Chinese Grocery Store

[Wambli]

I went to the Chinese grocery store last night and they sell live bullfrogs along with lots of other live animals to eat… I got a male… yellow neck… big ear… American bullfrog. I sifted through a tank with about 50 frogs in it… they were piled 2 deep in most areas where the water ran in like a waterfall. After handling most of the boys to find the smallest one and the one with no marks or cuts. I sacked him up.. And paid 2.73 for him tax included… 5.00 a lb. When I got home and put speedie next to him… he is 2X her size… but I don’t think he can get his mouth around her. He is not bashful at all… once I got him in the pen he saw a crawdad in the water and BAM he went in after it. Wow… was that exciting. The funny thing is that speedie and the un-named male bullfrog hung out all night together… and this morning it looked like ¼ of the feeder fish were gone. I am thinking that they did not feed him since he came out of the pond since he was to be sold as food. He is a very nice looking frog… his colors are bright. I just don’t want him to eat speedie… she is 3” he is 5” . Maybe I need to release him at my friends farm and get a male closer to her size? Or do you think she is safe?

[SludgeMunkey]

PLEASE!

Do not release him into the wild. He could be carrying diseases and parasites from god knows where that could devastate the wild amphibian population in your area. Especially if it is from the conditions you describe. there is no telling where the frog came from or what it has been exposed to in such cramped quarters.

It is better to keep one separate in temporary quarters until they are of compatible size.

[Wambli]

So I might have infected my frog with the new frog... can I have it checked out at the vet? or is it something I will see soon... I had no idea... the frog looks healthy... he ate right a way... ? wow... stupid me... I just thought it would be easer than walking around in the swamp again to find a male....

[Kurt]

You should always quarantine all new animals before introducing them to your other established animals. So there is a high possibility for cross infection in this situation of yours. It would be a good idea to see the vet, have them both checked out. A fecal test should be done as well and your fecal sample should be no more than 24 hours old. Any older and it is no good for testing. I think is an extremely safe bet that there will be gastrointestinal parasites in the fecal sample.

Also it is illegal to release captive animals into the wild even if they are native.

[John]

Also it is illegal to release captive animals into the wild even if they are native.

Is this a US federal law? Remember that this is an international web site (it's actually located in London, England). I'd be very interested in seeing the text of that law.

[Kurt]

I believe it to be a US Fedral Law. Don't know where to find the actual text of the law. Sorry.

[SludgeMunkey]

Is this a US federal law? Remember that this is an international web site (it's actually located in London, England). I'd be very interested in seeing the text of that law.

As far as I have been able to find out it is not a federal law, however, it is State law just about everywhere, as best as I can tell. Many, many Cities and counties also have similar laws.

So, thanks to the Lacey Act, in some cases it could be a federal offense, since the Lacey Act re-enforces state and local laws. Simply put- if it is illegal to do in a state, then it is illegal federally.