Keeping frogs at home. Frogs at home - what you need to know

- a small closed terrarium with a pond / aquaterrarium / aquarium with good ventilation and high humidity
- soil (in aquariums it may not be needed)
- shelters for most species
— lighting is not required for night views; for daytime views it should be with ultraviolet light. For northern amphibians, the lamp should only provide light; for southern amphibians, it should also provide heat (incandescent lamp)
— ultraviolet lamp Repti-Glo 2.0 or Repti-Sun (for daytime species)
- heaters: incandescent lamp 20-40 W, water heater for aquatic amphibians only, heating cords or thermal mats (for some species)
- plants, branches, pieces of bark for climbing tree frogs
- food supply: live insects (for most species), live mice, meat, fish (for some large toads)

Some equipment you can make yourself, some you can buy.

Disadvantages of keeping frogs and toads at home:

Constant monitoring of temperature and humidity in the terrarium is necessary, the terrarium often has to be cleaned, it is difficult to get live food, and raising insects at home can lead to insects spreading throughout the house.
Some toads and frogs are poisonous and others have a strong bite, so it is important to keep small children away from amphibians who could be harmed. Frogs can escape from uncovered or loosely closed terrariums, or from the hands of the owner and die from dehydration in the apartment. Many species of amphibians are active at night and the croaking of males will not let you fall asleep, so it is better to select daytime species to keep at home.

True toads (Bufonidae)

Terrarium: Toads are usually kept in fairly spacious horizontal terrariums. For many species, a terrarium with a layer of mulch, a spacious drinking bowl and good ventilation is ideal. However, some exotic species require special conditions. The temperature of the content depends on the locality from which the animal originates. Toads are undemanding to living conditions: temperature can range from 12 to 28 C, humidity - from 40 to 95 percent. The lighting doesn't work either big role: although toads lead twilight image life, quickly get used to bright light. Of course, the soil must remain moist at all times. Water for spraying and in reservoirs must be cleared of chlorine, i.e., left at room temperature for 2 days.

Feeding: Small species feed on insects, while large ones happily eat newborns and sometimes even older mice.

Peculiarities: These are fairly unpretentious pets, however, due to their poisonous secretions, different types of toads are not recommended to be kept together.

Dart frogs (Dendrobatidae)

Activity type: These frogs are active during the day.

Virulence: The skin of dart frogs secretes toxic substances, you should handle them carefully and wash your hands to avoid poison getting into wounds and mucous membranes.

Terrarium: Vertical and cubic terrariums with high humidity (about 100%) and a temperature of 25-28 degrees during the day and about 20 at night, with a pond and greenery, are suitable for poison dart frogs. As soil, you can use sphagnum, charcoal or coconut shavings, covered with pebbles or another layer of moss. In nature, dart frogs live in hollows and roots of trees along river banks, so a terrarium for them can be decorated with pieces of bark, branches with hollows, small stones on which frogs can bask during the day, or form natural shelters from plant leaves.

Feeding: Due to their small size, poison dart frogs should be fed with small insects; the fruit fly, Drosophila, is best suited for this purpose, but for obvious reasons this is not suitable for keeping in an apartment. the best option. As for young crickets, unfortunately, in our country, pet stores usually sell old crickets.

Peculiarities: Dart frogs can usually be kept in groups, but nevertheless, it should be borne in mind that these amphibians are territorial animals, so a group of poison dart frogs of the same sex requires a terrarium of sufficient volume (about 30-40 liters per individual). Representatives should not be kept together different types, since they can poison each other. If closely related dart frogs of different colors are kept together, they can produce hybrid offspring of a new color form.

Round-tongues (Discoglossidae)

Representatives of the genus Bombina, which includes 4 species, are often kept in terrariums. Toaded toads lead a semi-aquatic lifestyle.

Terrarium: An aquarium or aquaterrarium is used to keep toads. There must be islands or areas of land where animals can easily get out. It is advisable to create shallow areas with a difference in water level; in such areas the frog will always find a suitable place.

Feeding: Important condition To successfully keep toaded toads, you need to ensure the cleanliness of the water in the pool, so when feeding bloodworms, it is recommended to place food only in the feeder. On land, toads willingly eat small crickets, but such food cannot be the main food. The food is bloodworms and small crickets, which fire-bellied toads readily catch on land. Since feed often ends up in the water where it rots, good filtration is necessary.

Tree frogs (Hylidae)

Activity type: They are usually inactive during the day and go hunting at dusk.

Terrarium: The terrarium for them should be vertical with an air humidity of about 60-80% and a temperature of around 25 degrees during the day and about 20 at night. As a rule, the terrarium is decorated with live plants with large leaves (for example, ficus or monstera), on which tree frogs sit with pleasure. The structure of tree frog paws allows them to easily move across glass and other surfaces, “sticking” to them with their membranes. You can use vermiculite or pebbles with the addition of charcoal as soil, and put a layer of moss on top of them. The pond in the terrarium should be approximately half the area of ​​the base of the terrarium, but not deeper than the height of the amphibian. Depending on the size of the reservoir, the water in it will need to be changed every two to three days or more often.

Feeding: You can feed tree frogs with small crickets and fruit flies (drosophila).

Peculiarities: Most tree frogs can be kept in groups of several individuals. They have a fairly loud voice, so you should not place the terrarium in the bedroom.

Hyperoliidae

Terrarium: Representatives of this family are perfect for decorating small vertical terrariums.
Afrixalus do not often end up in the collections of Russian terrariumists. However, these are very beautiful and relatively easy to keep frogs. The characteristics of the terrarium depend on the ecology of the species. The most commonly found species in captivity are the “fornasini” group. These frogs inhabit savannas with tall bushes and trees. They lead an arboreal lifestyle. They are kept in vertical terrariums with big amount branches and plants.

A group of several types of reeds in a vertical terrarium decorated with living plants will decorate any interior. However, when choosing housing conditions, you need to familiarize yourself with the temperature and humidity requirements of specific species. Due to the breadth of their range and different biotopic preferences, these requirements often differ, which causes difficulties when keeping reed grasses in captivity.

Leptopelises are kept in vertical terrariums, which can be decorated with inclined and vertical branches, live and artificial plants (plants with wide, dense leaves that can support a frog, such as Dieffenbachia, Sansevieria, are well suited), driftwood and pieces of bark. Foam rubber or plastic mats can be used as a substrate. With the help of regular spraying in the terrarium it is necessary to maintain high level humidity, a bathing suit is required, in which the frog can easily fit. The temperature in the terrarium is about 24 - 26 degrees. Feed - large insects. It is useful to add vitamin and mineral supplements to the food.

Whistlers (Leptodactylidae)

In Europe, the most popular type of whistler among terrarium hobbyists is the decorated slingshot. Contain both the natural color variation and the albino form.

Terrarium: Horizontal terrariums with a moist substrate, such as sphagnum, are suitable for these frogs.

Asian spadefoots (Megophryidae)

Terrarium: Asian spadefoots are kept in spacious horizontal terrariums with a thick layer of soil. Forest litter and soft soil can be used as a substrate. A spacious bathing suit is required to maintain moisture. Temperature varies depending on the ecological characteristics of the species.

Feed: insects, newborn rodents.

Narrow-mouthed tree frogs (Microhylidae)

In captivity, tomato frogs, distinguished by their strikingly bright colors, are often kept in captivity.

Terrairum: These animals live well in horizontal, moist terrariums with a hygroscopic substrate. However, raising these animals is fraught with many difficulties, and in order to raise healthy short-mouthed animals, you need to carefully monitor the conditions in the terrarium, maintaining the necessary humidity and temperature. Spadefoot narrowmouths are kept in vertical or cubic terrariums with snags and inclined branches. You can plant live plants in the terrarium. Pieces of bark can be used as shelters. Humidity is high, from 80 to 100%. However, these frogs should not be overheated; the temperature is about 25 degrees.

Feed: small insects.

Spadefoot spadefoots (Pelobatidae)

In captivity they are usually kept common spadefoot and Eastern Spadefoot Scaphiopus holbrooki.

Terrarium: To keep spadefoots, horizontal terrariums with a thick layer of loose soil, such as a soil mixture with sand, are used. Animals spend most of their time buried in the substrate and emerge only to hunt.

Spadefoots are kept in horizontal terrariums with a thick layer of soft soil mixed with sand. A drinking bowl is not necessary; you can get by by spraying the terrarium. Pieces of bark can be used as shelters, but this is also not necessary, since spadefoots usually burrow into the ground. To observe frogs in the terrarium, you can install a Night Glo lamp.

Feed: crickets.

Pipidae

Representatives of three genera are often kept at home: the African genera of clawed frogs Xenopus and dwarf clawed frogs Hymenochirus and the South American genus Pipa.

Terrarium: Pips are kept in aquariums with good water filtration. For clawed frogs, shelters are placed at the bottom; peeps can be kept even without soil. Aquatic plants are placed in aquariums with dwarf clawfoots.

Clawed frogs are exclusively aquatic frogs. They are quite undemanding in terms of keeping conditions - in an aquarium, a volume of 3 - 3.5 liters is sufficient for one frog. One or two frogs can be kept even in three liter jar. The aquarium must be covered with a mesh lid, since, despite the aquatic lifestyle, hymenochiruses often strive to get out of the reservoir. The water temperature should be at least 20 degrees, and frogs begin to reproduce when the temperature rises to 26 - 28. You can add a small layer of rocky or sandy soil to the bottom and it is advisable to put several shelters, for example, made of clay shards.

Even very small aquariums, from 20 liters per couple, which are filled with water to 1/2 - 2/3 of the volume, are suitable for keeping clawed frogs. A 4-6 centimeter layer of fine gravel is poured onto the bottom, in which plants can be planted, but if the aquarium is small, animals will quickly tear them out. At the bottom there are several shelters made of driftwood, stones and ceramic pots. Temperature 18 - 25 degrees. The aquarium is closed with a lid.

Feeding: Clawbearers feed on any live food used for fish (for example, small bloodworms, tubifex). You can train them to eat defrosted food. Food for pip, this is a large bloodworm, earthworms, small fish. Food for clawed frogs - pieces of meat, fish, mealworms, large bloodworms. Can eat ready-made feed For aquarium fish.

Peculiarities: Hymenochiruses get along well in aquariums with fish that are not much larger than the size of frogs, and vice versa, not too small so that they do not consume it as food.

Copepods (Rhacophoridae)

Terrarium: should be selected based on the biological preferences of the species. Woody species, for example, the Javan copepod, live well in vertical terrariums, which can be decorated with a large number of live plants. For terrestrial species For example, for rough teloderma, a small horizontal terrarium with a hygroscopic substrate is perfect.

Feed: various insects.

Frogs leading an aquatic lifestyle have long taken a strong place in hobbyist aquariums. And the touching little frogs, now sold in almost every pet store, make people inexperienced in aquariums irresistible desire buy, as they say, “those two white ones and that gray one.” But no matter how cute they are, let’s first figure out what kind of frogs they are, what conditions they need and with whom they can live in the same aquarium.

There are currently two species of frogs kept in aquariums: the smooth clawed frog (Xenopus laevis), which has been bred in captivity for many years, and the dwarf frog (Hymenochirus boettgeri), which has become popular not so long ago. Adult frogs of these species vary greatly in size, appearance, behavior, and maintenance characteristics. Frogs in pet stores are often kept in the same aquarium and when sold they do not always focus on their species.

Spur frog.

So, if aquarium frogs are white or pinkish, with red eyes, then, regardless of size, they are clawed frogs. The albino clawed frog was artificially bred at the Moscow Institute of Developmental Biology for laboratory experiments.

If a small frog is grayish, brownish or olive in color with dark spots, then to determine the species you should pay attention to the length and thickness of its limbs, the presence of membranes between the toes of the front paws and the pointedness of the muzzle. Claw frogs wild color more dense, they have thicker legs with bandages, like babies, a rounded muzzle, and no webbed fingers.

Hymenochirus, on the contrary, has membranes, long and slender legs, and a pointed muzzle. The size of an adult Hymenochirus, as a rule, does not exceed 4 cm, while the clawed frog grows up to 10–12 cm.

Dwarf frog

Features of behavior

These frogs also behave differently. Spur frogs are active, strong and completely shameless. They eat everything

what moves and fits in their mouth, they mercilessly dig up and tear aquarium plants, move stones and snags, and dig up the soil. But they are clearly visible, they have large expressive faces and they have the habit of stretching out and hanging beautifully in the thickness of the aquarium water.

Hymenochiruses are calmer, quieter, slower and more delicate. They slowly crawl along the bottom, climbing onto underwater objects and periodically freezing for a long time. By apt expression To one fan, dwarf frogs resemble “meditating scuba divers.” They almost do not damage plants, do not bother fish (they simply do not have this opportunity due to the size of their body and mouth), and pollute the aquarium little.

In a large aquarium, they are practically invisible, because they are constantly hiding at the bottom or in thickets of plants, and if active fish live nearby, then hymenochiruses may not be able to keep up with food.

Aquarium frogs: maintenance and care

Both species are not too demanding on living conditions. For clawed frogs, an aquarium of 20–30 liters per couple is enough, and it needs to be filled half or a third with water. The aquarium must be closed with a lid or mesh. The soil is large pebbles. The aquarium is equipped with a compressor or a small internal filter; you can use a waterfall filter, but there should not be a strong current. There is no need for bright lighting.

The water temperature is about 22-25°C; xenopuses are practically indifferent to the chemical indicators of water. The exception is the content of chlorine and fluorine in the water, so it is recommended to leave it for at least 2-3 days before adding it to the aquarium. Change the water once or twice a week by 20-25%; a number of authors recommend changing it less frequently as it becomes cloudy.

Plants can only be planted with hard leaves, always in pots, otherwise they will be immediately dug up. Some lovers of these animals do the following: place a pot with indoor plant, having hanging shoots, and place these shoots in the aquarium. In this case, the aquarium is greened and the roots of the plant remain intact.

For Hymenochirus, the volume of the aquarium may be even smaller; 1-2 liters of water is quite enough for such a frog.

A lid is required - hymenochiruses, especially those caught in the wild, often try to escape.

They need a water temperature of at least 24°C. A filter or compressor is desirable, but it should not be too powerful so that there are areas of still, stagnant water in the aquarium.

At the bottom it is necessary to equip small shelters under which these tremulous creatures can hide. Plants are very desirable; it is good if in some places they form dense thickets. It is also better to plant them in pots. The aquarium needs to be equipped with lighting, since Hymenochirus sometimes like to rise among the thickets to the surface and bask under the lamp, sticking its head out of the water and top part torso.

Feeding

Decorative aquarium frogs - both xenopus and hymenochirus - prefer.

For spurs, these can be mealworms and earthworms, crickets, large bloodworms, fry and tadpoles. You can give pieces of liver, meat, fish, and shrimp using tweezers.

Claw frogs should not be fed with tubifex, pork, or fatty beef.

Hymenochirus are fed with small bloodworms, live daphnia or fish. Dry and still food is usually ignored by frogs. Adult xenopus and hymenochirus should be given food twice a week.

The feeding behavior of representatives of these two species of frogs also differs. Spurs have an excellent sense of smell, in addition, they have a very developed sense of touch (receptors are pits located on the sides of the frog and reminiscent of the lateral line of fish). Therefore, frogs are good at detecting odors and the slightest movements of water, quickly finding food and greedily pouncing on it.

Hymenochiruses usually need to bring food directly to their nose. You can train them to feed in certain place or by a certain signal (for example, tapping with tweezers), but they will take a long time to get to the food, as if thinking along the way whether it is worth doing this at all.

Xenopuses are extremely gluttonous and therefore prone to obesity; accordingly, the amount of food they eat must be strictly controlled - a healthy frog must remain flat.

As for the clawed frog, knowing the peculiarities of its behavior, we can answer unequivocally - it has nothing to do in an aquarium with fish.

She will swallow everyone who fits into her mouth, destroy most of the plants, dig up the soil, raising turbidity, and move carefully installed decorations.

In addition, she does not like fresh water from good current, and most fish will not like the swamp they are used to.

The only advantage of living together between fish and clawed frogs is that the skin mucus of frogs contains antimicrobial substances that can have a healing effect on sick fish. But given the current level of development of aquarium pharmacology, this can hardly be considered a serious argument. If you really want to do without chemicals, it is much easier to place the sick fish in a small container where the frog had been for some time.

Some aquarists advise keeping xenopus together with, since they feel good in old water and breathe atmospheric air. But why do this? A separate small aquarium with frogs will take up very little space, and everyone will be happy as a result.

With hymenochiruses it’s not so scary. It is believed that they get along well with calm, not too large, non-predatory fish. They will not ruin the beauty of the aquarium either. However, in a large aquarium, Hymenochirus spend a lot of time in hiding, so it is almost impossible to observe them, and it can be quite difficult to control the process of their feeding.

Frog diseases

Aquarium frogs may experience the following health problems:

When treating frogs, drugs for tropical aquarium fish are usually used, selecting them according to the causative agent of the disease (anthelminthic, antifungal or antibacterial). Sick frogs are isolated. For dropsy, puncture of the skin is often effective.

You should know that people who usually get sick are those living in unsuitable conditions, those who are obese, or those who experience prolonged severe stress.

And finally, some interesting facts about clawed frogs:

• the clawed frog was the first vertebrate to be cloned;
• at the beginning of the twentieth century, clawed frogs were used to diagnose short-term pregnancy: if a frog is injected with the urine of a pregnant woman, under the influence of human chorionic gonadotropin it begins to spawn;
• The clawed frog does not have a tongue, therefore, when eating prey, it helps itself with its front paws, and it cannot bend its fingers, it holds them outstretched, as if it were eating with Chinese chopsticks;
• When clawed frogs accidentally entered the waters of the tropical part of the United States, they destroyed the native frog species there, so keeping clawed frogs is prohibited in some states and limited in others.

Fortunately, in our country keeping frogs is allowed, so everyone can have these undemanding funny animals at home, watch and care for them, getting a lot of positive emotions and acquiring aquarium maintenance skills. The latter will definitely come in handy in the future, because usually everything just begins with frogs.

Interview with a specialist: how to properly keep and feed freshwater aquarium frogs:

Toads are very smart animals that quickly get used to their owner. However, you need to remember that they have poisonous glands on both sides of their heads, which they use when they sense danger. The venom of these toads can cause burning and...

Toads prefer solitude, so they need to be kept separately from their brothers and other animals.

As a soil, you can use coconut crumbs (it holds moisture well and does not become moldy), moss, or a special soil containing soil and foliage. The thickness of the soil should allow the toad to burrow into it. In addition, you need to provide a shelter that is spacious enough for the toad to easily turn around in it. You also need a body of water in which it can completely fit. It is advisable to change the water daily, since this is where toads prefer to go to the toilet.

Lighting is not necessary since toads are crepuscular animals. The temperature gradient should be in the range of 18–28 degrees. The heating point can be created by a heating lamp, a thermal mat or a thermal cord. It is possible (this is especially true for growing animals) to install an ultraviolet lamp with a level of 2.0 or 5.0 for daytime irradiation. At night all lamps and heating must be turned off.

Humidity must be maintained at a level of 50–90% through a pond and regular spraying.

They are unpretentious in food. Feeding a toad is not difficult; it has an excellent appetite. And when the pet gets used to the owner, it fearlessly begins to take food from the hands or from tweezers. The diet consists of various insects. In captivity, it is best to feed crickets and cockroaches. Large toads can be periodically fed with small mice. The food must be mixed or purchased, since insects caught in nature can be poisoned (when treating neighboring apartments, plants in summer cottages). Insects must be coated in mineral and vitamin supplements for reptiles to prevent the development of hypovitaminosis. It is enough to feed adult toads once every 3 days, and young ones - daily.

If you decide to start breeding toads at home, then you will need to provide the animals with wintering for a couple of months, with gradual entry and exit from it, maintaining low temperatures and humidity. After wintering, the breeding season begins, the toads are placed in a terrarium with a spacious pond in which they lay their eggs. Sexual maturity is reached at approximately 3-4 years.

The gray toad is a rather unpretentious, peace-loving animal, which is precisely why its popularity as a pet is only growing.

Questions about content gray toads You can ask on the forum in the section.

Aquarium and lake frogs differ significantly from each other not only in behavior; domestic frogs are not used to getting food on their own and demand increased attention and care. One of the first questions a breeder faces is what to feed a frog at home? If lake frogs are in natural conditions feed on mosquitoes, flies and other insects, then aquarium sissies will not tolerate such a diet and require a completely different approach to nutrition.

What do you feed pet frogs?

Nowadays, modern pet stores offer a variety of nutritious foods with various additives. These feeds are balanced and contain all the necessary vitamins and microelements for good nutrition frogs. If the breeder wants to create a diet for his pets himself, it will be useful for him to know some rules.

Frogs living in an aquarium should never be overfed. Overeating can lead to bloating and death of your pet. How many times a day to feed a pet frog depends on the age and type of reptile. Usually:

• little representatives are fed every day,
• It is enough to feed adult frogs once every two to three days.

Bloodworms and sea shrimp are good food options. Occasionally, you can offer live small fish or guppies. White frogs and clawed frogs eat bloodworms well. For them, this is one of their favorite treats, which gives them great pleasure.

It is best to place bloodworms in a terrarium in a flat feeder filled with water. You should not throw any type of food into the aquarium itself - this pollutes the water. It is not enough to feed frogs only bloodworms; such pets require balanced diet, including both live food and various additives to it.

For larger individuals, sliced ​​meat and fish are suitable. Your pets will not immediately get used to such a delicacy, be patient and after a couple of weeks the frogs will be happy to eat such food.

Feed additives

Frogs in an aquarium should receive not only food, but also vitamin and mineral supplements. They can be bought at pet stores. But the problem is that for amphibians there is no clearly defined norm for adding fortified food, so the portion has to be calculated approximately “by eye”.

It should be remembered that exceeding the dose of vitamins, especially such as fat-soluble “A”, “O”, “E”, can sometimes lead to the death of pets.

You should also feed your frog at home with foods containing calcium; it is especially important to follow this rule in relation to young amphibians. The frequency of calcium supplementation depends on age:

• young individuals should be offered this feeding every day,
• for older people – once a week.

Some products that contain calcium include:

1. crushed white school chalk,
2. limestone,
3. ground shells of raw chicken eggs.

You should also not forget that calcium is well absorbed by the body only in combination with vitamin D3; it is used to promote its production.

Is it possible to feed a frog with live food?

What else do you feed pet frogs? With the coming warm days terrarium owners find live food for their pets in nature. Amphibians readily eat aphids, cicadas, and grasshoppers caught far from roads.

Live insects are caught with a net. The circumference of the hoop should be between 40-50 cm, and the length of the bag should be three times longer so that the caught insects cannot jump out of it. You can sew the bag yourself from thick material. Calico or linen will do. Gauze is no good. It is best to make the handle of the net from 50 to 70 cm; a longer one will quickly tire your hand.

Aquarium amphibians get real pleasure from collected live food, but collecting it can only be done in the absence of precipitation in warm weather on dry grass. It is easier to catch insects this way: while walking through a clearing or meadow, make movements with a net like a figure eight, capturing the upper parts of the plants with it. If prey gets into the net, it should be poured into a jar, closed not hermetically, but with a mesh lid.

Eating invertebrates is beneficial for aquarium frogs. Thanks to this food, you do not need to carry out additional fortification.

be careful

Avoid collecting live food near areas with heavy traffic. Insects collected near highways, plants or factories may contain a large number of toxins, which will adversely affect the health of frogs and can even lead to the death of pets.

When releasing collected invertebrates into a terrarium, be sure to sort them and remove poisonous ones - they can be identified by their bright color.

In order to additionally vitaminize frogs, insects should first be released into a jar with a mixture of vitamins and calcium, close it tightly and shake a couple of times, and then quickly feed it to the reptiles. To prevent insects released into the aquarium from running away, it is better to place them in a feeder. It is easy to remove food residues from it.

IN Lately Feeders are on sale interesting design. They look like a hollow stone into which it is convenient to pour powdered additives and place live insects. All contents are mixed together, and the feeder with the hole freed from the plug is lowered into the terrarium. Insects are selected from it one by one. It is not difficult for frogs to get used to the feeder and stand guard at the opening to eat live insects. Do not forget that uneaten crickets and cockroaches can scatter throughout the aquarium and destroy ornamental plants.

You should feed the frog in your home aquarium regularly and responsibly, and then your pets will live a long time. happy life Good for you.

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Frogs is a commonly used term that in a broad sense unites all animals belonging to the order tailless amphibians. However, from a scientific point of view, this name identifies only representatives from the family of true frogs, which also includes aquarium species.

Types of aquarium frogs and their features

Many aquarium frogs have been bred specifically to be kept in conditions home aquarium and are the result of successful selection of natural species.

Aquarists keeping frogs are an exceptional phenomenon, due to the need to provide exceptionally competent and complete care for unusual pets.

Despite the fairly large number of varieties of aquarium frogs, only the following, relatively unpretentious and interesting, species of amphibians have become widespread:

• American pipa- the owner of a flattened quadrangular body and a flat head with small triangular eyes. Enough thin legs have swimming membranes. In the area of ​​the eyes and mouth, leathery folds hang down. The skin itself is wrinkled, with the presence of very characteristic cells on the surface of the back. The main color is yellowish-black-brown, and the abdomen has light color and a noticeable, long black stripe. IN natural conditions The species inhabits Brazil, Suriname and Guyana. The length of an adult is 20 cm. The species is of interest due to unusual ability carry their offspring in cells located on the back;
• Red-bellied, Far Eastern and Yellow-bellied Firebirds- They are distinguished by a very bright, “screaming” spotted color and belong to the category of poisonous. The poison frinolicin secreted by mucous tubercles does not pose a danger to humans, but after caring for such an amphibian, you will have to wash your hands thoroughly. The length of an adult does not exceed 60-70 mm. They are very easy to tame and, according to many breeders, are able to accurately predict the weather;
• White frog- an artificially bred albino form of the clawed frog, which in natural conditions inhabits America and South Africa, and also has a characteristic dark brown color. The length of an adult does not exceed 9-10 cm. The species is distinguished by a flattened head, and also has a rounded muzzle and small eyes. Characteristic feature is the presence on well-developed membranous hind legs three entities, externally resembling spurs. The color of albino individuals with red eyes is whitish-pink.

Most often kept by aquarists is Hymenochirus Böttger.. The fore and hind limbs are webbed. Average length an adult individual, as a rule, does not exceed 30-40 mm. Hymenochirus has long body with thin legs, a pointed muzzle and small eyes. The main color is grayish-brown. There are spots on the back and limbs, and the abdomen has a lighter color.

This is interesting! Beginning aquarists are advised to pay attention to the beautiful, intelligent and low-maintenance clawed frogs, which, subject to the minimum maintenance rules, can delight the owner with their presence for several years.

Most aquarium frogs are unpretentious and original pets that do not require special conditions when kept at home.

Particular attention should be paid to right choice aquarium, as well as compliance with the feeding regime.

Requirements for water and aquarium

Frogs are not picky about the quality of water, and the main condition for proper water treatment is settling for three days, which allows minimizing the amount of chlorine. The level of hardness and acidity of water does not affect negative impact on the well-being of the amphibian.

Important! Experienced aquarists recommend not throwing it out when changing the water in a frog aquarium. This water, settled and drained from settled sediment, is perfect for adding to fish aquariums. Frogs secrete a secretion that has a positive effect on the well-being of fish.

The volume of the tank for a pair of pipa frogs should be approximately one hundred liters. It is advisable to provide good filtration and weak aeration, and fill the bottom with fine gravel as soil. Soft and slightly acidic water with a temperature in the range of 25-28 o C is best suited for keeping pipa.

Toaded toads are kept in special aqua terrariums. A pair of adult individuals is allocated a tank with a volume of at least five liters. Day temperature regime should be 20-25 o C, and at night it is allowed to lower the temperature by about five degrees. The soil at the bottom can be sand or clean gravel. Be sure to install special shelters inside in the form of stones and plants.

Unpretentious clawed frogs do not require much space. To keep a pair of adult individuals, you need to prepare an aquarium with a volume of ten liters. The standard temperature day and night is 20-22 o C. Soil, represented by pebbles or gravel, is poured onto the bottom of the tank. It is imperative to provide shelter and vegetation in the aquarium, as well as a lattice lid, because this species often jumps out of the tank.

Caring for aquarium frogs

Aquarium frogs get cold quite easily, so when there are temperature changes in the air in the room, the amphibian’s home must be provided with high-quality heating. It is recommended to fill the tank with water two-thirds, then cover it with a mesh or fairly heavy glass.

Be sure to leave a small gap between the aquarium wall and the “lid”. Water is replaced as it gets dirty, by updating 20% ​​of the volume. Vegetation is best used if it is hard-leaved or grown in special pots.

Diet, what to feed

Amphibians are not picky when it comes to food, but in order to provide an aquarium frog with home care complete diet nutrition, you should follow simple recommendations:

• The toad's main food is various invertebrates and insects;
• Pipa is fed with bloodworms, earthworms and small fish;
• Bloodworms, earthworms, crustaceans, shrimp, pieces of meat or fish are best suited for feeding the white frog;
• Tubifex, bloodworms and daphnia are used as food for Hymenochirus.

It is advisable to feed an adult no more than a couple of times a week. Eating more frequently often provokes obesity and problems with internal organs.

Important! Before feeding earthworms to amphibians, they must be kept for a day, and fish and meat are recommended to be frozen first, and chopped well before feeding the frog.

Compatible with aquarium fish

Not all aquarium frogs can be kept in the same tank with fish.. The American pipa and fire-bellied toad, as well as the white frog, can only be kept with large and fairly active species of aquarium fish.

Hymenochiruses get along quite well with not very large fish, but maintaining such an aquarium biosystem in good condition will be much more difficult. Most frogs require standing water, while aquarium fish need good aeration.

Reproduction of aquarium frogs

Several times a year, aquarium frogs enter the mating season, and in some species this season is accompanied by loud singing.

This is interesting! Before mating aquarium males The clawed frog has very characteristic black stripes on its legs, so even a novice aquarist can easily determine the breeding season of this species.

The eggs laid by the female are usually fertilized within 24 hours. Some species of frogs actively eat their eggs and tadpoles, so it is necessary to deposit adult individuals in a separate tank.

Hatched young tadpoles happily feed on fresh or dry nettles, as well as a mixture of powdered milk and yeast. Tadpoles, as they develop and grow, need to be sorted by size, as cannibalism is often observed. After a month and a half, the tadpoles fall to the bottom and the water level needs to be lowered. The result is the appearance of many young frogs.

Frog diseases and their prevention

In too polluted aquarium water, and also with insufficient oxygen, domestic frogs can develop an infectious disease called “red paw”. You also need to remember that a poor diet provokes the development of metabolic bone disease in amphibians. When choosing a feeding regimen, it is necessary to take into account gluttony unusual pets and strictly control their weight.