Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Anyone know if the amphibian hobby is getting bigger? There are so few amphibian hobbyists, compared to the amount of reptile keepers (At least thats the impression i've got).

My own thought why there are so few Amphibian keepers, would be that you can't hold them and "cuttle" like u can with many reptiles. What do you think?
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CokeOfMan

I think reptiles, especially pythons and iguana, are more appealing to people who really likes animals. I find Arachnids ( particuliarly tarantulas ), Reptiles ( particuliarly the monitor lizards ), Amphibians to be especially appealing for me with the tarantulas being the most appealing. But the reason I have chosen to keep frogs because they are much easier to keep. They don't need very high temperature and you have to worry about the UVB light that they need, and not to mention power outage in the winters. A few weeks ago I've purchased a ball pythons from my zoology teacher who breed them for fun and to study their captive behavior.

Reptiles can not be cuddled either...holding should be limited if you handle snakes or reptiles at all. The hobby is ever expanding...there is a totally new set of people here now than when I first came. Colchicine is pretty much the only person that has been here the whole time I believe...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

Personally, I think tarantulas are sick!(But thats just my opinion)... anywho;

Maybe there are alot more people out there that we don't know. Lots of people may think there people will think there weird, creepy, etc, they don't want there reputation of frogman, so they keep there interests inside, pretty much a closet herper.

There are those who tell they like frogs, and could care less what people think,...including me. It's who you are, if they don't like it who cares? I'm not known for keeping frogs, among people I know, most forget I even own frogs! Most know me for the birds I keep, birdboy, bird expert whatever they feel like calling me!

Steven

I don't know...there is something about reptiles, such as snakes, that fascinate people whose passion is animals. It's the way they move and behave that is so alien to us, but at the same time fascinating and elegant. It's also like a link to the prehistoric era...reminds us of the dinosaurs.

People who likes Amphibians also like reptiles...a lot.

How do you figure that? It is not a packaged deal...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

Well, reptiles is just one of those animals that stir up imagination in animal lovers, I mean people who are really passionate about animals. It's true people who loves crawly things like amphibians also like reptiles a lot...because it's even more crawlier. lol Herps means crawly things from latin, I think.

I have friends that like my frogs but will not go near snakes at all...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

I enjoy both amphibs. & Reptiles. people who don't keep reptiles may have phoebeas so they may not ever like snakes but only tolerate the frogs . But people who keep herps usually like both amphibs. & reptiles. Also I find that inaction does play a part in it as though you can't cuddle you can have a better chance of handling a reptile w/o ill effects but touching an amphib. may harm it.

I enjoy both amphibs. & Reptiles. people who don't keep reptiles may have phoebeas so they may not ever like snakes but only tolerate the frogs . But people who keep herps usually like both amphibs. & reptiles. Also I find that inaction does play a part in it as though you can't cuddle you can have a better chance of handling a reptile w/o ill effects but touching an amphib. may harm it.

I actually found the opposite to be true in a lot of cases. There are many people I have talked to at different nature centers and pet shops who are either "frog people", "snake people" "lizard people" etc. I was exclusively into frogs and sals until I got my ball python, and I only got him because it was an adoption case.
Then again, a lot of people keep both reps and amphibians. It's all the individual; I don't think you can generalize here.
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*~Ginevive~*

Yeah I started out in turtles, and always had a frog around that I would catch and watch, then once I got my first African Bullfrog I really got into frogs. The only reason I really have any of the turtles I have now is because my step dad loves turtles so much.

That's a bit of a generalization, and assumption there. I like amphibians, but I'm not very big into reptiles.

d

I think there are two main reasons why amphibians are not as popular as reptiles are:

1) Like you said, you can not handle most species. They are less of a pet and more of a display animal. Most people looking to get a pet herp want something that can at least be taken out of the cage occasionally and is easy to observe. Many species are also secretive and/or nocturnal which means they aren't always out in the open. A lot of people aren't interested in keeping an animal that hides all day long and only comes out when food is offered.

2) In general they are more difficult to keep and are more sensative to their surroundings than many common reptiles. A few common species will do fine in simple setups and will live when provided with a limited amount of care but a far greater amount of species need to be kept in strict conditions and with little room for lots of mistakes. When was the last time you saw a frog being kept in a sweater box with a strip of heat tape along the side?

Keeping amphibians, in my oppinion, is really only starting to pick up pase in this underground world of captive herps. Many more products that are specifically designed for amphibians are becoming commonly availible and many species that once were only availible as wild caught animals are now being bred in small numbers. In the next 10 years I'm sure that there will be an increase in the amount of interest shown towards amphibians. This was all just my oppinion, I'm sure others out there have different ones. Talk to you later,
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Devin
devin@amphibiancare.com
www.amphibiancare.com
3.2 Dendrobates tinctorius 'Dwarf French Guiana'
1.1 Dendrobates tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
5.1 Mantella aurantiaca
1.1 Mantella crocea
1.0 Ceratophrys cranwelli
0.1 Hyla chrysoscelis or versicolor
1.0 Bufo americanus
0.0.1 Salamandra salamandra
1.0 Ambystoma tigrinum
0.1 Chamaeleo calyptratus
0.0.1 Chrysemys scripta
0.0.1 Chrysemys picta belli
1.0 Terrapene carolina triunguis

I agree with the second paragraph. Anybody can keep most species of snake, provided they have the room. A lot of snakes require only a sweater box, a piece of heat tape, and one rodent a week to thrive! I love snakes myself, but amphibians are a REAL challenge. Temps must be right, amphibs require "specialty" food that a lot of reptile keepers don't have the patience for, daily care is required, and most (if any) amphibs shouldn't be handled.

Personally, my first love would be lizards; monitor lizards specifically. But amphibs would be a close second. I just purchased another pixie frog, and there is just something about them that just appeals to me. They aren't all that difficult to keep, but I think most reptile enthusiasts just don't see the "value" in them. Amphibs just aren't that expensive, and so there isn't money to be made. Sadly, that's what this hobby is to most people. All a lot of people care about is getting the next big "morph" of snake to breed and sell for ridiculous amounts of money. That's fine, and honestly, I can't say that the thought hasn't crossed my mind. But it takes stepping back, and looking at why you are interested in reptiles/amphibs the first place. For me, it takes an amphib to give me that reality check, and to bring me back down to a simpler level of enjoying the hobby.

>>I think there are two main reasons why amphibians are not as popular as reptiles are:
>>
>>1) Like you said, you can not handle most species. They are less of a pet and more of a display animal. Most people looking to get a pet herp want something that can at least be taken out of the cage occasionally and is easy to observe. Many species are also secretive and/or nocturnal which means they aren't always out in the open. A lot of people aren't interested in keeping an animal that hides all day long and only comes out when food is offered.
>>
>>2) In general they are more difficult to keep and are more sensative to their surroundings than many common reptiles. A few common species will do fine in simple setups and will live when provided with a limited amount of care but a far greater amount of species need to be kept in strict conditions and with little room for lots of mistakes. When was the last time you saw a frog being kept in a sweater box with a strip of heat tape along the side?
>>
>>Keeping amphibians, in my oppinion, is really only starting to pick up pase in this underground world of captive herps. Many more products that are specifically designed for amphibians are becoming commonly availible and many species that once were only availible as wild caught animals are now being bred in small numbers. In the next 10 years I'm sure that there will be an increase in the amount of interest shown towards amphibians. This was all just my oppinion, I'm sure others out there have different ones. Talk to you later,
>>-----
>>Devin
>>devin@amphibiancare.com
>>www.amphibiancare.com
>>3.2 Dendrobates tinctorius 'Dwarf French Guiana'
>>1.1 Dendrobates tinctorius 'Powder Blue'
>>5.1 Mantella aurantiaca
>>1.1 Mantella crocea
>>1.0 Ceratophrys cranwelli
>>0.1 Hyla chrysoscelis or versicolor
>>1.0 Bufo americanus
>>0.0.1 Salamandra salamandra
>>1.0 Ambystoma tigrinum
>>0.1 Chamaeleo calyptratus
>>0.0.1 Chrysemys scripta
>>0.0.1 Chrysemys picta belli
>>1.0 Terrapene carolina triunguis

I think that handling does have a lot to do with it. Many people want an animal that they can hold on their lap while they watch TV,let their friends handle, or at the very least does not leap in terror when they approach. Most of the frogs that I have are not what you would call "tame;" they're off and hiding when you enter the room. but when people see lizards or snakes being held at the pet store, they are more drawn to them, I think. They see them as more approachable I guess. Also some people are squeamish about feeding crickets, so they are drawn to vegetable-eaters like iguanas. (But they should do their research; iggies live a LONG time and get huge. They should not be being sold as they are.) My thought is, that most people want something they can handle.
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*~Ginevive~*

Yeah, I don't like to handle my animals much. I have 2 Leopard Geckos and a Bearded Dragon and I rarely handle them. The Bearded Dragon gets handled when I'm moving him to another tank for a cleaning which is about 4 times in the previouse week. And the Leopard Geckos I have do not like to be handled, but they do like resting their heards on my finger tips for some odd reason, probobly cause they are warm. And none of my frogs flee in terror when I enter the room, actually my African Clawed Frogs start moving to the surface cause they think they are gonna get fed everytime I enter the room. LOL And anyone who has had Firebellied Toads for any length of time knows that they start to get alert when you get anywhere near their tank, because they always want food. So if you get the right species you can watch them all the time. But none of them should really be handled.

She was even struggling in this picture below.