Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all, I hope I'm not breaking any kind of forum ettiquette by posting this but I was hoping I could get some feedback on my new frog. My guy is a North American bullfrog. I wasn't planning on getting any new pets and I'm scrambling to learn what I can about proper husbandry. The internet has thoroughly confused me but a friend suggested I come here so please let me know how not to kill my frog.

This is the tank I've set up for him. It's a 40 gallon tank with a metal screen lid. The water is filtered and partially changed every couple of days. The land side has moistened ecofiber for substrate. I'm using a ceramic heater and a UVB bulb for light. The temperature is 80 degrees on the warm side and 70 in the water. It gets a little warmer on the rocks. The plants are fake but I put a little bit of java moss in the water to soak up nitrates.

He's eating well--mostly crickets and an occasional guppy. He completely ignores the earthworms and pinky mice I got for him. Does this look okay? Any advice for a beginner herper trying to house a not-so-beginner frog?

That sounds like a great setup for a juvenile bullfrog. He may need something bigger as he grows. He doesn't need UV, though; an ordinary incandescent bulb would work just fine, and free up your UV lamp for some lizards or snakes who really need it.

A common problem with bullfrogs is nose injuries incurred when they startle and jump against the glass. If your frog starts doing this, provide more cover and make the lower part of the tank glass opaque with tape or paint.

Good luck!

Yes, it is a nice looking setup, but only for a smaller froglet. I have two bullies in a 210 gallon tank right now, and they sometimes jump the length of the entire tank. You can cover the sides of the tank to help them feel a little more secure too.
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www.frogfreaks.com

Thanks so much for the replies! The nose thing was real bad when I got him but he doesn't seem to be doing it much now that he has some hiding spots. He was being kept in an ice cooler when I got him. The vet says it's healing well but I went ahead and taped up the glass anyway. It didn't even occur to me that the glass could be a problem.

I don't think my frog's a juvenile. He's about 5 inches long not counting legs and he can leap quite a distance. I'm hoping something bigger will pop up on craigslist. Will he be okay in the 40 gal while I save up or am I trying to keep a cheetah in a refrigerator box? Aside from craigslist is there anywhere else I should look for a tank I can afford?

As long as he's not banging himself up, he'll be all right in the 40. You should look for a bigger tank, but it's not a matter of life or death.

There are alternatives to tanks if you can't find a big one that you can afford. If you have some basic woodworking skills and equipment, you could easily build a larger home for him with plywood and glass. You would essentially build a plywood box with a 'window' in the front; there are several how-tos online. Because it's a terrarium, it doesn't need to be nearly as heavily built as a plywood aquarium. Just be sure to seal the wood with epoxy or fiberglass resin.

Even easier and less expensive, you can simply use a large plastic storage tub; cut a hole in one side for a glass or plexi sheet and seal it in with silicone. It's not as pretty as a manufacturer's tank, but it is more than adequate for your frog.

Another advantage of the DIY tanks above is that three sides are opaque, offerring your frog a greater sense of security.

I dont know how much room you have but there are a lot of different size and shapes of animal stock tanks for farm use.How about a old timey bath tub.You got to have a strong back to move one.Moble home bath tubs are plastic and very lite.This kind of stuff works in basements or garages/spair rooms.You can set them up in part of a spair room with a kiddy pool and mulch drift wood plastic/live plants.I use non working hot tubs outside.(im in Florida) I've kept them in large outside enclosures with Iguanas,turtles/tortoises/fish/skinks and they all lived in peace.Two males in a shallow pond displayed a conbat sceen that looked like Sam-moo wresslers.(sp?)they grabed each other by the front feet and stood up.One through the other over his head.They crocked up a storm and knowone was injured.This enclosure was built on to the side of my house and I could watch them through a big window.It was better than T.V. Vic Morgan

He deifintely will need a larger tank as soon as possible. I have one bullfrog in a 210 gallong tank and it can jump the entire 6 feet from end to end. Most keepers will suggest nothing smaller than a 100 gallon tank, and even that is really too small. They are best kept in outdoor ponds when possible.
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www.frogfreaks.com

I wouldn't put bullfrog outside in a pond if you happen to live in an area outside its natural range, west of the Rocky. Bullfrogs are serious pests and are eating the native frogs and amphibians. They are great escape artists, so I doubt any kind of fencing would hold them in for long. This has been tried before and bullfrog just simply climb over the fence to get to the native frog habitat inorder to eat them.

Albino bullfrogs are invasive species correct!lol I have kept Bullfrogs in outside enclosures with know excapes for 18 yrs.The cage must have top and bottom.But you are right about introducing amphs.We would be wise not to get these Asian Rana being imported,they are very addaptable to North America.I think we can get along fine without Asian Bullfrog and leopard frogs.Here in North Florida i,m seeing Cuban tree frogs.We have had some mild winters,and it worries me about what they might eat,like our green tree frogs.