How to Care for Australian Frogs

Australian frogs are fast becoming a popular inclusion to our homes as pets. Their growth in popularity is largely due to their striking, colorful and often unusual appearance. Their peaceful nature, coupled with the need for only a few basic demands, makes them a logical choice for anyone , young or old ,looking for something a little special.

HOUSING

Glass fish tanks provide all basic requirements necessary for housing frogs. Because glass tanks are easy to clean and are readily available in all shapes and sizes, they make a logical choice for housing your frogs. Glass also provides the best possible viewing of your pet anurun (frog). A consideration that should be given to any frog enclosure is that it has the facility to be easily cleaned. This is best done via a hole drilled in the base of the enclosure. By drilling the hole beneath the land area, water can be poured through the substrate, which in turn, washes away any impurities and bacteria that may build up. Plants will also flourish in a well drained area.

VENTILATION

Good ventilation is essential in any frog enclosure, A good supply of clean air is vital to the health of all frogs. A lid constructed from a smooth sturdy frame and a soft.mesh (much like a fly wire screen form the windows around your house) provides a sufficient avenue for good air circulation. Steel mesh and any rough edged frame should be avoided as they could lead to an injury of your frog. Any lid, whatever the construction , should be tight fitting to prevent your frog from escaping. A complete glass lid is definitely not recommended. Remember, frogs are great escape artists and can slip through very narrow gaps.

FEEDING

Insects and spiders make up the major part of most Australian frogs diet. Frogs detect food primarily by sight. Any moving object, small enough to be consumed is usually considered as dinner. This can include smaller frogs . Bear this in mind if you are thinking of housing your “Dainty tree frogs” with your “White- lipped tree frogs”. Crickets, flies and cockroaches are the most readily available food source through the pet industry (Remember the must be alive). Dusting the food source with calcium and multivitamin powders will ensure that you are providing your frogs with the nutrients that they require in a diet. As they say “variety is the spice of life”, so avoid a strict diet of one type of food.

WATER

The most important factor when considering any water associated with frogs is that it is clean, Frogs spend most of their life around water, and while some may live long distances from the body of water, all frogs require water in some form, which they do not drink but absorb it through their permeable skin. In a frog enclosure, a water reservoir can be in the form of a small dish or a larger partitioned of area of the enclosure (the latter of these two is the better way to go.) but the area of water will always depend on the type of frog that you want to keep. All frogs which are legally allowed to be kept in Victoria will require water for breeding. Breeding is most often determined by the onset of seasonal rain. Increasing the amount of water in your enclosure is important if your male and female frogs are going to breed (Spawn).

You will of course need to filter this water and do weekly changes as to keep levels of toxins such as ammonia and nitrates down and to keep the pH at a neutral level ( 7.0) to keep the frogs at the healthiest.’

LIGHTING

In the wild , frogs require ultraviolet (UV) light for various reasons including warmth and vitamin production, this is no different in captivity your frog will require a UV (Blacklight) tube to remain happy and healthy in captivity. Light also indicates the changing of the seasons. Lengthening the amount of time that the light stays on (photoperiod) indicates to certain species that the breeding season is coming.

TROPICAL FROGS

Most species of frogs that are kept as pets in Australia are tropical or sub-tropical species, These species will require some form of heating of both the air and the water in you enclosure this is done To create humidity. There are many ways to heat the enclosure the most common way to heat the water is to put an aquarium heater in the water area of the enclosure, and to heat the air use colored heat globes these together will provide enough heat and humidity required by most tropical frogs. Another way that the water can be heated is to place a heating mat below the aquarium but his is on usually any good for burrowing frogs such as the “Great barred frog” but for most other species of frogs the aquarium heater is a better option as the heat mats do not heat the water as well as they do the ground.

These are basic guidelines for keeping Australian frogs as pets.

REMEMBER:

All frogs are protected by law in Victoria and a license will be required to keep certain species of frogs. No frog or tadpole can be taken from or released into the wild. For licensing information contact the Department of conservation licensing department on 9412- 4992 between 9 am and 12 pm on Monday to Friday.