Frogs look cute and fascinating, especially those that are very active. Keeping a frog as a pet though requires a different set of caring and maintenance, unlike keeping goldfish and other aquatic animals.
While it looks like a daunting task to keep a pet frog, here are some tips you can use to help you take care of your frog.
- Choose an aquatic frog or a tree frog that will be active pets. Some frogs especially the fat ones have a tendency to just sit down in one place for long periods of time. A good frog to get if you are a beginner is an African Dwarf Frog which is easier to maintain and care for than other frog species.
- Check with the pet store for the specific food and habitat requirements of the frog that you are going to buy and prepare its new environment accordingly. You have to know if the frog you are getting is aquatic or terrestrial. Aquatic frogs will need water to live while terrestrial ones will stay out of the water most of the time.
- Frogs should be fed regularly. Aquatic frogs will eat dead and living organism such as live guppy fries, crickets, silkworm, frozen bloodworms, brineshrimps, glassworms, and reptomin. You can also give them small pieces of earthworm. Froglets should be fed once a day.
- For aquatic frogs, you need to put natural plants, some terracotta pots and rocks to provide some hiding places and rest areas for your frog.
- A single aquatic frog will love comfortably in a ten-gallon tank or aquarium. Fill it with water about 30 centimeters deep. Frogs jump so you need to cover your container or aquarium with a screen or net that can be secured over the top of the container.
- Keep your tank away from direct sunlight as frogs have sensitive skin.
- Food debris and waste can muddy the water inside the frog tank. You have to clean the tank once every two weeks. Keep you little pet in a holding tank while you clean its home. Use dechlorinating agent and water on the tank and leave it for forty-eight hours. You can use stress coat and aquarium salt to purify the water. Aquarium salt prevents the growth of fungi and bacteria by increasing the salinity of the water inside the tank while the stress coat will remove traces of chlorine and heavy metal elements that are present in the water to prevent your frog from getting sick.
- Aquatic frogs like to live in an environment with constant and even temperature and the right water pH to survive and remain healthy. The water should be heated between 64°F to 75°F. You should install a thermometer to monitor the tank temperature. You should also buy a pH regulator to maintain the pH level at 7 constantly.
- Line the bottom of the tank with a dark cloth, small clean river rocks or aquarium sand to make your frog’s habitat more natural looking. Keep in mind that you have to remove and clean them too once every two weeks to maintain freshness and sanitation.
Giving your pet frog the proper care and attention as required by the species will ensure that your frog will be happy and healthy for a long time. It will also help you greatly if you read up and know more about your pet frog to give it the utmost care.