RAUK - Archived Forum - Common Frog in Captivity

While I was out admiring my pond today I noticed the even more abundance of common frogs than usual. I decided to capture a couple of smallish frogs (just under 3cm body length). I have placed them in a fish tank with a filter, light and a corner with rocks piled up so they can sit out of the water which at the moment is 15cm deep.

My questions: What should I feed the frogs? Are they likely to swim around much, or would I be better just keeping the water level at a centimeter or so? Would they need a plant or something in there?

Any advice really in keeping them would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Paul W.

Paul,

I commonly collect many batches of common frog spawn in my area in late February. Although some claim that this does more bad than good, this has certainly not been the case near me, as due to the work of myself and a few friends we have spread the frog population over a wider area in my village. Collecting adult frogs is not a good idea. I have once kept a Iberian Parsley Frog overnight in Spain, but only because it had a fishing hook through it's leg and i wanted to help it carefully and correctly. If frogs are 3cm they will probably die soon, so do the best thing and put them back near the edge of your pond. As they are odviously getting enough food to grow from juveniles, if you want to do something with frogs collect spawn in early year, but make sure that it is of the Common Frog first.

Hope this helps you decide,

I totally agree with Matthew, Common Frogs are not a good species for captivity. They are very nervous and do not learn that glass is a barrier, so often bang their snouts against it in an attempt to escape, this can lead to serious injury. With a water depth of 15cm these tiny frogs you have are actually at risk of drowning in the aquarium.

I bring on a few tadpoles each year, but release the frogs when very tiny to avoid all these problems and rescue spawn when laid in unfavourable temporary pools to help the frogs.

It would be much better to release them back and enjoy them in the garden than try to keep them in a tank where they will become stressed and surely die.

Paul,

If you want to keep frogs as pets there are many species commonly avaliable in captivity that do well and thrive for many years. I work at Manchester Museum, where we have one of the largest collections of neo-tropical and commonly kept frog species in the world. If you are just starting out i would highly recommend the European Tree-Frog (Hyla arborea), i have a mating pair at home, and they are very hardy captives. They are about 4-5cm in length and are easy to maintain, although as with any frog species, purchasing juveniles can be risky. No heating is required, as they are native to Netherlands and even Denmark. Look for adult frogs, as juveniles are delicate and quick to hop out of your hands. Also recommend N.American Gray Treefrogs. Stay away from tropical frogs from Costa Rica such as Red-Eyed tree-frogs (Agalychnis callidryas), we have many juveniles suddenly dying at the musuem, due to tricky requitements. I disagree that such frogs such be so commonly offered full stop, and should only be purchased by specialists in my opinion.

Sorry to move of European herps there, but just trying to give the correct advice.

Paul,

Bufo and Bombina species of toad are also good captives and and can live for a very long time, these are the species I keep as pets myself. Food for captive amphibians is available commercially.

Thanks for all the prompt advice, I shall release the frogs near my pond.

One other question: Are frogs intelligent enough to move when an area is becoming overcrowded? My pond is full of them at the moment along with 10 fish in a relatively small pond (no bigger than 6ft in diameter). I don't know of any other ponds in the area, but there is plenty of farmland etc.

Thanks again,

Paul.

Hi Paul, thought I'd chip in here. A lot of wild creatures naturally settle to a suitable population density that is usually related to food availability. Perhaps you have a lot of frog food around at the minute? I find with my own pond that every few years I get an explosion of young males through the spring/early summer. I counted 34 earlier this year (all shouting every night!) with, then, not a female in sight! Eventually I ended up with just 5 or 6 females who have laid and now gone, moved on. There's still a dozen or so young boys hanging around out there. I guess they're hanging out and feeding well else they would have moved on too.

Martin.

Hi Paul,

Though the frogs are appearing in high numbers, they are not making any demands on the pond, they feed only on land. They are using the pond to cool-off in the hot weather.

So there is no overcrowding from the point of view of what the pond can supply for them (other than space!) - but very likely an abundant food supply in your garden - in cooler weather the frogs would be dispersed on land over quite a wide area, so you are seeing a small population concentrated in one place during the warm weather.

Hiya paulW,

What happened to those wee frogs then?  My guess is they where one year olds, the previous years emerging froglets.  So, in two more years they'll be back, to keep you awake.

These little lads are fighting machines, best left to their own, a damp and shady garden is their prefered battlefield.  Their freedom will bring rewards, no need to purchase slug pellets and insecticides! Bad things so they are, WMD to an amphibian.

Do post back if you encounter the wee insurgents again.

dave n dogs