Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, I'm visiting from the turtle forums! I have a 3 year old daughter who is quite ahead of her age when it comes to frogs and turtles. Is there a good frog or toad that I can buy that she can occasionally hold.....She has held toads (from PA) for some time, but I would love to get her into a long standing pet (we never keep the toads we catch around here). I would be supervising, its not like she'd be running around mis-treating the frog, I just basically need the hardiest yet friendliest if there is such a thing...thanks a million.

Bullfrogs are quite hardy, and with care and patience you can hold them for short periods. Like most though they are rather skittish. I've had mine for about 3 weeks, and if I place my hand under them in the water and lift slowly (now) I can hold them as long as I'm careful not to spook them. So far though they aren't tame enough to go from my hand to someone else's without jumping. Quick movements and sounds still make them jump but they have come a long way in the short time I've had them. I too have a 3yr. old daughter, and just once I got the frog to sit on her hand, till she tried to pet it She does quite good with our gecko and Uromastyx, not so good with cats and dogs. She seems to prefer reptiles and amphibians, like her dad
She's best with the Uros though. I have 2 Mali's. Given time considering their progress in the short time I've had them I think the Bullfrogs will do well too.
Just remember what they say about wikd animals... you can take the animals out of the wild, but you can't take the wild out of them. So far my girl has done fine with our pets, but mostly the "slimy scaly" ones. And she never gets them out herself, and never without supervision.
I'm not sure about other species since I don't have experience with too many yet.
Good luck and enjoy whatever you decide on.

i would not suggest getting a bullfrog if you want to hold one, they are extremely skiddish, they need UVB light ($$), they need very large tanks for a frog, and they get up to 8 inches and can jump over 6 feet.

Dumpy tree frogs are quite docile and will perch on her hand if she is gentle. They are less skittish then most frogs. Fact is they are downright lazy.

They really wont like being "held". If she were to restrain them they would probably try to wiggle away. But they will sit in her hand.

whites treefrogs are the best frogs to hold, i can't really think of any others that will tolerate handeling like the whites. even those you shouldn't hold more then like 4 times a week. and don't hold it for more than a few minutes, they tend to jump into thin air for no reason-trust me. they are also a great beginner species if you've never kept frogs before. they need a 15 gallon min. tank. if you consider this email me at otis07_@hotmail.com and i will tell you more about them. good luck! heres my two whites. they are now together in a 37 gallon tank.

Cool looking frogs Otis!!! I may think about getting some.
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**Kenn**

yeah, they make pretty cool pets. heres some of the basics:
15 gallon for one, 20 gallon for two
plants- birdsnest ferns can survive the constant jumping
they are nocturnal, they usually sleep in a plant or in the corner of the tank during the day. at night they eat and get increadbly active, they are great eaters and it's really fun to watch them.
temp- above 70, u should get a basking bulb, the blue ones don't burn the plants and still supply a lot of heat.
wood- they need this because they are so heavy to perch on. it's thier "lookout" tower when they are hunting for food.
water- mist daily and they will be very happy frogs, the males usually croak, sometimes they will just hear the toilet flush or the car start and they start croaking. keep a large water dish in the tank, but not so they can't keep their head above water. top- glass tops keep humidity in, but if you get a basking lamp u will need a screen top.
food- they eat pretty much any bug, i feed mine crix, they can also eat pretty much any kind of worm- earth, meal...
gender- females get bigger, males croak, it's really fun to see and hear they croak. i have two males and when one of them starts the other joins in and they go back and forth. if you get two males though you will need at least a 30 gallon cuase they are territorial. don't keep more than one male with a female, because they will fight over the female. as far as personalities, i don't know because i've never had a female. they are sexable after about 6 months and the males will start to croak around that time. good luck!