Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi. I have a Pac-man frog, and I know he has to be in a cage alone. What I need to know is, of all these other pets that I have, which are compatable to live together? I have several Green Tree Frogs, an Oriental Fire-bellied Toad, a Southern Leopard Frog, an Emerald Swift, several Anoles, and some land Hermit Crabs. Does anyone KNOW, I mean really KNOW, which animals are safe to live with the others? Thank you. Mar

Alot of experienced herpers will tell you not to mix species. Frogs from different parts of the world can carry different germs which may be lethal to other species. And, a lizard like Anole would need a toasty environment which is different from frogs and toad which do like even nearly as hot. Infact they like moderately cool temperature.

Thanks, this helps me alot. I was told that my Emerald Swift could be in the same aquirium as my green tree frogs. any thoughts?

No, they are not able to share an aquarium together, the swift will try to eat the frog. Not to mention they have different needs out of a set up.

thank you friend

yes, reptiles need much higher temperature than amphibians that would otherwise desicate the amphibians.

It all depends...If that was true reptiles and amphibians would not ever cohabitate areas. Andy
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Andy Maddox
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

Who are you who can say it's ok to live through me? Alice In Chains

They pick out different microhabitats. Here in Ohio a black ratsnake would be trying to bask in a patch of sunlight, while a frog a little bit away would be hiding in moist leaves or something. In a cage it's tough to give everything a zone where its comfortable.

None of those stated animals are safe to live together.

O.K. Could you enlighten me as to why? and for what reasons each can't be with another?

Ok here I'll disect your post. Animal by animal.

Hi. I have a Pac-man frog, and I know he has to be in a cage alone. What I need to know is, of all these other pets that I have, which are compatable to live together? I have several Green Tree Frogs, an Oriental Fire-bellied Toad, a Southern Leopard Frog, an Emerald Swift, several Anoles, and some land Hermit Crabs. Does anyone KNOW, I mean really KNOW, which animals are safe to live with the others? Thank you. Mar

Pac-man Frog- will attempt to eat anything in the same tank.
Green Treefrog- aboreal
Oriental Firebellied Toads- poisonous(will kill everything in the same tank)
Southern Leopard Frog- needs a set up of 50/50 land water and plenty of space
Emerald Swift- needs a basking area of about 80-90 degrees(will fry frogs)
Anoles- aggressive, will attack everything in the tank with it
Hermit Crabs- will attack anything in the tank with it

All that aside from all the stress they cause each other and diseases they transmit to each other, and parasites they transmit to each other.

thanks again. you've truly been most helpful

your right about the pacman and the hermit crab and the emerald swift,but i have kept anoles, fire belly toads,green tree frogs,spotted salamander and an egyptian toad in the same large tank with no problems. the anole needs the same setup as the tree frog(aboreal)and the firebelly toads do great with a large enough water dish(i have more than one dish in the tank)and the do not kill everything in the tank. THAT IS NOT TRUE. They release poison when threatened just like other toads except its more powerful.

They release it all the time, and in fact they do kill everything in the tank, including themselves. I have had 2 Firebellied Toads die from the poisons.

ive had FBTs with other animals for over 2 years with no problems....

Then you got very lucky. Their toxins may not be the strongest in the world, but it will eventually kill everything in the tank. And if you make a mistake like I did and miss a couple cleanings they can kill themselves with their toxin. And you must think about how these animals go intoa feeding frenzy, if a cricket jumped on the firebellied toads leg and another frog goes to grab it and grabs the toad it will get a mouth full of toxin and die. Go ask about firebellied toad toxins on the toad forum and many people will inform you about them.

I can speak from experience. I had a bronze frog housed with a firebelly for about a year. Thought, OK, everything's fine. Fed them one day and the bronze accidentally hit the fbt with his tougue during feeding frenzy. Poor bronze frog spasmed and died within hours. Firebelly toad is still alive, even though that was about 4 years ago. I do not hold a grudge against him for it was my ill-informed fault. Firebellies should be housed alone, hands down.
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*~Ginevive~*

Oh and by the way, species from different areas of the world are unsafe to be with each other because of all the bacterias and parasites that they spread to each other. Do a seach on mixing and you will get reading for days on this subject.

I agree with the others, it would be extremely irresponsible to put any of those animals together. If you want an ecosystem, go look at one in your backyard. In captivity, animals need to be separated for their own safety. If you are disappointed with our answers, feel free to do a search on this forum with the keywords "mixed species" and you'll find enough overwhelming evidence to satisfy you.
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*Humans aren't the only species on earth... we just act like it.

".the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without
spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

I promise you, I am not being irresponsile. All of my animals are, and always have been, separated. I was looking to invest an entire room in my home to these friends of mine and I was wondering if a very large system across the wall would provide enough space and separate conditions for some to be able to be together.

Babbit, I'm sure you can find some species to mix, but, unfortunately, none of the ones you mentioned are particularily compatible. You can always divide the room into sections, or, buy or catch species that won't harm eachother in any way and require the same environment. However, that would mean not keeping the rest of the animals in the room, so it's probably best to just stick with what you have. Good luck.

Ditto on what everyone else has said. I find the easiest way to determin if species can live together is to research each individual. Learn where they all come from, what they eat in the wild and what their basic habits are. Sure, it isn't the fastest way but definitely the most thorough.

I have learned that Leo's can share with Green Frogs because they come from the same area, are the same size, have the same requirements and are "almost" basically the same frog. I also read somewhere that a GTF can share with something but I'll be darned if I can remember what it was or how reliable the author was.

I'd just play it safe and set-up the room with shevles for several tanks. I've seen some pretty amazing rooms and the tanks were all set up side by side with the same back grounds that made it look like they were all connected. It was the coolest think and I'm seriously thinking about doing it myself.

I do have to thank you for asking first before just doing it and risking walking in one day to find most if not all injured or dead. I love reading posts written by responcible keepers!
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Heather