Frogs?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
N

Near

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 18, 2007
223
0
0
34
United States
Hey guys anyone here mind shedding some light on frog handling for me? :confused:

I'm in the states at the moment a my little nephew wants a pet, so I told him I would get him one. My original plan was getting him a tarantula... Somewhat low maintenance and interesting since I know the job of cleaning will probably bore him as most kids. It turned out he is terrified of spiders and snakes, so I ended up giving a perfect Mexican redknee tarantula away. :cry:

Now I've had bearded dragons in the past and I believe they are a perfect starter lizard along with leopard geckos. It seems he doesn't wish for either of those however and has asked me to get him a frog...

I know crap about frogs and to be honest not keen on the idea. Do they make good pets? Enjoy being handled? If so which species could be handled the most yet be interesting enough for a beginner?

I'm sort of attracted to the red eye tree frog, but that would be for me :drool:, as for my nephew any clues?
 
If you do get a frog for him get a whites tree frog. They are the most tolerant of being handled and get nice and large but honestly, I would not recommend handling them much at all- Their skin is very delicate and you can hurt them easily. These frogs are also messy and will take some work to keep them from smelling too bad. Small ones will eat crickets but as they get larger you can switch them over to mice. Use RO or distilled water for them. ABSOLUTELY NO TAP WATER OR CHEMICAL OF ANY KIND NEAR THEIR CAGE, it will kill them. What about a Crested gecko or something? They make MUCH better pets.
 
Take him to a reptile show and have him point out herps that he would like to keep as a pet. Some of them might not be beginner friendly, but odds are that some of the herps that he likes will be beginner friendly.

snakeguy101 said:
If you do get a frog for him get a whites tree frog. They are the most tolerant of being handled and get nice and large but honestly, I would not recommend handling them much at all- Their skin is very delicate and you can hurt them easily. These frogs are also messy and will take some work to keep them from smelling too bad. Small ones will eat crickets but as they get larger you can switch them over to mice. Use RO or distilled water for them. ABSOLUTELY NO TAP WATER OR CHEMICAL OF ANY KIND NEAR THEIR CAGE, it will kill them. What about a Crested gecko or something? They make MUCH better pets.
Click to expand...

x2.
 
snakeguy101 said:
If you do get a frog for him get a whites tree frog. They are the most tolerant of being handled and get nice and large but honestly, I would not recommend handling them much at all- Their skin is very delicate and you can hurt them easily. These frogs are also messy and will take some work to keep them from smelling too bad. Small ones will eat crickets but as they get larger you can switch them over to mice. Use RO or distilled water for them. ABSOLUTELY NO TAP WATER OR CHEMICAL OF ANY KIND NEAR THEIR CAGE, it will kill them. What about a Crested gecko or something? They make MUCH better pets.
Click to expand...

Well the smell is actually why I'm not to keen on the idea... The tarantula was the perfect idea, but try to win against a kid...

I believe he wants a pacman frog because he saw it a mouse, sadly the only animals I can think that will also do that are way too big or need more special care. Any other ideas?
 
Do you think your nephew is really ready for a pet?

I agree that frogs are poor choices for something that will be handled. If he really wants a mouse eater he can handle, a medium-sized constrictor is more appropriate. Corn snakes, milk snakes, or one of the smaller boas or pythons might work. They don't need a huge cage, and are easier to care for than a frog in my opinion.
 
How old is he?
I agree that frogs are poor choices for something that will be handled. If he really wants a mouse eater he can handle, a medium-sized constrictor is more appropriate. Corn snakes, milk snakes, or one of the smaller boas or pythons might work. They don't need a huge cage, and are easier to care for than a frog in my opinion.
Click to expand...

I agree.

Take him to a reptile show and have him point out herps that he would like to keep as a pet. Some of them might not be beginner friendly, but odds are that some of the herps that he likes will be beginner friendly.
Click to expand...

+2
 
Noto said:
Do you think your nephew is really ready for a pet?

I agree that frogs are poor choices for something that will be handled. If he really wants a mouse eater he can handle, a medium-sized constrictor is more appropriate. Corn snakes, milk snakes, or one of the smaller boas or pythons might work. They don't need a huge cage, and are easier to care for than a frog in my opinion.
Click to expand...

I think he is ready, but its more as a reptile owner myself that I worry. He is 13 and seems to want more responsibility.

It really is just my fear that he will get bored with the pet and not take care of it. The reason he wants a reptile is also my fault however, so I'm more or less left with the responsibility of finding him a pet.

Also, as I stated on the first post, he is afraid of snakes. It might be more adequate to get him a lizard after all.
 
Near said:
I think he is ready, but its more as a reptile owner myself that I worry. He is 13 and seems to want more responsibility.

It really is just my fear that he will get bored with the pet and not take care of it. The reason he wants a reptile is also my fault however, so I'm more or less left with the responsibility of finding him a pet.

Also, as I stated on the first post, he is afraid of snakes. It might be more adequate to get him a lizard after all.
Click to expand...

I'd lean towards a Rhacodactylus gecko if you're afraid that he might get bored and not take care of it. You can feed them a powdered diet as the main food item with insects as either an occasional treat or a regular food item (depending on the species), so you wouldn't have to worry too much about it not getting fed since it's a pretty simple just-add-water and serve diet.
 
Well. If he's still kind of wishy washy about his personal dedication for pets, then I think the decision should be postponed. Though, I believe at 13, some measure of maturity should have already gotten into him. Cresteds should be great if you should want to continue.
 
Sorry, missed the terrified of snakes and spiders bit. I'll throw in one more vote for crested gecko or similar.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom