Love frogs, not sure what to get.

[Dace]

A lot of people here will say that water bowls are an absolute must at all times for all frogs, but I don't buy it. If they aren't changed every day, they're just a breeding ground for disease. Terrestrial frogs don't have constant access to standing water. If they need water, they bury themselves in moist soil. I've witnessed this when I left my gray treefrogs in someone else's care for a few weeks and they weren't misted enough- the top of the substrate was bone dry, yet the frogs survived just fine by burying themselves. I've given my frogs a heavy misting and left them for 3-4 days with no water bowl plenty of times, and they aren't even sitting on the substrate when I return. They're sitting on their usual perches, high and dry. In the wild, I've seen these guys basking in direct sunlight on trees and buildings in the middle of summer, far from the nearest source of water.

[jasonm96]

When you don't provide a water dish the frogs are going to in the substrate anyway. It is much easier to change a water dish daily than substrate more often. Temperate frogs are most active in the spring and summer and there two things on their minds then: food and reproduction, so they will be near bodies of water for large amounts of time, even if it's a suitable puddle or ditch. When they are not breeding, they usually come out on rainy nights to feed. Basically taken a shower over a bath. They will hibernate in moist soil in the winter but they will not be active at all then. During the rainy season topical forest frogs generally have constant moisture and water in the bromeliads or leafs of other plants. Many have kept darts without a water dish and just some bromeliads because of this. An arid frog may burrow during the day or the dry season to conserve moisture or avoid heat until the rains come at night and temporary bodies of water are available. So when frogs have to burrow into moist soil it's usually when conditions are NOT suitable. Also, a water dish prevents constipation in some frogs. A good bath helps relax the muscles for them to go to the toilet after a large meal. The majority of frogs need or at least benefit from a water dish. They may not use it on a daily basis, but it's good for having it there when they to "top up" on water. Another thing is that it allows you to spot a sick amphibian quickly. A terrestrial or tree frog that is spending large amounts of time in the water dish, which would be unusuale behaviour, might tell you that their environment isn't moist enough, they might be sick or toxing out

[Dace]

Gray treefrogs and toads are active throughout the summer. And besides, where do you suppose temperate frogs go in the middle of the summer when they're less active? Just because conditions in captivity mimic conditions in the wild that cause them to be less active doesn't make them "unsuitable." (But note that I did not say i let my frogs enclosures get dry enough that they bury themselves. That was one incident where they didn't receive sufficient misting for over two weeks, they are still active after 4 days.)

Substrate doesn't need to be changed with any regularity in a setup with deep substrate, live plants and a drainage layer. Speaking of which, plants release moisture and help keep enclosures humid. So a setup with live plants can probably be left longer without misting.

[acpart]

I have a lot of geckos of different species, two bearded dragons and a trio of RETF. Normally I'm around every day for the care they require. I would say that 4 days without care is my absolute maximum and done only occasionally. I don't see that it has had ill effect. If I'm going away for a weekend (36-48 hours) I feed/water/mist everyone just before I go and as soon as I get back. On the rare occasions that it's 4 days everyone has been OK (the dragons often don't eat for several days even when offered daily). For more than 4 days I hire someone to come in and do the care. Of course, caring for reptiles and amphibians only every 4 days on a regular basis is not a good idea, but I feel that a monthly 4-day absence is do-able and would be even better if someone could come in midway into the period and do some basic care.

Aliza

[jasonm96]

Yes, when it's wet and water is available for breeding. When they're not in the water breeding, rain or water on leafs could provide moisture. So, I suppose an automatic misting system could suffice. You do have a point about bio-active tanks. A filtered water section won't need more than weekly maintenance. The problem is here that it is small to medium frogs that do best in bio-active enclosures unless the keeper is willing to go all out and purchase custom or large enclosures for larger frogs. I suppose gray tree frogs, native toads or tomato frogs would be nice in a live planted enclosure with a sectioned and filtered water section. All of this will require more space, money and thought/research into it.

Anyway, doesn't solve the issue with food. Most frogs, especially small to medium ones suited to bio-active tanks, that I'm aware of or have kept and other than the gannets (e.g. Whites, pixies and pacmans) need food daily or every other day in small amounts. Letting them gorge on too much food at once to satisfy them for days could cause digestive upsets and when food is plentiful in a captive setting they will eat so much. Dumping loads of crickets in the tank to do for days is not a good way to deliver food. This would be fine every so often if you go on holiday, but a monthly basis the risks are greater. Also insects might eat plants and grow in a larger terrarium and could harm frogs. Supplementation will be lost after few hours of being in the tank. Gut load could be left in the terrarium but this itself needs changed every other day, especially in a warm and or humid environment. It could go off and cause problems.

[Herpin Man]

For your situation, I would recommend one of the native toads (Anaxyrus)- whatever is native, legal, and common in your area would probably be fine. Toads of this genus tend to be hardy, and are very forgiving of slight husbandry errors on the part of the beginning keeper. And while I really wouldn't characterize any amphibians as being handleable on a frequent basis, toads are less delicate than most, due to their thick dry skin. They can usually withstand a wide variation in humidity and temperature, and will eat nearly any live, moving prey that will fit in their mouth. On top of that, they seem to have a lot of personality, as compared to many other batrachians.
I would also like to address what others are saying about not being able to leave your herps alone for a few days- I have found otherwise. Being able to leave them for a few days is actually one of the advantages of keeping herps over many other pets. As long as they are healthy and well fed, and housed correctly, most herps, and certainly frogs and toads, will be just fine being left alone for a few days. I travel quite a bit for business, and routinely leave my herps, and have never had a problem occur as a result- and I have quite a few more than two animals. During longer trips, I usually ask somebody to check on my animals, and those are the only times I have had problems leaving them- when the person checking on them has screwed something up.