Gray toad. Aquarium frogs What to feed baby frogs at home

Frogs are quite unpretentious, varied and funny in their habits. But still, it is important for a novice breeder to take into account some of the features and basic requirements of these animals for keeping at home and take their new pets seriously.

Experienced amphibian breeders believe that adding a frog to your home is not much different from getting a cat or dog. Do not think that the small size of a frog automatically negates efforts to create conditions and future care.

Amphibians require constant supervision; it is advisable to assume in advance who will care for the pet during your vacation. Keeping a frog is more troublesome and different from keeping a goldfish - the pet will not survive for a week alone with food floating around it.

Another important point- frogs and toads live a very long time, some species can live up to 15 years. A case was recorded of an incredibly long life in captivity of an amphibian of the species Common Toad, which reached the ripe old age of 40 years!

The legislation of some countries insists on special permits for keeping frogs at home. In Australia, for example, there are considerable fines imposed on owners of these animals who keep them without the appropriate license.

Despite all their unpretentiousness and endurance, frogs will require daily troubles.

They need to be fed a variety of fresh foods regularly and are not suitable food waste. Most species will be satisfied with commercially available dry or wet food, but some may need a couple of live insects or worms.

Tree green red-eyed frog is about to dine

If you choose a type that feeds only on live insects, first of all you need to think about where you are going to get all kinds of beetles, larvae and whether you will be ready for the crawling of escaped food around the house.

Some larger species of frogs can eat mice with an appetite, which can also be a problem and not a very pleasant sight. Species that constantly eat live food at home require especially regular and thorough cleaning of terrariums, and especially their water part, in order to maintain proper hygiene and prevent disease.

Frogs at home - maintenance features

Unlike other amphibians, frogs have unique ability adapt to most situations and different environment and can live long and healthy life in a terrarium or even in a pond in a winter garden.

And yet, stationary terrariums or aquariums are the most common homes for frogs at home. Before choosing a tank, you need to evaluate the needs of your favorite species.

To avoid making a fatal mistake, it is best to consult with an experienced frog breeder or amphibian dealer, who will recommend one or more options suitable for your new pet.

Terrarium for land frogs

This type of housing is ideal for frogs that inhabit arid areas and is the most simple solution. It usually consists of a special dry substrate, spread in a thick layer, and an accessible source of water - usually a ceramic bowl of water.

Slingshot in your home

Aquarium for aquatic species

For a frog that constantly lives in aquatic environment, you will need a standard aquarium, equipped and configured for keeping fish. This will require a strong filtration system as these animals feed in the water and excrete waste into the water.

A reliable mesh lid is needed on top - pets can deftly and quickly escape from the aquarium, which for aquatic species is fraught with rapid death.

Clawed frog in an aquarium

Terrarium with aquatic environment

The most common and very attractive method of keeping includes a land area with soil and a water area, so that the frog can choose to stay on land or in water, fully justifying its name as an amphibian creature.

You can buy a ready-made terrarium of this type. Another, more budget option- place another, smaller one, with low walls, in a regular aquarium, fill it with water and surround it with large smooth stones.

High tanks

Some stunning species, such as tree frogs, will require a tall tank that allows them to climb higher and nestle comfortably on a branch.

Best fit tall aquarium, filled with suitable plants and branches. This is an excellent home for beautiful bright frogs, which usually live in trees.

White's frog on a branch in a tall aquarium

Frogs at home - the worst and best species for a beginner

There are many various types frogs, some of which are more suitable for the beginning hobbyist, while others are not suitable at all.

When buying a cute little frog, you need to know exactly the name of the species and the size of the adult animal. Yes, young people African species Pyxicephalus adspersus they look amazing and just by looking at these cute little dogs, you can immediately decide that these are definitely wonderful pets.

Juvenile African bullfrog

However, these tiny amphibians are young African bullfrogs or water frogs that grow to be huge, hulking, very strong, and feed on mice.

An adult reaches a length of up to 24 cm and weighs up to two kilograms. This look is completely unsuitable for a beginner.

Very big frogs themselves are not recommended for keeping at home by novice hobbyists for several reasons. Firstly, they can bite quite painfully. Secondly, they will need a lot of space, food and care. And finally, thirdly, these are far from the most active, slow animals, so they may seem boring.

Adult African bullfrog

The only pleasant exception to this rule may be one of the various Slingshots ( Ceratophrys), which are also not very active, but are very hardy, incredibly cute and not too susceptible to disease, like some other species.

Poisonous frogs are also definitely not a desirable choice for the novice hobbyist. Although they usually lose all or part of their toxic properties in captivity, they still require a high level of specialized care and are fragile, vulnerable animals.

Frogs at home - decorated slingshot

Eastern Firebird ( Bombina orientalis) is an ideal frog for the novice hobbyist who wants a great experience keeping an amphibian frog. Fire-bellied toads will eat bloodworms and dried crickets, and they will also need a vitamin supplement for amphibians.

Frogs are beautiful, quite active and do not grow very large. In addition, this species is unpretentious to the ambient temperature and you do not need a heater for the terrarium.

Eastern Fireball - a very beautiful frog

Of the charming tree species, the lover should pay attention to the bright little one - White's frog ( Litoria caerulea). This is an absolutely charming cute creature with a pleasant appearance and funny habits that at first sight captivate others, especially children, who simply cannot be driven away from the terrarium.

The small amphibian is quite tolerant of increased attention, quickly adapts to a new environment and is definitely excellent choice the first frog for a novice breeder.

White's beautiful frog

African dwarf frogs ( Hymenochirus boettgeri) - small, dynamic, attractive and truly comparable to goldfish in terms of the complexity of keeping and caring for at home.

These pets do not require a supply of live insects or mice, and although they may become bored and lethargic for a couple of weeks while acclimating to their new environment, they are generally easy to care for.

African dwarf frogs in an aquarium

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Toads are very smart animals that quickly get used to their owner. However, you need to remember that they have poisonous glands on both sides of their heads, which they use when they sense danger. The venom of these toads can cause burning and...

Toads prefer solitude, so they need to be kept separately from their brothers and other animals.

As a soil, you can use coconut crumbs (it holds moisture well and does not become moldy), moss, or a special soil containing soil and foliage. The thickness of the soil should allow the toad to burrow into it. In addition, you need to provide a shelter that is spacious enough for the toad to easily turn around in it. You also need a body of water in which it can completely fit. It is advisable to change the water daily, since this is where toads prefer to go to the toilet.

Lighting is not necessary since toads are crepuscular animals. The temperature gradient should be in the range of 18–28 degrees. The heating point can be created by a heating lamp, a thermal mat or a thermal cord. It is possible (this is especially true for growing animals) to install an ultraviolet lamp with a level of 2.0 or 5.0 for daytime irradiation. At night all lamps and heating must be turned off.

Humidity must be maintained at 50–90% through a pond and regular spraying.

They are unpretentious in food. Feeding a toad is not difficult; it has an excellent appetite. And when the pet gets used to the owner, it fearlessly begins to take food from the hands or from tweezers. The diet consists of various insects. In captivity, it is best to feed crickets and cockroaches. Large toads can be periodically fed with small mice. The food must be mixed or purchased, since insects caught in nature can be poisoned (when treating neighboring apartments, plants in summer cottages). Insects must be coated in mineral and vitamin supplements for reptiles to prevent the development of hypovitaminosis. It is enough to feed adult toads once every 3 days, and young ones - daily.

If you decide to start breeding toads at home, then you will need to provide the animals with wintering for a couple of months, with gradual entry and exit from it, maintaining low temperatures and humidity. After wintering, the breeding season begins, the toads are placed in a terrarium with a spacious pond, into which they lay their eggs. Sexual maturity is reached at approximately 3-4 years.

The gray toad is a rather unpretentious, peace-loving animal, which is precisely why its popularity as a pet is only growing.

You can ask questions about keeping gray toads on the forum in the section.

Frogs are poikilothermic animals, their temperature is directly dependent on the temperature of the environment. Young frogs and tadpoles tolerate cooling down to -1.1 °C, but do not tolerate high temperature. Adult frogs survive minimum temperature from -0.4 to -0.8 °C and tolerate temperatures of +39 °C. At +5 °C reflex activity the number of frogs almost stops.
Pond and lake frogs overwinter in reservoirs, while the grass frog and ground toad hibernate on land, burrowing in sandy holes, basements, under leaves, sawdust, moss or in the ground.
For laboratory needs, frogs are prepared in autumn time year. Pond and lake frogs are caught from reservoirs with nets.
Frogs in large quantities should be kept in special terrariums, which are organized in dark places and basements. Frogs should be kept in concrete tanks filled with clean water. The water level is small (only 3-4 cm) so that the frogs can freely stick their heads above the water. Place some rocks in the pool that stick out above the water so that frogs can climb out on them. It is better if the pool is divided into sections isolated from each other. The depth of the pool and the height of the partitions between sections are 1-1.2 m. It is advisable to change the water frequently, and give water that has been standing in tubs. The top of the pool must be covered with nets. The temperature in the terrarium should be 6-10 °C.
IN small quantities frogs can be kept in enamel baths, tubs and aquariums. To do this, you need to maintain the above water level and change it frequently.
Dead frogs or tadpoles must be discarded promptly.
Contents and delivery, especially in winter time, pond, grass and lake frogs are associated with significant difficulties. In addition, among these species of frogs, more females are detected than males, which makes it difficult to carry out a biological test to identify early dates pregnancy in a hospital setting. Breeding frogs in laboratory conditions is impossible. IN lately instead of frogs, earth toads began to be successfully used, which are easily all year round keep in simple, specially built nurseries or in basements, in boxes. In addition, according to Jungfes, the ground toad has 100 males for every 18.5 females. All this distinguishes them favorably from frogs and indicates the advisability of breeding earthen toads in every hospital.
Ground toads are kept in terrariums. The bottom should be covered with light porous soil and covered with pieces of moss and turf. The earth is slightly moistened. In a terrarium for toads, it is useful to arrange small ponds (puddles) or place a flat dish filled with water. It is quite possible to keep ground toads in the wild in shady places (where there are puddles), fenced with wire mesh or a concrete wall. In winter, toads are placed in cellars, boxes filled with crushed and moistened peat.
Well-fed frogs and toads harvested in the fall go without food throughout the winter. By spring they lose weight, and in order to keep them until autumn, feeding should be established in late spring and summer.
J. Prokopich (1957), studying the question of the diet of the pond frog, showed that 96% of the captured prey are beetles, bugs, and mollusks, and 4% of the stomach contents are plant foods. Quite often (up to 10% of cases) phenomena of cannibalism are observed.
You can feed frogs and toads with their natural food (earthworms and mealworms, mollusks, spiders, flies and other insects, small fish). You can feed with finely chopped strips of meat (including frog meat). Food must be taken with tweezers and held in front of the mouth, since frogs and toads only capture moving prey. If animals refuse to grab food themselves, then it is necessary to resort to force feeding, i.e. to pushing food into the oral cavity. You should feed 1-2 times a week.

To catch insects you will need a net. The diameter of its hoop should be 40-50 cm. The length of the bag should be three times the diameter of the hoop, in this case fast insects will not have time to leave the net. The net bag is sewn from durable fabric - calico, linen. Gauze is not suitable for this purpose. The length of the handle can be 50-70 cm. Operating a longer net will be tiring.

This method of collecting live food is only suitable in warm, dry weather on dry grass. Catching insects is carried out as follows. Moving along a meadow or forest edge, make a figure-of-eight movement with the net. The net should reach the tops of the plants (approximately 20 cm). Everything that gets into the net is poured into jars with a mesh lid. The captured invertebrates are released into terrariums. Such food is very useful for terrarium animals. They do not require additional fortification.

To avoid killing your pets, collect insects away from roads and industrial enterprises. It is also necessary to delete all poisonous insects (ladybugs, hairy caterpillars, wasps, etc.). They usually have a bright warning color.

Make sure that the meadow was not treated with pesticides before your arrival!

The disadvantage of such forage collection is obvious; it is strongly dependent on weather and other conditions beyond our control. Of the insects bred at home, fruit flies, true and carrion flies, crickets, and cockroaches are usually used to feed amphibians. “Mealworms” and zofobas (both feeds are beetle larvae) are usually not used to feed frogs. They are not nutritious enough, in addition, they have strong jaws that can injure digestive system your pet. If you have at the moment there is no necessary food, try feeding the larvae with tweezers, after crushing their head.

Frogs need to add vitamins and minerals to their food. mineral supplements. It is better to use drugs sold in pet stores. Unfortunately, standards for the supply of vitamins and minerals for amphibians have not been developed. Therefore, you have to give vitamins “by eye.” At the same time, an overdose of vitamins, especially fat-soluble ones (A, O, E), in some cases leads to death.

Amphibians, especially young ones, need calcium. It is better to use drugs specifically designed for terrarium animals. As a last resort, use ground school chalk (not colored), old lime, crushed shells of raw chicken eggs. It is recommended to give calcium-containing preparations to juveniles daily, to adults once a week. As you know, calcium is absorbed by the body only in the presence of vitamin D3.

Therefore, we must not forget about installing ultraviolet lamps “ReptyG1o 2.0” or similar in the terrarium.

Attention: red-eyed tree frogs (Agalichnis sp.) cannot tolerate ultraviolet radiation!

Before feeding, insects are placed in a jar with a powdered mixture of vitamins and calcium preparation poured into it, closed with a finger or a lid and shaken vigorously several times, after which they are immediately fed.

Usually food is introduced directly into the terrarium. For live insects, feeders are used to prevent the food from scattering or spreading. The use of feeders allows you to remove uneaten or dead food in a timely manner.

Puparia (fly pupae) are placed in a plastic box with holes 5 mm in diameter and placed in a terrarium. The hatched insects crawl into the terrarium, where they are eaten by animals. If you want to reduce the activity of flies, you can put them in the refrigerator for a while.

Recently, original feeders made in the form of a hollow stone have appeared on sale. Vitamin-calcium preparations are poured into it, 10-20 crickets or cockroaches are placed, shaken vigorously several times and placed in the terrarium, having first removed the plug from the hole. Insects sprinkled with vitamins gradually crawl out through it. Frogs quickly get used to the feeder and gather around it, eating crickets or cockroaches crawling out of the hole. Remember that scattered feeding cockroaches and crickets can cause significant damage to an ornamental garden, destroying leaves and stems of plants.

- a small closed terrarium with a pond / aquaterrarium / aquarium with good ventilation and high humidity
- soil (in aquariums it may not be needed)
- shelters for most species
— lighting is not required for night views; for daytime views it should be with ultraviolet light. For northern amphibians, the lamp should only provide light; for southern amphibians, it should also provide heat (incandescent lamp)
— ultraviolet lamp Repti-Glo 2.0 or Repti-Sun (for daytime species)
- heaters: incandescent lamp 20-40 W, water heater for aquatic amphibians only, heating cords or thermal mats (for some species)
- plants, branches, pieces of bark for climbing tree frogs
- food supply: live insects (for most species), live mice, meat, fish (for some large toads)

Some equipment you can make yourself, some you can buy.

Disadvantages of keeping frogs and toads at home:

Constant monitoring of temperature and humidity in the terrarium is necessary, the terrarium often has to be cleaned, it is difficult to get live food, and raising insects at home can lead to insects spreading throughout the house.
Some toads and frogs are poisonous and others have a strong bite, so it is important to keep small children away from amphibians who could be harmed. Frogs can escape from uncovered or loosely closed terrariums, or from the hands of the owner and die from dehydration in the apartment. Many species of amphibians are active at night and the croaking of males will not let you fall asleep, so it is better to select daytime species to keep at home.

True toads (Bufonidae)

Terrarium: Toads are usually kept in fairly spacious horizontal terrariums. For many species, a terrarium with a layer of mulch, a spacious drinking bowl and good ventilation is ideal. However, some exotic species require special conditions. The temperature of the content depends on the locality from which the animal originates. Toads are undemanding to living conditions: temperature can range from 12 to 28 C, humidity - from 40 to 95 percent. Lighting also does not play a big role: although toads lead twilight image life, quickly get used to bright light. Of course, the soil must remain moist at all times. Water for spraying and in reservoirs must be purified from chlorine, i.e., settled at room temperature 2 days.

Feeding: Small species feed on insects, while large ones happily eat newborns and sometimes even older mice.

Peculiarities: These are fairly unpretentious pets, however, due to their poisonous secretions, different types of toads are not recommended to be kept together.

Dart frogs (Dendrobatidae)

Activity type: These frogs are active during the day.

Virulence: The skin of poison dart frogs secretes toxic substances, you should handle them carefully and wash your hands to avoid poison getting into wounds and mucous membranes.

Terrarium: Vertical and cubic terrariums with high humidity (about 100%) and a temperature of 25-28 degrees during the day and about 20 at night, with a pond and greenery, are suitable for poison dart frogs. As soil, you can use sphagnum, charcoal or coconut shavings, covered with pebbles or another layer of moss. In nature, dart frogs live in hollows and roots of trees along river banks, so a terrarium for them can be decorated with pieces of bark, branches with hollows, small stones on which frogs can bask during the day, or form natural shelters from plant leaves.

Feeding: Due to their small size, dart frogs should be fed small insects, the best fruit fly for these purposes is Drosophila, but for obvious reasons it is not suitable for keeping in an apartment best option. As for young crickets, unfortunately, in our country, pet stores usually sell old crickets.

Peculiarities: Dart frogs can usually be kept in groups, but nevertheless, it should be borne in mind that these amphibians are territorial animals, so a group of poison dart frogs of the same sex requires a terrarium of sufficient volume (about 30-40 liters per individual). Representatives should not be kept together different types, since they can poison each other. If closely related dart frogs of different colors are kept together, they can produce hybrid offspring of a new color form.

Round-tongues (Discoglossidae)

Terrariums often contain representatives of the genus Bombina, which includes 4 species. The toads lead the floor water image life.

Terrarium: An aquarium or aquaterrarium is used to keep toads. There must be islands or areas of land where animals can easily get out. It is advisable to create shallow areas with a difference in water level; in such areas the frog will always find a suitable place.

Feeding: An important condition for successfully keeping toaded toads is to ensure the cleanliness of the water in the pool, therefore, when feeding bloodworms, it is recommended to place food only in a feeder. On land, toads willingly eat small crickets, but such food cannot be the main food. The food is bloodworms and small crickets, which fire-bellied toads readily catch on land. Since feed often ends up in the water where it rots, it is necessary to ensure good filtration.

Tree frogs (Hylidae)

Activity type: They are usually inactive during the day and go hunting at dusk.

Terrarium: The terrarium for them should be vertical with an air humidity of about 60-80% and a temperature of around 25 degrees during the day and about 20 at night. As a rule, the terrarium is decorated with living plants with large leaves(for example, ficus or monstera), on which tree frogs sit with pleasure. The structure of tree frog paws allows them to easily move across glass and other surfaces, “sticking” to them with their membranes. You can use vermiculite or pebbles with the addition of charcoal as soil, and put a layer of moss on top of them. The pond in the terrarium should be approximately half the area of ​​the base of the terrarium, but not deeper than the height of the amphibian. Depending on the size of the reservoir, the water in it will need to be changed every two to three days or more often.

Feeding: You can feed tree frogs with small crickets and fruit flies (drosophila).

Peculiarities: Most tree frogs can be kept in groups of several individuals. They have a fairly loud voice, so you should not place the terrarium in the bedroom.

Hyperoliidae

Terrarium: Representatives of this family are perfect for decorating small vertical terrariums.
Afrixalus do not often end up in the collections of Russian terrariumists. However, these are very beautiful and relatively easy to keep frogs. The characteristics of the terrarium depend on the ecology of the species. The most commonly found species in captivity are the “fornasini” group. These frogs inhabit savannas with tall bushes and trees. Lead wood image life. They are kept in vertical terrariums With a large number branches and plants.

A group of several types of reeds in a vertical terrarium decorated with living plants will decorate any interior. However, when choosing housing conditions, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the temperature and humidity requirements of specific species. Due to the breadth of their range and different biotopic preferences, these requirements often differ, which causes difficulties when keeping reed grasses in captivity.

Leptopelises are kept in terrariums vertical type, which can be decorated with inclined and vertical branches, live and artificial plants (plants with wide, dense leaves that can support a frog, such as Dieffenbachia, Sansevieria, are well suited), driftwood and pieces of bark. Foam rubber or plastic mats can be used as a substrate. With the help of regular spraying in the terrarium it is necessary to maintain high level humidity, a bathing suit is required, in which the frog can easily fit. The temperature in the terrarium is about 24 - 26 degrees. Food: large insects. It is useful to add vitamin and mineral supplements to the food.

Whistlers (Leptodactylidae)

In Europe, the most popular type of whistler among terrarium hobbyists is the decorated slingshot. Contain both the natural color variation and the albino form.

Terrarium: Horizontal terrariums with a moist substrate, such as sphagnum, are suitable for these frogs.

Asian spadefoots (Megophryidae)

Terrarium: Asian spadefoots are kept in spacious horizontal terrariums with a thick layer of soil. Forest litter and soft soil can be used as a substrate. A spacious bathing suit is required to maintain moisture. Temperature varies depending on the ecological characteristics of the species.

Feed: insects, newborn rodents.

Narrow-mouthed tree frogs (Microhylidae)

Tomato frogs, which are distinguished by their strikingly bright colors, are often kept in captivity, as well as red-striped narrowmouth frogs.

Terrairum: These animals live well in horizontal, moist terrariums with a hygroscopic substrate. However, raising these animals is fraught with many difficulties, and in order to raise healthy short-mouthed animals, you need to carefully monitor the conditions in the terrarium, maintaining the necessary humidity and temperature. Spadefoot narrowmouths are kept in vertical or cubic terrariums with snags and inclined branches. You can plant live plants in the terrarium. Pieces of bark can be used as shelters. Humidity is high, from 80 to 100%. However, these frogs should not be overheated; the temperature is about 25 degrees.

Feed: small insects.

Spadefoot spadefoots (Pelobatidae)

Common spadefoot spadefoot and eastern spadefoot Scaphiopus holbrooki are commonly kept in captivity.

Terrarium: To keep spadefoots, horizontal terrariums with a thick layer of loose soil, such as a soil mixture with sand, are used. Animals spend most of their time buried in the substrate and emerge only to hunt.

Spadefoots are kept in horizontal terrariums with a thick layer of soft soil mixed with sand. A drinking bowl is not necessary; you can get by by spraying the terrarium. Pieces of bark can be used as shelters, but this is also not necessary, since spadefoots usually burrow into the ground. To observe frogs in the terrarium, you can install a Night Glo lamp.

Feed: crickets.

Pipidae

Representatives are often kept at home three kinds: African genera of clawed frogs Xenopus and dwarf clawed frogs Hymenochirus and the South American genus Pipa.

Terrarium: Pips are kept in aquariums with good water filtration. For clawed frogs, shelters are placed at the bottom; peeps can be kept even without soil. Aquatic plants are placed in aquariums with dwarf clawfoots.

Clawed frogs are exclusively aquatic frogs. They are quite undemanding in terms of keeping conditions - in an aquarium, a volume of 3 - 3.5 liters is sufficient for one frog. One or two frogs can be kept even in three liter jar. The aquarium must be covered with a mesh lid, since, despite the aquatic lifestyle, hymenochiruses often strive to get out of the reservoir. The water temperature should be at least 20 degrees, and frogs begin to reproduce when the temperature rises to 26 - 28. You can add a small layer of rocky or sandy soil to the bottom and it is advisable to put several shelters, for example, made of clay shards.

Even very small aquariums, from 20 liters per couple, which are filled with water to 1/2 - 2/3 of the volume, are suitable for keeping clawed frogs. A 4-6 centimeter layer of fine gravel is poured onto the bottom, in which plants can be planted, but if the aquarium is small, animals will quickly tear them out. At the bottom there are several shelters made of driftwood, stones and ceramic pots. Temperature 18 - 25 degrees. The aquarium is closed with a lid.

Feeding: Clawbearers feed on any live food used for fish (for example, small bloodworms, tubifex). You can train them to eat defrosted food. Food for pip, this is a large bloodworm, earthworms, small fish. Food for clawed frogs - pieces of meat, fish, mealworms, large bloodworms. Can eat prepared food for aquarium fish.

Peculiarities: Hymenochiruses get along well in aquariums with fish that are not much larger than the size of frogs, and vice versa, not too small so that they do not consume it as food.

Copepods (Rhacophoridae)

Terrarium: should be selected based on the biological preferences of the species. Woody species, for example, the Javan copepod, live well in vertical terrariums, which can be decorated with a large number of live plants. For terrestrial species, for example, for Teloderma rougha, a small horizontal terrarium with a hygroscopic substrate is perfect.

Feed: various insects.