Amphibian Care

Red and round like a tomato, the tomato frog is an interesting frog to keep in captivity. During the day they are relatively inactive, but at night they wake up and move about.

Clown tree frogs make colorful terrarium inhabitants. They are seasonally imported and sporadically bred in captivity but because they are nocturnal and males can be noisy they are not a frog well-suited for all keepers.

Two species of gray tree frogs are common throughout much of North America and are often kept as pets within their native range. Though their name may make you think they are dull, gray tree frogs are not so.

Golden mantellas are small, orange, diurnal frogs from Madagascar. In some ways they are reminiscent of South American poison dart frogs, but there are a number of important differences in their behavior and captive care.

Known by a handful of names (including Asian tree frog, banana tree frog, and common tree frog), the golden tree frog is a robust and active amphibian. They need a roomy well-ventilated enclosure with space to jump around.

Poison dart frogs have a reputation of being difficult to keep, but if you get off to the right start this is not so. Most important is choosing a hardy species and purchasing large juveniles or sub-adults rather than newly metamorphosed froglets.

Fire-bellied toads are one of the most popular pet amphibians. They are active and colorful, and display interesting behavior when kept in groups. Their best quality, though, is that they are hardy and forgiving to mistakes, making them a perfect first pet amphibian.

Red-eyed tree frogs make good pets so long as you purchase well-started captive-bred frogs over an inch in length and provide the right environment. This includes a spacious ventilated enclosure with high humidity and moderate temperatures. Although they have a reputation for being difficult to keep, under the right conditions red-eyed tree frogs are actually quite hardy.

There are more than 180 different species of reed frog, though only a handful are found in the pet trade. These include a number of especially colorful species well-suited for the terrarium.

Leopard frogs and their tadpoles are commonly kept in captivity, though they can be a challenge. Adult frogs are nervous and jumpy while tadpoles require good water quality to survive through metamorphosis.

Also called dumpy tree frogs, White’s tree frogs are robust arboreal amphibians that make great pets. Captive-bred frogs are regularly available and come in a number of different color morphs.

Amazon milk frogs live high in the canopy of the rain forest. They breed in tree holes and their tadpoles complete metamorphosis without ever having touched ground. Milk frogs also make easy-to-care for pet amphibians.

Horned frogs (also known as pacman frogs) are easy to keep pet amphibians. They have a tremendous appetite, but do very little when not eating.

Also called chubby frogs, Asian painted frogs are more active than they look, and at night they often climb around the terrarium. They are easily cared for and make ammusing pet amphibians.

American toads are found throughout eastern North America where they are sometimes caught and kept as pets. They are not difficult to care for so long as they are provided with the right setup, temperature, and diet.