding time :P

[Cliygh and Mia 2]

Not related to frogs, but my rescue bearded dragon "Lucy" as her previous owners called her, let her eat almost all insects because she hadn't transitioned to greens and other plant matter as a juvenile or sub-adult. Needless to say, they never held her either, unless cleaning her tank which by the appearance of it, they didn't do often. When I got her, she was defensive, puffed out her beard, made herself look bigger, stretched out, and for 1-3 weeks I kept holding her to the point of I wasn't going to hurt her. I gave her super-worm salads, and she while I was getting a super-worm in the salad dish, grabbed it out of my hand. I now hand feed her most foods, unless they are crickets ( I hate them btw) or a salad. Also, when-ever she sees our shorkies get out of their boxes, she claws at her tank, and follows me around to get out. She has become so tame in that regard, when-ever I try to put her back in the tank, she scrambles up my arm and tries to evade me. I'm pretty sure that has to use some intelligence, and who knows, maybe frogs have the same "Tame" instincts, but their "Wild" instincts take top priority

[elly]

@ irThumper: I know frogs wouldn't have a breeding reaction to humans- not green enough! But IF frogs were able to smell or sense hormones somehow they might recognize estrogen among other hormones...assuming estrogen is involved in female frogs. *Goes to brush up on shameful gap in bio knowledge.*

[Cliygh and Mia 2]

Or maybe they started caring where their food comes from...