Housing Your Pet Frog

Unlike many other types of herps, like alligators or snakes, frogs have the wonderful ability to adapt to different situations. They can live long lives given proper care from an outdoor pond to a large tank!
Creating the proper tank environment, however, requires a bit of thought. This section is dedicated to helping you find the best tank set-up for your frog.
Ideally, your frogs housing will depend on its natural habitat. Because your frog tank will need to be waterproof, and since frogs, unlike many reptiles, can be easily damaged when jumping against the walls of a new environment, it is generally recommended that you obtain an aquarium from your pet store rather than go through the trouble of building one yourself. (Unless you know alot about building glass tanks)
Aquarium tanks are plentiful at pet stores that specialize in fish. There are four types of standard tank setups for frog care which you will need to consider:
(click on each one to read more!)

The Terrestrial Tank The Aquatic Tank The Half and Half Tank The Arboreal Tank
[Terrestrial Tank] [Aquatic Tank] [Half and Half Tank] [Arboreal Tank]
This setup is best suited for frogs and toads which prefer dryer climates. It is the simplest aquarium setup for amphibians. The totally aquatic frog will have essentially the same setup you would have for fish, an aquarium with water in it. This tends to be the most common set-up needed, which is half water and half land-mass aquarium set-up. There are numerous ways to go about setting up a nice half-and half tank. Tree frogs spend most of their time up high in tree branches in their natural habitat do well in taller tanks which better suit their instincts.

Click here for temporary arrangements - what to do when transporting frogs, or temporary holding tanks for cleaning and isolation (quarantine) purposes.


Outdoor Ponds

Of course, the very best setup is to have a pond of your very own, if your lucky enough to live in an area suitable for frogs!

If you do choose to build a pond, here are some tips:

  • Many frogs cannot breed in a pond with fish. 'Gold fish pollution' seems to be a major factor in the breeding habits of various species. If in doubt, avoid adding goldfish to your pond.
  • Amphibians that can be purchased in pond supply catalogs to be put in ponds are usually not native. The worst examples are cute little tadpoles that grow up to be bullfrogs, Rana catesbeiana. A bullfrog will eat anything that moves and will fit in its mouth, including the native frogs and other endangered species. Be careful when importing frogs to your area because the effects can be devastating! Your best bet is the old saying: "If you build it, they will come!"
  • If indeed the frog species that end up in your pond are native, you needn't worry about "saving" them from cold spells that naturally occur in your neighborhood. There are species of frogs that hibernate through the winter when needed, so it should not be a major concern.
  • By all means avoid using pesticides in your yard when you have a pond!

    I don't know much about Pond setups (our yard is waaaaay too small!), but you will find some good pond information in the links listed below:

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