Contemplating Frogs

Its rather early here today. I got up at 5 and couldn't go back to sleep. Now I'm sitting here in a dark office with Boots the cat purring in my face waiting to be fed. He is going to have to wait a while longer. I use to feed him when I first woke but then he started pawing me in the face to wake me so now he has to wait.

Cricket the dog is laying on the floor behind me guarding the entrance to the den as he always does when I'm typing. Rex the turtle is sleeping at the bottom of the tank and all that is missing is my frogs.

It's my fault the frogs are gone. I messed up when cleaning their tank. When I refilled their water I used the fish conditioner instead of the reptile conditioner. I guess I had my brain in park that day we did after all have fish living in the water part of the frogs habitat. Unfortunately the slime coating in the water conditioner that helps protect the fishes skin, clogged up the porous skin of the frogs and killed them. I miss the little hoppers!

Now I'm considering getting some more. I loved watching the little guys grow from tadpoles into tiny little frogs and then into larger frogs. Watching as their diet turned from little tadpole pellets to wingless fruit flies to little crickets.

I'll have to start from scratch though! We gave away the tank I created for them to another frog owner who needed some more space. I would love to do it as a 20 long and give them plenty of living space but I'm not sure where I would put it. I was contemplating a bookshelf aquarium that is on clearance right now but decided at 6.6 gallons it was entirely too small. I think if I do decided to get more frogs I will build their habitat first ... Rosco and Kermit grew into frogs before their home was finished and I don't want that to happen again.

Happy 2nd Annual Save the Frogs Day

I just read this morning that today is Save the Frogs Day. I didn't know if I should post this Here since its about frogs or on The Crazy Green Cheapskate because its ... so I'm compromising and posting it on both.
Frogs are one of the best indicators of whether or not an environment is healthy since they are the first affected by changes. If there are no frogs then you know something is wrong!

According to the ENN (Environmental News Network) There will be activities in 15 counties around the world. Including protests against restaurants that sell frogs legs. Apparently over 100 million wild frogs are captured and killed for their legs. YUCK!

Another thing they are trying to bring to light is the use of the herbicide Atrazine. which is linked to the chemical castration of male frogs. If you want to read the whole story check out ENN.

Sad News

Poor Rosco died yesterday.

Our little frog that too so long to become a frog passed away. We don't know why. I found him floating belly up when I went to clean the tank and after making sure he wasn't playing dead I told the kids. Its funny that even a non-cuddle pet such as a frog can make you cry when they leave us but it does and we did. Here are all of Roscos photos to remember him by

Sorry there aren't any better pictures. It's funny how you go around thinking you have all the time in the world so you can get a better shot later and then it's too late.

Girl Scouts Rain Forest Project

Here is a little project I did for a friend of mine. She is a girl scout troop leader and her troop is setting up a display in the local mall. She asked me to build a home for some fire belly toads for their display and this is the outcome.
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Did You Know ???

Ok first things first here is an updated picture of Rosco and Kermit.

As you can see Rosco is now a full fledged frog. He is the smaller of the two. Both are doing well but I have since learned something about my little hoppers. They play DEAD!! When I first saw it I thought Rosco had injured himself. He was swimming around in a panic when I opened the tank to clean it next thing I knew he was floating belly up. It scared the crud out of me! I picked him up out of the water and laid him on the land part of the habitat. I watched him for a few minutes and first saw he was still breathing (WHEW). Then I saw him blink and his leg twitch. After a few minutes he got up and hopped behind one of the little plants. He has done it a couple times since and today when I was catching the frogs to clean their tank, Kermit did it too. I did a little research and found that they play dead to escape enemies. I don't know how well it works for that but it certainly makes them easier to catch when I need to clean out their home.

NOW! Did you know that the stench from Stagnant pond water will stick to you no matter how many times you wash your hands??

I found this out today. You see I seem to have created my very own stagnant pond here in my own home. In hindsight I should have realized this would happen but I really didn't think it out. How did I make my own stagnant pond. Well let me tell you it might make a good science fair project for someones kid (though I suggest you do it outside because once you disturb the water your whole house will smell.

I orders some duck weed for the frogs home. It gives them someplace in the water to hide and helps keep the crickets from drowning since they can walk right across the top of it. Now the smallest size I could order was a quarter pound of duck week. This is way too much for my little frog house and I put the rest into a little aquarium we had sitting around. You can see a picture below.

Now if you look in the upper left corner you will see a little filter. It wasn't there before I just put it in. Before the duck week covered the entire surface of the water to about an inch thick. The problem with this is no oxygen could get to the water and caused a build up of bacteria that thrives in an Anaerobic condition (a condition with no oxygen). This is of course what happens in stagnant ponds. Algae clogs the surface of the water letting now oxygen through. Now the smell doesn't escape till you disturb the plants on the water. I did that this morning when I went to get some for my nice clean frog habitat. My hands are still stinky and I've washed them 4 times already. It's going to be a long day!

The Rosco Report + 1

I have two pictures to share today the first is little Rosco the Frog who has finally gotten his front legs. He still has his tail though you can't see it in this shot because of the fake plant.

You Grow Rosco

This second one is of my old friend Fitz once again trying to thwart my computing efforts as he snuggles down for a nap on my chair leg.

Awww How could I make him move I had to save blogging for another day.

Good News and Bad News

First the Good News Rosco Finally started his metamorphosis. That's right he got his back legs and is on the way to being a frog. Woo Hoo. It's a little hard to see in the pictures and I had a heck of a time getting a picture of him at all. We added some plants to his water so he would have something to eat while we were on vacation and the Duck weed kept getting in the way. The Duck weed is the little green flecks on the top of the water.

Now before I get to the bad news. Here is a shot of Kermit in his new habitat. He is sitting on the rock in the middle of the water.

Now of course for the BAD News.... Kermits habitat is leaking.... that is to say the water is leaking over into the land part of his home. All that hard work to give him land and water and I have to start over.


Here is a second shot of him in the water.... see the funny color of the water? That's because the water is leaching into the dirt and causing everything to have a brown tint. So Kermit is going to have to go back with Rosco and I will probably have to put something on the lid to weigh it down so he doesn't knock it off... he is a pretty strong jumper.

Pets and Vacations

We are planning on going on Vacation and the problem arises.....How to care for your pets when your not there.

Dogs and Cats have a very simple solution though kind of expensive. There are kennels and "pet motels" everywhere you go. You simple have to find one you think will care for your pet they way you want them cared for. I am choosing to go with the kennel at my vets. Simply because I have an extremely elderly cat and a dog with a gimpy hip. I know they will get the best care there. But what about the fish, frog, tadpole and turtle?

Fish aren't a big problem either. We have timers from past trips we can place on the lights and picked up some vacation fish food from Petco. It is pyramid shaped and will dissolve over the time we are gone to release food for the fish. If you want to go a little more high tech you can get a battery powered feeder that will drop food in every day.

The real problem is the exotic pets in my case the turtle, tadpole and frog. My solution was to talk to some of the experts and here are the solutions I've decided on. For Rex the Turtle we will be adding some live plants and some feeder fish to his tank since we have a canister filter we shouldn't have to worry about cleaning his tank. We will probably put in some of the small snails to give him something to dig around for too.

We took Kermit the Frog out and put him in his new habitat it's not as finished as I would have liked. I wanted to get some moss growing in there but haven't been successful yet so we added some "Frog Moss" I purchased at Petco to put on the land side until I get the moss to grow. There is enough room that I will be able to add several crickets for him and he will eat some of the fish food that will be released from the vacation food.

As for the Rocso the tad pole he will be a little tricky. You see his little tank wont support a battery operated vacation feeder and though he would eat the food in a vacation pyramid the water would quickly become filthy and he would suffocate. We have added some plants to his habitat. We have chosen Anicharis, which is a long plant that can be placed in the rocks to grow roots or left to float (which is important since the tadpole habitat has no rocks) and some duck weed which is also a floating plant. These will feed the tadpole and help keep the water a little cleaner.

Meet Kermit The Frog

Yes he's out of the water and hopping around. He still has a teeny tiny bit of tail leftbut other then that he's a frog. I

didn't take a picture of Rosco today because he hasn't changes any since his last photo.

Frog/Tadpole Update

Poor Rosco is still Legless

(those little things in the water around him is food not poop.)

Kermit now has front back and front legs all that is left is for him to absorb his tail and he will be a frog.
(sorry its kind of blurry I took 16 pictures of the tadpoles and this one was the best one of Kermit)

A Shot of Rosco and Kermit together

Kermit has Legs

Kermit the Tadpole has gotten his back legs. I had a heck of a time getting this picture I couldn't get quite enough lighting but finally here is a shot where you can see one of his back legs.

This one is a little blurry but you can see both back legs

Rosco doesn't have legs yet

Here is some shots of their future home. Once they become frogletts they will be too big for the little frog habitat so we have a take all set up for them.

The land part isn't quite ready I've been trying to get moss to grow but haven't had much luck. Someone told me I should try growning it from seeds so I've been trying to find some.

The water part looks great with plenty of places for the frog to explore and hide. There are live plants in there to help keep the water clean.

SPOILER ALERT FOR THE CONTEST WINNERS

Ok Tim and Michelle I'm about to post pictures of the prizes I'm sending your way so If you want to be surprised then Don't read any further.

That's Not IT

NOPE That's not It Either

Nope Not YET!

Are they gone???

Ok to everyone else here is what I'm sending my wonderful winners both of whom had dogs.

That's both prizes there. Both winners will be getting a reusable Shopping bag with the Petco Foundation Logo on it for those trips to the pet store to buy their doggies a treat. A bag of Natural Balance Treats with Potato and Duck. I picked the Natural Balance Treats since I don't know if either family's pets have allergies so I'm playing it safe. They are both getting a Dispenser that hooks onto their leash that holds baggies for clean up. I love mine it makes it so easy to remember to take something along to keep the neighborhood clean. They are both getting a toy too but different ones. Tim and his family have a Maltipoo which is a small dog so I'm sending them the Stars and Strips chew bone. Michelle and her family have two Golden Retrievers so I'm sending them the Stars and Strips ball and tug rope. I hope they like their prizes. Now where did I put those boxes :D

I'm Please to Introduce

Rosco

and Kermit

Our two winners have been notified and I'll be posting their prizes once I find out which type of pets they have. Congratulations to Tim at Fort Thompson and Michelle at My Crazy Life With A Toddler for their winning suggestions.

A shot of Kermit and Rosco

These shots were taken while I was cleaning out there home which is why everything looks very plain and empty.

Today is your Last Chance

If you want the chance to win some prizes for your pet then enter the name the tadpole contest today is the last day. Just scroll on down or click the tadpoles on the right and put your name choices in the comments box.

About Leapord Frogs

The tadpoles that we have are Leopard Frog Tadpoles. There are things you should know if you get one of these kits.

The information I'm going to share with you here is from the first tadpole we received with it. He passed away before we moved to New York.

Eventually the tadpoles are going to become frogs that is the whole point of this product. I have found that while the planet frog habitat is fine when they are tadpoles... it is too small for the frogs when they get full grown. You are going to need something bigger. It's going to need land and water since leopard frogs are not fully aquatic frogs. You will also need to start feeding them live food such as crickets, wingless fruit flies, and wax or mealy worms. If you are not prepared to do this then a leopard frog is not the pet for you.

They will grow to be approximately 3 inches (7-8 cm). Their expected life span is approximately 5-8 years, perhaps longer. If you want to start owning frogs they are a great started pet.

The easiest way to create a suitable habitat for them is to take a 10 gallon tank with a locking lid and set up a divider with Plexiglas. Seal it with aquarium sealant.... do not use anything else as it may be toxic to the frogs which are extremely vulnerable to environmental toxins. Let it set for at least 24 hours before continuing. Then you add substrate on the land side such as a combination of soil and peat moss, covered with a commercial reptile bark substrate and sphagnum moss can be used on the terrestrial side. The depth should be at least 2-3 inches to allow burrowing.

On the water side you can add gravel and other decorations such as drift wood. It is extremely important to use smooth gravel only (to prevent skin abrasions and injuries), and ideally the gravel should be large enough not to be swallowed. You can also decorate your tank with plants live or aquarium fake plants to give the frog someplace to hide. Leopard frogs are not great climbers so they don't need vertical decorations. though you can add some for ascetics if you wish.

The water you use is extremely important. I'm actually using distilled water while they are tadpoles. When I move them over to the big tank I will be uses tap water treated with a dechlorinator that you can get at your local pet store.

They don't require special lighting which is one of the reasons they make excellent starter pets. Their lid should have good ventilation though and be secure against escape attempts.

These frogs are genetically programmed to hibernate, and will naturally slow down and may stop eating in the winter months (usually for about 3 months). If possible, the tank can be cooled to 37-39F (3-4C) for three months to mimic the natural environment of the frogs.

They're Here so Lets have a Little Contests

Woo Hoo the Tadpoles have arrived.

No that ripoff site Living Aquatics didn't finally come through we ordered again through Uncle Milton....

No No not my Uncle Milton, I don't think I have one though I guess its possible my dad side of the family is hugh.

Uncle Milton is the company that made our little frog habitat and its who we received our first tadpole from. They were very quick when the e-mail came out saying they were shipping it, they arrived the next day. I tried to get a couple good pics here they are...

Now lets have a little fun. Lets Have a naming contest. The rules are simple... Post one or two good froggy names (no more then two) at the end of the month I'll let my kiddies pick from the list of names. That simple.

There will be two prizes. They will be pet specific... Not my pets but the winners pets. When kids have picked the names I will contact the winners to see what kind of pet(s) they have and will build the prize around them. I will post pics of the prizes before they are sent out.

The Site is Living Aquatic

Their crime is taking our money and not giving us our stuff. No Frogs, No plants nothing.

The first time we called they were quick to answer and told us our merchandise would be sent out the next day......Still No Frogs!

The second time we called they told us the Frog food we ordered was moldy ..... Ewwww! and that our order would be sent out as soon as the new food came in.

The third time we called they said they we're exchanging the food pellets we ordered for a different kind and that it would be sent out the next day....... Still no Frogs No Plants No Food.

They have a wonderfully put together site lots of information and videos its too bad they don't spend some of that time on customer service and getting out their stock. It makes you laugh at their mission statement:

"Our mission is to be the number one supplier of Freshwater Crayfish, Snails, Fish and Aquatic Critters in the United States. We take pride in offering only healthy active quality specimens. If your looking for Freshwater Crawfish, Clams, Shrimps and Aquatic Plants then you have come to the right site. All of our orders are handled in a timely professional manner. No order is to large or to small for us! "

Obviously our order was either too big or too small because we ordered on December 13th and still no Frogs. Spread the word let your friends beware!

Leapord Frog Update

Still no sign of the Tadpoles we ordered in December. We e-mailed the company to find out what's up but haven't heard back from them. If I don't hear from them soon I'm going to post who they are and tell everyone to avoid them. I'm telling you Customer service is dead!

Frog Tank

You will never believe what happend to the frog tank I was creating.

I just finished it. I had all the dirt and gravel, planted the fern, put it the frog house I created. Had it up on the shelf filled with water. It looked so pretty. The next day I was walking by and noticed some water. I looked up at the tank and there was an enormous crack right up the side of the tank.

I have no idea how it got there but it was on the water half of the tank so it couldn't be repaired.

I wanted to cry so bad but I didn't have time I had to start all over again. I finally have it finished Except for the back it needs a good back drop. I hope this one doesn't break or I really will have to cry.

Meet The Cast

CATS



Old Man Fitz

The oldest of the gang He joined our family in 1991 and he has out lived 4 other pets. If you picked him up you would swear he is virtually boneless. He will just blob over in your hands. He also likes to help on the computer as you can see.

Boots

He is our youngest cat. When we adopted him from the pound he was the nicest quietest cat you can possible imagine. BUT when we had him fixed he became rather mental. He will suddenly jump up and tear around the house or attack the dog. You can tell when its about to happen because of the wild look in his eyes.

DOG

Cricket

We got Cricket from the pound at the same time we adopted Boots. He has Hip Dyspepsia in both back legs and has already been operated on once. He is the sweetest dog you can possible imagine. We think he is half Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Half Chow. He has all the colors of the retriever with the curly tail and purple tongue of the Chow. Though after his operation his tail doesn't curl quite right any more.

Turtle

Temporary Name Rex

Rex is the newest addition to our family. We adopted him when his previous owner could no longer care for him. His name is only Temporary because we got him on my Husbands Birthday and told him he could name him but hasn't done so yet. He is very entertaining to watch though he is very camera shy and I've been having a heck of a time getting a good picture of him.


Frogs
To Be Announced
To Be Announced
The frogs haven't arrived yet we ordered them to replace the one my son lost before we moved. Boots the cat got him out of the tank somehow but I've fixed that problem the tank will be on a higher ledge with a lid that latches closed.

Supporting Cast of Characters Snails, Plecos, and Feeder Guppies

I don't have good pictures of the plecos yet and the feeder guppies are rather small and there are lots of them. We bought a dozen to give the turtle some exercise (he looked really bored) and they had babies. The babies are in a seperate tank.