Caught a few Frogs finally - Kindly guide me

[nagukush]

Hi Friends,

After a lot of search - finally found a few frogs for my Paludarium. These are 8 very tiny (about an inch and a half long) frogs and were caught from Banana Plantation Farms. I'm working on taking a few pics and posting them here to ID them and will post ASAP.

Meanwhile just wanted to request for some basic guidance on keep these beauties, as I've never kept Frogs before. Will be a great help if you friends can kindly guide me a little on these points -

1. How do I handle the frogs ? I mean is it ok to hold / take them in hand (if the situation arises). Is it dangerous to hold them ? People here commonly say that the frogs should not be taken in hand, because if the frog's fluids ( skin secretion / urine ) comes in contact with the human skin, it will cause permanent Boils / Ulcers / wounds / skin disease. Just wanted to know if this is really true or is it ok to pick them up sometimes.

2. Is there a way to determine if these are aquatic or semi-aquatic or terrestrial. I'm not able to have a close look at them as these guys seem to be very shy and are not moving atall. As soon as I released them in to the tank, they found hiding places and have completely disappeared. Only a few ( about 2 or 3 are visible ) but even they have not entered the waer yet. They seem to prefer to stick to the tank walls instead. They become almost flat / compressed against the tank walls. Does this mean that they're terrestrial tree frogs ?

3. I find that there are basically 2 types of frogs among these 8 guys. A few are mottled brown with a creamish colored vertical line on their back (dorsal side) - any chances of an id on these ? The others too look similar but the lack the attractive vertical cream line on their back.

Kindly help me regarding the above Friends - will bea great help to me. Will update the pics asap.
Thanks a lot !
Have a Wonderful day and keep smiling, Friends...
Regards and Care to all,
Kush

 

[Greatwtehunter]

Until I get some pictures of the frogs in question I can't answer any of your questions except for #1. Frogs shouldn't be handled at all! Not because they will harm us but it harms the frog more and exposes them to bacteria they aren't accustomed to.

It is true that some frogs skins contain toxins that will burn your skin but these frogs generally loose their potentcy after a few months in captivity.

As soon as you can get some pictures up I will answer the rest of your questions.

Later

 

[nagukush]

Thanks a lot for the kind reply Sir - really appreciate it a lot ! Will get the pics asap.

Regarding handling them, I really dont want to handle them for petting, but incase they escape the tank, while opening the tank cover for feeding, cleaning, water change etc, can I just pick them up and add them back to the tank or do I use nets or something ? Please guide me Sir.

Thanks again for caring and helping me.
Regards and Care
Kush

 

[nagukush]

It is true that some frogs skins contain toxins that will burn your skin but these frogs generally loose their potentcy after a few months in captivity.

Sir, also wanted to know if it means that these frogs might still have the toxins as they were caught just today ? Can they be dangerous if held ?

 

[Azhael]

It´s very unlikely that any species in your area is poisonous enough to be a problem. As far as you don´t have any wounds in your hands, there should be no problem. Wash your hands throughly after handling them just in case(sometimes you absentmindly touch your eye and that can potentially be a problem).
Anyway, try not to touch them unless absolutely necessary.

You should have investigated the local species and their biologies first...if you caught them in a banana plantation it´s likely they are some kind of tree frog, and they won´t do well in your current set-up.

 

[nagukush]

It´s very unlikely that any species in your area is poisonous enough to be a problem. As far as you don´t have any wounds in your hands, there should be no problem. Wash your hands throughly after handling them just in case(sometimes you absentmindly touch your eye and that can potentially be a problem).
Anyway, try not to touch them unless absolutely necessary.

You should have investigated the local species and their biologies first...if you caught them in a banana plantation it´s likely they are some kind of tree frog, and they won´t do well in your current set-up.

Hi Sir,

Thanks for the kind reply and for caring.

I really tried my best to find information about the local species but noone here seems to know anything about them. I even tried to contact a few institutions but noone seems to be ready to help me out.

These guys were caught in a Banana Plantation but from a small stream of water running thru it. Is there any way I can alter this tank to keep them happy - Kindly guide me Sir.

I'll try my best to get the pics here asap. really worried and excited about them.
Thanks again !
Regards and Care
Kush

 

[nagukush]

Hi Friends,

Uploading the pics. Sorry for the very-very bad quality of the pics. I really could not take better shots of these guys... Kindly bear with me Friends and please guide and help me...

 

[Nathan]

Kush,

I believe your frogs are Fejervarya limnocharis or a related species. I have been unable to find any information regarding their care online, but from what I have read of their biology, I believe your setup will be just fine for them. It is not unusual for frogs to hide for a while after being captured.

In any case they should eat small flies, crickets, moths, worms, etc. Avoid brightly-colored insects as they may be toxic.

As others have said it is best to not handle the frogs. If you do need to handle them, wash your hands first, or at least wet your hands. This helps prevent damage to the frogs' skin. Then, as said, wash your hands again afterwards.

It is often easier to move the frogs by guiding them into a clean container, such as a jar or a sandwich container. This is less stressful for the frog and less hassle for you.

 

[Kerry1968]

Hi Kush,

I've done a quick search and it looks like the ones with the stripe down the back are Indian Cricket frogs. I don't know if the others are the same species but without the stripe, but it's a start!

I'll see if I can find out more about their habitat so you will know whether you can keep them aquatic or not.

Link to information about Indian Cricket frogs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fejervarya_limnocharis

 

[nagukush]

Friends, I think I'm sure that my frogs are the same as you've id'ed them for me. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rana_limnocharis_sal.jpg

Will be a great-great help if you can please guide me a little if I can keep them in my setup. I'm really-really excited and desperately need your guidance, Friends. Please help me...

I'm so happy, I guess I can finally keep a few amphibians

Friends, I also find that all my 8 frogs are almost the same. Can I keep all of them in the tank ? I mean will my tank be large enough ? I also see a little social behaviour - almost all the frogs are sitting in the same spot. Please help me friends...

 

[nagukush]

Friends, please guide me a little more about these frogs and how to keep them well...

 

[Nathan]

I have not kept this species. However, I have kept similar species, and I believe they will do fine in your paludarium. As I said earlier, they will eat small insects and worms.

Most frogs prefer to eat out of the water. I find it is easier to remove the frogs from the paludarium to feed them; just place the frogs in a clean secure container, such as a freezer container, with the insects and a shallow dish of water. Close the lid and let them be for an hour or so. If your container is clear you can watch them from a distance to see if they are all eating. Then return them to the paludarium. This prevents insects from getting into the water and drowning.

 

[nagukush]

I have not kept this species. However, I have kept similar species, and I believe they will do fine in your paludarium. As I said earlier, they will eat small insects and worms.

Most frogs prefer to eat out of the water. I find it is easier to remove the frogs from the paludarium to feed them; just place the frogs in a clean secure container, such as a freezer container, with the insects and a shallow dish of water. Close the lid and let them be for an hour or so. If your container is clear you can watch them from a distance to see if they are all eating. Then return them to the paludarium. This prevents insects from getting into the water and drowning.

Hi Sir,

Thanks a lot for caring and for helping me. Sir, but wont finding and removing the frogs from the main tank everyday for feeding, be stressful to them ? Kindly guide me Sir...

 

[Nathan]

It will be a little stressful until they become accustomed to it. A second option if you are worried about them being stressed out it to place the insects in a container that has a hole in it, then place the container in the paludarium. This way the insects will only escape a few at a time, and it is less likely that some insects will be missed by the frogs.

 

[nagukush]

It will be a little stressful until they become accustomed to it. A second option if you are worried about them being stressed out it to place the insects in a container that has a hole in it, then place the container in the paludarium. This way the insects will only escape a few at a time, and it is less likely that some insects will be missed by the frogs.

Hi Sir,

Thanks again for the help. Sir, also wanted to request you to kindly let me know on how do I hold a frog (incase the need arises - if they get out of the tank etc). Can I just hold them between my index finger and thumb or do I cup them inside the palm. I've really never handled frogs before and I'm just a little excited / afraid as these are tiny frogs and that I may injure them or get myself injured. Please guide me a little on this too, Sir.

 

[Nathan]

With small frogs it is best to simply cage them loosely inside the hand. Do not hold them this way for long, as it gets hot inside your fist quickly. Larger frogs should be held by the hind legs or around the waist.

 

[nagukush]

With small frogs it is best to simply cage them loosely inside the hand. Do not hold them this way for long, as it gets hot inside your fist quickly. Larger frogs should be held by the hind legs or around the waist.

Thanks a lot again Sir...