Hi everyone!
New to the forum and frogs, so I'm hoping to get a few questions cleared up
(Need to order supplies ASAP, frogs are coming soon)
So one of my mothers friends has been raising leopard frogs (presumably northerns) and has to many. Unfortunately despite them being native it is illegal to release captive bred leopard frogs, so I offered to take some off her hands.
I'm getting between 1 and 3 leopard frogs, with one being my choice but it depends on how many she needs to get rid of. They are just turned to frogs at this point, for age purposes.
So I had a few questions on whether this is a good habitat setup or not, and later a question on handling and feeding.
Habitat
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So I've got a 20 gallon on hand at the moment as well as a 10 gallon tank, but I figured the crickets (food) would be housed in the 10 gallon and the frog(s) in the 20 gallon. I understand they should ideally be in 10 gallons per frog, but my birthdays next month so they will be upgraded soon to a 40 gallon breeder and the 20 gallon re purposed to a betta tank.
The set up would be 50/50 land and water and depending on what they chose to use more I may change that, but default will be 50/50.
So now the questions.
So setup wise I was thinking about doing a layer of large rocks on the bottom throughout the entire cage. So the land side has a drainage layer and the water side has a nice look. The rocks will slope up to prevent the soil from entering the water, but with the 40 breeder I will do a divider when I get it. Then the land side would be eco terra plantation soil (is this ok to use?) so I can do live plants in the near future (birthday) in there, I would also like to do both plants on the land and water side using the appropriate kind of plants. I read the water should be chlorine free (silent killer) and ideally filtered spring water.
I'm going for a very natural look for these guys as much as possible.
I was also looking to add Zoo Med frog moss in there as well in between the soil as well as in a corner so they has a humid spot to go if needed.
Last item I was going to use was the Tetra Repti Filter on the water side so they don't have to much standing water. I am aware this may stress them and will remove if it does, however I have seen a few users mention this so I thought I may get it.
This will be there setup aside from a few fake plants (hiding spots) until I can purchase real plants.
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Food
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For food I am going to with a base of crickets with other such things they will eat in the wild as extras. The crickets will be the main food staple however.
Also I have read that leopard frogs need calcium with D3 to survive so I found Zoo Med Reptile Calcium with D3
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Handling
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Last Question to clear up.
How much handling should be done with these guys? I want them to feel ok should I need to catch or provide medication to them but I am also aware that they have skin that is special in regards to handling.
So how much should I be handling these guys if at all?
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Any opinions would be great! Just trying to make sure my guys have the appropriate setup and diet
I've never owned frogs before so this is a whole new thing for me, and I want to make sure that I'm giving these guys the best I can.
-Alyssa