Lake frog, sharp-faced and grass frog. What to feed a white frog in an aquarium How to keep a frog at home
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 a 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.
Frogs are poikilothermic animals, their temperature is directly dependent on the temperature of the environment. Young frogs and tadpoles tolerate cooling down to -1.1 °C, but do not tolerate high temperatures well. Adult frogs survive minimum temperature from -0.4 to -0.8 °C and tolerate temperatures of +39 °C. At +5 °C reflex activity the number of frogs almost stops.
Pond and lake frogs overwinter in reservoirs, and the grass frog and ground toad hibernate on land, burrowing in sandy holes, basements, under leaves, sawdust, moss or in the ground.
For laboratory needs, frogs are prepared in autumn time of the year. Pond and lake frogs are caught from reservoirs with nets.
Frogs in large quantities should be kept in special terrariums, which are organized in dark places and basements. Frogs should be kept in concrete tanks filled with clean water. The water level is small (only 3-4 cm) so that the frogs can freely stick their heads above the water. You should place several rocks in the pool that protrude above the water so that frogs can climb out on them. It is better if the pool is divided into sections isolated from each other. The depth of the pool and the height of the partitions between sections are 1-1.2 m. It is advisable to change the water frequently, and give water that has been standing in tubs. The top of the pool must be covered with nets. The temperature in the terrarium should be 6-10 °C.
In small quantities, frogs can be kept in enamel baths, tubs and aquariums. To do this, you need to observe the above water level and carry out frequent shifts her.
Dead frogs or tadpoles must be discarded promptly.
Contents and delivery, especially in winter time, pond, grass and lake frogs are associated with significant difficulties. In addition, among these species of frogs, more females are detected than males, which makes it difficult to carry out a biological test to identify early dates pregnancy in a hospital setting. Breeding frogs in laboratory conditions is impossible. IN Lately instead of frogs, earth toads began to be successfully used, which are easily all year round keep in simple, specially built nurseries or in basements, in boxes. In addition, according to Jungfes, in the ground toad there are 100 males for every 18.5 females. All this distinguishes them favorably from frogs and indicates the advisability of breeding earthen toads in every hospital.
Ground toads are kept in terrariums. The bottom should be covered with light porous soil and covered with pieces of moss and turf. The earth is slightly moistened. In a terrarium for toads, it is useful to arrange small ponds (puddles) or place a flat dish filled with water. It is quite possible to keep ground toads in the wild in shady places (where there are puddles), fenced with wire mesh or a concrete wall. In winter, toads are placed in cellars, boxes filled with crushed and moistened peat.
Well-fed frogs and toads harvested in the fall go without food throughout the winter. By spring they lose weight, and in order to keep them until autumn, feeding should be established in late spring and summer.
J. Prokopich (1957), studying the question of the diet of the pond frog, showed that 96% of the captured prey are beetles, bugs, and mollusks, and 4% of the stomach contents are plant foods. Quite often (up to 10% of cases) phenomena of cannibalism are observed.
You can feed frogs and toads with their natural food (earthworms and mealworms, mollusks, spiders, flies and other insects, small fish). You can feed with finely chopped strips of meat (including frog meat). Food must be taken with tweezers and held in front of the mouth, since frogs and toads only capture moving prey. If animals refuse to grab food themselves, then it is necessary to resort to force feeding, i.e. to pushing food into the oral cavity. You should feed 1-2 times a week.
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26.07.2017
Everyone knows that in France, frog legs are considered an exquisite delicacy, and many fans of this dish around the world idolize their refined and delicate taste, which is slightly reminiscent of chicken.
Frog dishes adorn the menus of the most famous and respectable restaurants in Belgium, Italy, Spain, Greece, Great Britain, Holland and many other European countries.
Frogs are also in price in countries such as China, Vietnam, Laos, where they are bred on special farms, since frog meat is valued much higher than veal and costs an order of magnitude more. In the East, no one will be surprised by the assortment of supermarkets, where frozen legs of these amphibians will lie next to the hams of various animals and birds.
In Peru, they even manage to add frog meat to chocolate and cookies, after drying and grinding it. It is believed that this unusual delicacy cures anemia and helps women with infertility.
Fried frog legs also appeared on the menu of many Ukrainian cafes and restaurants (usually those that prefer to sell French or exotic cuisine). True, not every frog is eaten, but only large green ones, which are an edible species.
It is noteworthy that in terms of their biological value in many countries of the world, frog legs are equal to pike and even sturgeon caviar.
Types of frogs
In the reservoirs of Ukraine there are only five species of frogs: grass ( lat. Rana temporaria), sharp-faced ( lat. Rana arvalis), snapping ( lat. Rana Dalmatina), pond ( lat. Rana lessonae) and lake ( lat. Rana ridibunda). The first three species have a brown and brown body color, and scientists combine the last two species into the group of “green frogs”, which, when crossed, give the very famous edible species.
For the first time big green frog, How separate species Carl Linnaeus described it back in 1758. It was he who gave it the name (lat. Rana esculenta), which translates as “edible frog.” This hybrid species is widely represented in the reservoirs of Transcarpathia and lives in the Danube River delta.
During times Soviet Union these amphibians were exported en masse to France, since their value in foreign currency was three times (!) higher than the price of expensive fish species. Every year up to eighty tons of this first-class product were exported from the country.
Currently, due to the spread of diseases and mass epidemics of birds, pigs and large cattle, the demand for frog meat has increased sharply. True, in Ukraine it still remains quite low, since eating frogs seems unusual and unnatural to many residents of the country, therefore, today, the most promising direction remains the cultivation of amphibians for sale for export.
Description of the edible frog
When creating optimal conditions for growth and development, individual specimens of frogs can gain weight up to one and a half (!) kilograms, but on average their weight does not exceed one kilogram.
The amphibian reaches sexual maturity at the age of three years and one female is capable of laying up to fifteen thousand eggs during the year.
Raising frogs
Growing an edible species of frogs for commercial purposes is not a difficult task and is technologically similar to breeding ordinary pond fish (the fattening period until commercial specimens are obtained is from twelve to twenty months).
To start, you will need frog eggs, which can be collected in a reservoir during spawning and within three or four years, the amphibian population will increase tenfold.
It is advisable to grow caviar in a closed reservoir with clean running water because the ponds open type significantly increase the mortality rate of the population. The incubation room must be warm (the temperature must be maintained at least twelve degrees Celsius), bright and clean. It is advisable to change the water once every three or four days, after passing it through a filter (or letting it settle), since highly chlorinated water can kill the entire population of frogs.
It is also necessary to pay attention to the soil. The ideal basis for an incubation pond is a mixture of earth, peat, crushed sphagnum (peat bog moss), expanded clay or charcoal (in a ratio of 3:1:1:1). Such soil will not turn sour and harm the skin of tadpoles and young frogs.
After mass hatching of tadpoles (which grow for approximately
four months), they are intensively fed until they turn into young frogs, and then they are moved to an open pond.
For subsequent reproduction, it is advisable to leave the largest and healthiest individuals, thus forming a strong breeding stock of frogs.
Diet
The diet of young frogs (at all stages of development) is quite varied. The food is based on small invertebrates (bloodworms, worms, caterpillars), crustaceans and insects (mosquitoes, flies, beetles). All swimming, jumping, crawling and flying small animals that the frog can swallow at one time are used.
To prevent rickets, young frogs need to add vitamins to their food.
When the frog reaches marketable weight, it is slaughtered with a mallet, the skin is removed, the legs are separated, packaged and frozen. This is how they are implemented.
The price of frog legs in Europe ranges from four to six dollars, while live amphibians fetch from one to four dollars per kilogram (equivalent to approximately sixty adults).
Breeders need to remember that catching an adult frog is not easy, because it can cover a distance of three (!) meters in one jump, and at the same time is capable of knocking down even an adult person. This “beast” is able to swallow a mouse, small snake or duckling.
However, the same French prefer to eat frogs of much more modest size (weighing about one hundred grams).
Making delicious frog legs is quite easy. To begin with, they are kept in cold water with lemon juice (like asparagus), and then fried on vegetable oil in breadcrumbs or batter. The dish turns out crispy, aromatic, tender, and small bones are not a hindrance to enjoyment.
The lake frog is a typical inhabitant of bodies of water, although it can sometimes move up to 20 meters away from them. Most The frog spends the day in the water or sitting on the shore; at night it prefers to hunt on land, in coastal thickets.
The main food of adult lake frogs is insects, but sometimes they can also feast on vertebrates - fish, tree frogs, sharp-faced frogs, snakes, small chicks and mammals - shrews and voles. They can also eat their own young. Ground feed accounts for 68 to 95%.
Spawning in the lake frog is very extended and is carried out in portions, forming separate lumps or heaps. The development of eggs, depending on temperature, lasts 7-10 days, larvae (tadpoles) - 55-85 days. Optimal temperature environment for tadpoles - 18-28 °C. Life expectancy in nature is 6-7 years.
Maintenance and care of the lake frog
To keep a lake frog at home, it is recommended to use a 30-40 liter aquaterrarium or an aquarium filled with water, but with pieces of wood or foam floating on its surface, so that your pet can spend the necessary part of the time out of the water. It is best to throw the stem and leaves of some aquatic plant onto this improvised “land” so that the lake frog can hide from the light in them. Plants growing directly in water are naturally welcome in every possible way.
The lake frog is not picky about living conditions in natural conditions, so if you decide to keep it at home, you can change the water only once a week by one third, and once a month - entirely. Additional lighting and heating are not required. Source:
You can feed the lake frog at home with bloodworms, cockroaches, crickets, flies, tubifex, etc., and occasionally you can offer small pieces of finely chopped meat.
 sharp-faced frog |
Description of the sharp-faced frog (Rana arvalis)
- a very numerous species of our fauna, reaches a length of 78 mm. The back is brown or grayish with dark spots, the belly is white or yellowish, usually without spots. The throat is whitish, often with a marbled pattern. The sharp-faced frog spends all its time, including wintering, on land. Only for the breeding season does it move into a body of water. It feeds on terrestrial insects and invertebrates.
Spawning in the sharp-faced frog is carried out in a very short time. Males spend only 20-25 days in reservoirs. The females arrive later than them and leave earlier, immediately after laying their eggs. One female lays 500-2750 eggs.
At low temperatures, sometimes even when a crust of ice forms over the masonry, the development of eggs continues for 8-10 days. The development of larvae takes on average 60-65 days, and in the tundra zone no more than 45-55 days.
Description of the grass frog (Rana temporaria)
differs from the sharp-faced one more large sizes- up to 10 cm long, a blunt muzzle, a marble-like pattern on the abdomen and a low calcaneal tubercle.
 grass frog |
The grass frog is more cold-resistant and demanding of moisture. Most active in evening and morning twilight. Prefers to spend time in natural shelters - behind grass mounds, stones, rotten stumps, fallen branches, in tall grass, etc. Feeds on various invertebrates dipterous insects, caterpillars, spiders. Also, like some other species of frogs, there are cases of eating their own kind.
In the albino version, it is light yellow or white. The clawed frog becomes sexually mature at the age of one, and if the conditions are good, it can live up to fifteen years.
Spurs are quite picky. When choosing the volume of an aquarium, you need to take into account that in some cases a frog can grow up to 16 cm, but for small individuals - one or two - a simple five-liter jar is enough.
What to feed a frog
In nature, the white frog lives in slowly flowing or stagnant lakes and swamps. It is able to move through the soil, for example, in search of a new place to live to replace the previous dried one. But she will not be able to stay without water for a long time and will not be able to eat.
Aquarium frogs are predators by nature and should not be kept together with fry or small fish, guppies, or neons. Eventually the white frogs eat them, so in one water space Only large and agile individuals can be kept with them. Feeding a frog with fish will be somewhat wasteful, and if there are only small individuals in the aquarium, it is better to put it in a separate aquarium and feed it with animal food, bloodworms, coretra, daphnia, and small earthworms.
It is not recommended to feed white frog tubifex - she may get food poisoning. As a substitute for the usual food, you can give her lean meat in the form of strips or dry food, that is, dried daphnia.
White frogs love to eat, and in this process they must be limited. Poorly, that is, little, only elderly and old individuals eat. An adult frog with good appetite You need to feed her twice a week, otherwise she will eat to the point of obesity. A young white frog needs to be fed more often during the period of intensive growth.
How does a frog take food?
The white frog has depressions on its sides with tiny hairs that respond to the current created by the water around its body. Thanks to impulses, you can even navigate fast current– hydrodynamic waves caused by aquatic inhabitants, the white frog quickly catches on. She has an excellent sense of smell: a couple of minutes after the food gets into the water, they begin to rush around the pond in search of food.
Large pieces of food such as bloodworms or earthworms are stuffed into the frog's mouth, while holding the worm with their fingers; small pieces are simply swallowed.