How to catch frogs - Kindly guide me

Hi Friends,

I'm trying real hard to buy a few newts but they're very rare here in pet shops. Their home (the tank) is all ready but it will be a great disappointment if I'm not able to get them. I thought that I'll keep a few locally available wild frogs in the tank, if I dont get the newts, but I'm not sure where to look for them. I mean the habitat. There are a few water bodies around my place ( a river and a few streams ) but I dont see any frogs commonly here...

Just wanted to request you friends for some guidance on where to look for them and how to catch them. Can they be handled or are they harmful / toxic ?

Kindly guide me Friends...
Thanks and Regards
Kush

I find the best technique for catching frogs is patience and a quick hand. Most often I catch them by watching where they swim to when the jump into the water. A large net, like a butter fly net can be used also, however this requires a keen eye and fast reaction time.

Another method I have had success with is color. Many species oof frog are attracted to the color red. Simply laying out a piece of bright red cloth attracts some species into a good netting position.

There is another method I personally have never tried, however my older relatives were adept at catching large frogs with a bit of red or yellow cloth on a string. This is basically fishing with out the hook. My grandfather in particular could catch amazing amounts of frogs with nothing more than some kite string, a long stick and a corner of his handkerchief. The frogs would atempt to eat the cloth bit as they moved it around the water's edge on the string. They held on long enough to be grabbed by hand then.


(I would be very interested in seeing pictures of native frogs and their habitats from India, it is not an area of the world I have been lucky enough to learn much about it's natural areas!)

Wow, those are some very interesting ways ! Didnt really know that... The main problem is that I dont know where to look for them here. There is a big river here and a few streams etc, paddy fields (as this is majorly an agricultural area ) but I really dont know where to look for them...

Sir, I wish I could give some information about the native frogs here but I really dont know anything about them. I'm going to do some reasearch on them locally and I promise I'll update you whenever I have any information...

BTW India is not a great country to live in, if you are a pet lover / keeper as the Pet Trade here is very very primitive. I dont know a single person who keeps a reptile or an amphibian here. I wish I had access to great pet stores who sell these animals but sadly there are none here...

Pet-shop animals are WC anyway, so they make poor starter choices.
I supose you could get some newts shipped from a breeder. I see no reason why they couldn´t be shipped to where you live. In addition to being able to choose a particular species, you will be sure they are healthy CB animals, already used to captivity.

azhael said:

Pet-shop animals are WC anyway, so they make poor starter choices.
I supose you could get some newts shipped from a breeder. I see no reason why they couldn´t be shipped to where you live. In addition to being able to choose a particular species, you will be sure they are healthy CB animals, already used to captivity.

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Hi there !

Thanks for the kind reply. The problem is that there arent any breeders here in India. Importing them from another Country is very expensive and requires a lot of paper work, bribes and hassles... I really would have got them from a breeder if there was one here or internationally if it was affordable and cheap...

I understand completely. I did a bit of reading about the pet trade there, and it looks to me like you are a trendsetter! I bet that if you go out in the field though, you will have some success. I lived in Chile and Ecuador for quite a long time, they are not countries big on pets either.

No need to sweat on not having information yet. I am still very, very excited to read your future posts on keeping/finding amphibians and reptiles there. I got my start in the hobby as a child, catching critters and bringing them home in my pockets, often angering my mother when she found a live garter snake in my pants pocket!

Without getting too personal, what region do you reside in? I am more than willing to do a bit of research on this end, it will be a learning experience for both of us! If we can find specific "target' animals for you, that can make getting them much easier.

Just a little note. Before you go and catch something, please make sure it´s legal. I have no knowledge about indian laws, but it´s always the responsible thing to do to find out first.