Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Can someone point me towards a Budgett's Frog care sheet?

Lenny,
I found these hard to come by myself, so I'll just give you a couple of general ideas.
~Have at least a five gallon tank for your frog, if you can swing a bigger one great, go for it!
~Use either large gravel, or river rocks for a substrate. I found sand to harbor the smell of a dirty cage. I would imagine that it harbors the bacteria as well, so I wouldn't recommend it unless you are OK with tossing it after every cleaning.
~There should be a depth of water no greater than the length of the frog in the deepest part of the enclosure.
~If you can, slope the substrate, if you can't, provide a large flat rock for the animal to climb out on and rest.
~You want a neutral PH.
~Room teps are fine, though a small 25-50 watt bulb may be necessary in a colder room. Keep in mind that they are a tropical frog species. Temps of 80-83 are ideal.
~As far as food goes, earthworms are a favorite, and are very nutritious. Though, crickets, fish, mice, and other frogs can be offered.
~They must be housed alone, they will attack and attempt to consume any cage mate.
~Important to note: Don't use wood in the tank! I used a piece of wood for my first Budgett frog and it killed him. It drastically altered the PH to a very acidic level. If your frog sheds constantly, there's something wrong with the PH!
~Cosing Note: Very cool frog. They learn to recognize feeding time, and will come to the surface when thay see your hand with food in it. Have fun with yours, and the best of luck to you!

Evan

When should they be estivated? I saw on Google a care sheet that recomended they be estivated from October to December. I put him in a bucket of ecoearth last night and he burried himself.

Lenny,
I too have encountered difficulties with establishing whether or no they actually need to be estivated. I do not believe that they do. I attempted it once, and the frog nearly died. However, I had read the information about them as well that recommended estivation. If yours is doing it, then let him. They should be estivated from approx. October to April/May. Think of him as a box turtle. Let me know if you have more questions, I'm glad to see someone else keeping these frogs.

Evan