Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was at the petstore looking at pacmans and I found one. The frog had buried itself by the lower left corner, and i waved my hand just outside the tank and the frog didn't react. I asked the petstore keeper how many crickets to feed them each time, and she said maybe once a week, but she had been feeding hers feeder fish. I don't know how long it had been in the store. Should I buy this frog? It looked very cool, it was grey and had black markings on it's back, so beutiful(I think so=)).

So What do you think, should I (I want the frog) or should I not buy it?

Thanks in advance

Oh yeah, one more thing: What can I feed my frog exept from crickets? I don't want to feed mice or fish

I highly discourage you from buying any live animal as a pet from a pet store. There is not a larger source of misinformation and animal abuse than pet stores. I highly encourage you to go to Kingsnake's classifieds and try to buy one directly from a breeder. You not only get a healthier animal, but you essentially reward those people who actually care about the animals and try to make animals available through captive breeding.

Search the forum for info on pacman food items.
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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)

Not ALL pet stores are run poorly, and have bad advice. There are a few that actually care about the animals they sell. Plus, not everyone has the ability to buy over the internet. I have bought many of my animals from pet shops, and one in particular has sold excellent quality animals to me. I got my Cranwell's Horned Frog from that petstore, and he is in very good health because the owner of the store had him in the shop for 2 wks before he sold him so his health could be monitored. He was fed crickets with dusting powder to give him a healthy meal, and had the proper environment in the holding tank. Don't immediatly bash all petstores until you've seen them in person, and know the quality of care the animals get while there. Not all of us can get animals over the internet.
But I can agree on one point, though. A Horned Frog shouldn't be fed fish or mice. Crickets are the proper staple diet, and extras to add variety are waxworms, butterworms, earthworms, cockroaches(when the frog is bigger), spiders, ants, moths, flies, and strips of beefheart if you can get them to take it. If it's been eating a steady diet of fish, I wouldn't buy it because it might have a few health problems that possibly can't be remedied. Find a reputable dealer so you have a chance at getting a healthy Horned Frog.

I agree that I am making a huge generalization, but it is one that I stand by. It is a generalization that is safe to make for the sake of the animals.
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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 am no great fan of pet stores. And I have no problem with your opinion of them.
Just understand that it helps little, if at all, to avoid animal purchases in them, if you support them by buying other products. A petshop will be more than happy to sell mostly drygoods. In most cases the livestock end of it is much smaller than all the other pet supplies.

Also, when frogs like "Ceratophrys" are bred, they are "mass produced". They end up in the hands of many wholesalers, brokers, "internet retailer dudes", etc. Few, if any, are sold direct to the public by the breeders. To obtain one frog as a pet, a person might have little choice other than to go to a petshop. To condemn all pet stores is fine. To do so while keeping herps as pets, seems a little hypocritical to me. No animals are bred and sold because it's what's best for them.

I agree,its to better to buy from a breeder.

I would watch out and see how the store treats their animals, herps in particular. If there are snakes with peeling skins, dirty waterbowls and dead crickets lying around in tanks, I would definately avoid spending money there for anything, even pet foods. I dislike most pet stores personally, except for one that is fortunately close by me. Most stores I have entered have no idea how to care for reptiles and amphibians. I would personally order from an online breeder; though it is more expensive sometimes, it is well worth it. I would never buy anything from petco; for the simple fact that the 3 petco stores in my area are ignorant and moronic, do not wish to listen to advice on reptile husbandry, and I do no wish to support that.
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*~Ginevive~*