Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Could some one provide me with the care of these animals? Are they very hard to take care of? do they bite has hard has african bull frogs?

I do not consider bullfrogs to be good pets for most people. They deserve to have very large enclosures, preferably a stock tank that is 100 gallons or more with the appropriate mechanical, chemical and biological filtration. Nutrition can be a problem, feeding them something that can fill their stomachs without giving them too much or too little of something is too easy. As with any amphibian, they should not be fed mice on a regular basis. They also should not be kept with other bullfrogs, as they are very territorial. On top of all that you have to consider their lifespan, they can easily live 10 to 15 years old.

Why is biting and issue? It really should not be.
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...the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

Biting is not an issue at all, I was just curious really, not for any reason, and not because im scared of a powerfull bite. With the things that you have said, im not even considering getting one any more, but im still wondering, do they get has big has african bull frogs?

They can get close in length, but not in weight. They arent half as heavy bodied as Pyxicephalus (adspersus that is). 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 was just trying to find out the same info about keeping a bullfrog. This comment has nothing to do with frogs. Just wanted to mention that I am also a huge Alice In Chains fan. But I too have decided not to keep a bullfrog for a pet. Michele

myoto17@hotmail.com

Rock on dude (But I am their biggest fan)
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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 do not consider bullfrogs to be good pets for most people.

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree.

>>They deserve to have very large enclosures,

My corn snakes deserve to have a field in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey but they and my other 50 snakes do just fine in enclosures in my house.

>>preferably a stock tank that is 100 gallons or more with the appropriate mechanical, chemical and biological filtration.

This is certainly a great system. But single Bullfrogs can also be kept quite well in a 40 gallon breeder tank that is part aquatic and part land. Small juvenile bullfrogs can be kept singly in 15-20 gallon tanks. Frequent partial water changes with dechlorinated water, preferably by letting it stand for several days, can maintain the water quality at excellent levels.

>>Nutrition can be a problem, feeding them something that can fill their stomachs without giving them too much or too little of something is too easy.

Bullfrogs are among the easiest to feed amphibians. Care has to be taken not to let them overeat. I have fed them gutloaded crickets, roaches, superworms and occasional small mice.

>>They also should not be kept with other bullfrogs, as they are very territorial. On top of all that you have to consider their lifespan, they can easily live 10 to 15 years old.

I agree with this (but I keep ALL my reptiles and amphibians singly) and they are also skittish so they should be kept in a low traffic area of the house.

Overall, I have found bullfrogs to be fascinating and not terribly hard-to-care-for animals.

Ophidiophile Farms

thanks for your replys, i just have one more question, are they threatened?

>>>>I do not consider bullfrogs to be good pets for most people.
>>
>>I'm going to have to respectfully disagree.
*I going to have to strongly disagree. In your line of work you may not see the large volume of unwanted and downright abused reptiles and amphibians that I see. I am thoroughly convinced that the majority of of the general public do not have the knowledge or dedication to keep up with the captive care of animal that can live 10 years, or 100 years with turtles. Bullfrogs do have a lot of personality for an amphibian, but their large size, waste output, and longevity do not make for a happy animal throughout the duration of its life.

>>
>>>>They deserve to have very large enclosures,
>>
>>My corn snakes deserve to have a field in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey but they and my other 50 snakes do just fine in enclosures in my house.

This was a sarcastic remark that obviously is not realistic. The idea is not to replicate their habitat in the wild, but to give them in enclosures that is adequate for their large size. A 150 gallon Rubbermaid stock tank takes up roughly the same footprint of a glass aquarium half the volume. Why bother with the minimum requirements you recommend below?

>>>>preferably a stock tank that is 100 gallons or more with the appropriate mechanical, chemical and biological filtration.
>>
>>This is certainly a great system. But single Bullfrogs can also be kept quite well in a 40 gallon breeder tank that is part aquatic and part land. Small juvenile bullfrogs can be kept singly in 15-20 gallon tanks. Frequent partial water changes with dechlorinated water, preferably by letting it stand for several days, can maintain the water quality at excellent levels.

*Lots of problems here. To rely on water exchanges alone will not "maintain the water quality at excellent levels". I would agree if it was a newt, but we are talking about an animal that can turn its water black. Waste output like that needs to be filtered. Also, do not give advice for amphibians when the advice is not sound and could result in an excruciating death for it. Most municipal water suppliers now use chloramines, that cannot, I repeat, cannot be removed by aeration alone. It must be removed chemically. Making blanket statements like that does not help anybody, especially when it does not apply to most people. Chlorine used to be used and it would dissipate into the atmosphere easily, but this obviously is unstable. Chloramines must be treated separately for the chlorine and the ammonia that is liberated. The advice is obviously antiquated.

>>
>>>>Nutrition can be a problem, feeding them something that can fill their stomachs without giving them too much or too little of something is too easy.
>>
>>Bullfrogs are among the easiest to feed amphibians. Care has to be taken not to let them overeat. I have fed them gutloaded crickets, roaches, superworms and occasional small mice.

*That is an excellent diet.

>>
>>>>They also should not be kept with other bullfrogs, as they are very territorial. On top of all that you have to consider their lifespan, they can easily live 10 to 15 years old.
>>
>>I agree with this (but I keep ALL my reptiles and amphibians singly) and they are also skittish so they should be kept in a low traffic area of the house.
>>
>>Overall, I have found bullfrogs to be fascinating and not terribly hard-to-care-for animals.

*Statements like these are not hard to make. The real question is how long have you had a bullfrogs in your collection, and have they come close at all to the lifespan of the species? The recommendations I've made on this forum are directed soley towards the benefit of the animal. Anything less is taking into account convenience or money, which if you were genuinely concerned about, you need to get into a different hobby that does not have live animals depended upon you for care.

I'm enclosing a beginner's water quality web site.
click here for the link...

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

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes

>>In your line of work you may not see the large volume of unwanted and downright abused reptiles and amphibians that I see.

I founded the Pacific Northwest Herpetological Society's Reptile Rescue and Adoption Committee in 1992. Believe me I've seen plenty of unwanted and abused herps. They are mostly green iguanas, red eared sliders, ball pythons and the like.

One thing I'll definitely agree with you on is that there are too many people who get pets only to view them as disposable.

Personally, I would have to agree with Colchicine. The normal herper does not have room for the average bullfrog. The average bullfrog is somwaht skittish. Sure there are exceptions, and they probably make great pets given a 75 gallon tank. But for the most part, bullfrogs will jump as soon as you walk in the room or if you make any sudden movements. They tend to be highstrung and will settle down some, but never to the degree of most other frogs available on the market. Rubbed noses, torn up feet, and anorexia are common. It is my firm belief that most bullfrogs should be in a backyard pond or at least a tank comparable to that size. As for the corn snake, most live fine, do not get noserubs, or hurt themselves when "dashing" against the tank to escape a "predator." I recognize the sarcasm but the analogy doesn't fit. It is not so much what they deserve as it is what can they healthily in. But as you said, everyone has their own way of doing it. 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