Infopet || Advice: Reptiles and amphibians: Amphibians

Reptiles and amphibians: Amphibians

Amphibians, which include salamanders, newts, frogs and toads, have a special charm for many pet owners. They can be relaxing to watch, in the same way as fish, and some seem to be natural comedians. They are also sensitive creatures, and can be harmed by pollution, so they need protection from detergents, solvents and the like. The focus here is on amphibians kept as pets, with a few hints for people who want to encourage native European amphibians in their gardens.

Providing a haven for native species

Many of us have early experiences of taking home frog spawn as children, and watching the frogs develop. Some survived, others didn't, and they hopped off into the garden to be forgotten. Our early efforts as amphibian keepers perhaps tended to be a bit haphazard. Sheltering amphibians can, however, help our native European species of frogs, toads and newts, which are under threat from pollutants, traffic, and loss of habitat. People with garden ponds can help their survival enormously, and do themselves a favour, because amphibians consume the gardener's enemy, slugs. Amphibians need a fish-free pond that is cleaned now and then, especially in the autumn when leaves fall.. Fish-free because fish may eat small tadpoles, while frogs can grasp goldfish tightly in the mating season, so it helps to have two ponds if you like fish, and keep the fish and frogs separate! Ponds filled with decaying leaves can kill frogs. Froglets and newts are also helped if they have an improvised 'ramp' to get out of the pond - you can heap stones in one end of the pond, for example. Amphibians need damp when they are on land, so they will be encouraged by plenty of shady spots in your garden. They also benefit from 'eco-friendly' gardening practices, because they are so sensitive to pollutants, and they do best in traffic-free and quiet areas, because frogs and toads especially regularly get run over in their quest to return to where they grew up, during the breeding season.

Taking frog spawn from the wild is not a good conservation measure! Try to find someone with a garden pond who has an overabundance of spawn, and start off that way. Let your pond stand for at least a couple of months before introducing spawn, and give the tadpoles plenty of hiding places, using stones and pond weed. Then introduce your tadpoles, and watch them develop. You should find they come back year after year.

Choosing your amphibians

It's safest to start off with the relatively easy species, which tend to come from temperate zones. Make sure your specimen is healthy, which means having clear eyes, being neither skinny nor bloated, with no injuries or other visible problems on the skin. It's safer not to mix species, since they don't always get on. Check to see whether the species you are thinking about is best kept in small groups, in pairs or singly. Read up on what you can about different species' natural environments before you make a choice, so you know which are easier in terms of recreating their habitats, and what to aim for when you set up your tank.

Environment and housing

Pet amphibians need special attention paid to their housing, because they tend to be in smaller spaces than amphibians in garden ponds, and their habitat can easily deteriorate fast. The first rule is to get as big a tank as you can afford, at least 10 gallons for tree frogs, for example. Ensure that the tank is big enough if you have a group. You can also divide amphibians up into those that live mainly on land (terrestrial), the semi-aquatic, which spend time in both land and water, and the aquatic, which live in water.

Amphibians that spend most of their time on land (terrestrial) can also be divided into climbers and non-climbers. Those that like to climb, like tree frogs, need tall tanks, and of course the lid should be secure. You can put sterilized potting compost, bark, and potted plants, and branches in a terrestrial amphibian's tank. Flower pots on their sides can also make good hiding places. Make sure the humidity level is kept high by spraying, and give your amphibians a dish of water as well. Leave water you use for spraying, or in the dish to stand overnight, to let the chlorine evaporate. You can also buy dechlorinating products. Wash anything you put in the tank, and dry it thoroughly, and be careful about introducing anything that could be contaminated with solvents or detergents.

Other species of amphibians spend part of the time on water, and part of the time on land. These semi-aquatic amphibians need different conditions, allowing them access to both water and land. You can divide a tank with plexiglas to create a land and a water area, or ensure that there are enough rocks and small stones for the amphibians to be able to come out of the water onto a land area. Aquarium gravel is easily cleaned, so is suitable for the water area, and put in some water plants. The amphibian has to be able to leave the water area easily using a 'ramp', which you can make from rocks. Either clean the whole tank thoroughly, or keep the land side dry and ensure the water side is kept clean. You can plant your land area as with a terrestrial tank, if you keep this separate from the water area. This type of tank also needs a lid.

The third type of amphibians are members of the aquatic species, which need a large aquarium which is wide rather than tall. You can use washed aquarium gravel sloping upwards towards the back, so you see them better. The inhabitants will benefit from aquatic plants, which can be bought bought from aquatic specialists and may need to be replaced regularly.

Amphibians also vary according to how much heat they need. Those that come from temperate climates may not need special heating if temperatures in your home are similar to those found in their native habitats. Amphibians from tropical and semi-tropical habitats do need additional heating, especially if it gets very cold at night where you live. You can use a submersible aquarium water heater to warm the water. This also raises humidity levels due to evaporation. Lighting can be used to heat land areas, or you can use undertank heating pads, or try heat lamps. Be very careful that the heat lamps don't roast your pets and kill the plants. You need both warmer and cooler areas in the tank, so that your amphibians can find the right temperature by moving into the warmer part if they are a bit chilly, and into the cooler part if they feel too hot. Do turn lights off at night, and keep your tank out of direct sunlight to prevent overheating. It's usually cooler at night in the wild than it is in the daytime, and you can mimic this in the tank - keeping the light off at night means the temperature drops, and you can keep a check on this with the thermometer to make sure it doesn't drop too far. Reading up on the area where your amphibian comes from will help you judge temperature ranges, both summer and winter, and night-day differences.

Lighting is important for a number of reasons, not just to allow you to see your pets! It's important for their body clocks, even the nocturnal amphibians, and seasonal variations help encourage them to breed. You need to work out the lighting times in the region they came from, remembering that there is less difference in the tropics than in temperate zones, and then set an automatic timer. Use a broad-spectrum light, and make sure your amphibians can't get too near the bulb, using a mesh barrier.

Your amphibians also need some ventilation to prevent the air inside the tank from getting stinky, and help control the proliferation of organisms in the water and land areas. You can use mesh to ensure your pets do not escape, or drill holes. Use an aquarium aerator in the water - you just need a simple one with airstone bubling into the water. This helps to keep the water sweet, and helps make the tank more humid. Aquatic and semi-aquatic species also need a water filter, to keep the water clean. Ask at your aquatic store for the correct size and type for the amount of water you need to filter.

Feeding

Generally, amphibians are carnivorous and like to eat live prey. They will tend to ignore 'dead food', which can just end up making the water foul. Give as wide a variety of food as possible, and be careful about overfeeding, because of the effect on the water quality. Wait until all the 'prey' has been eaten before feeding more, or take it out if the prey you have provided is not seen as appetising. Make sure the 'prey' is not dangerous to your pet - carnivores such as dragon fly larvae can kill amphibians, for instance. Some amphibian keepers like to use vitamin and calcium supplements, but these are less necessary if you provide a wide range of food.

You can find food for your pets in your garden, and in ponds, so long as you match the size of food to the diner. Water fleas provide a tasty bite for tiny amphibian larvae, while larger amphibians may be partial to mealworms, earthworms, Tree frogs eat a variety of insects, while salamanders like mealworms, earthworms, aphids, small moths and other insects. Terrestrial amphibians of course will tend to favour insects found out of water, and aquatic species tend to catch prey that swims, but generally they are quite flexible - if it moves and they can catch it, they eat it!

Health

The main ways to prevent health problems are to start out with healthy specimens, and provide the right habitat and food! Keep the tank clean, be careful about pollutants such as detergents, and ensure that you have the right temperature for the species you keep. Give new specimens peace and quiet at first, since they are likely to be stressed and more likely to injure themselves when you first acquire them. It helps to quarantine new animals for at least a fortnight, and to.have a 'hospital tank' to isolate sick specimens, such as those showing signs of lethargy, bloat, or inflammation. Vets often have little or no experience of treating amphibians, so you may need to phone around to find a good vet, and read up on amphibian ailments yourself, especially if you start to accumulate a lot of specimens.

Amphibians from species that hibernate seem to benefit from this in terms of general health. They will bury themselves out of sight, re-emerging later. Check the temperature range you need to provide to encourage different species to hibernate - here again, reading up on the natural environment your amphibian comes from will help you.

Handling

Basically, try to handle amphibians as little as possible. You can use a fish net to catch them and transport them short distances. Be very careful they don't fall or jump out of your hands if you do pick them up, or they could be injured. It's safer, where possible, to coax them into a small container, and close the container before taking it out of the tank.

You need to wash your hands if you have to pick them up, both before and after. By washing before, you reduce the chances of anything on your hands damaging the amphibian. By washing after, you help protect yourself against irritants and infections. Check whether the species you handle has a propensity to secrete toxins, and think about wearing surgical gloves. You can transport terrestrial and semi-aquatic amphibians in a box with something damp inside, like moss, while aquatic species can be transported in the same way as fish.

Breeding

Habitat is an important factor in breeding - you need to recreate a sense of seasons passing to encourage your amphibians to breed. This is done by varying the hours of light you provide to match the light periods in the amphibian's natural environment. Amphibians from hibernating species also breed more freely if they are allowed to hibernate as pets, so it's worth letting them hibernate just to have the chance to see your specimens through their full life cycle.

Further reading:

Arnold, E.N., Burton, J.A. and D.W.Ovenden (1999) Collins Field Guide: Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Europe, Collins.

Bartlett, Richard, and Patricia Bartlett (illustrator) (1996) Frogs, Toads and Treefrogs (A Complete Pet Owner's Manual) Barron's

Bartlett, R.D. (1999) Terrarium and Cage Construction and Care, Barron's.

Beebee, Trevor and Richard Griffiths (2000) New Naturalist: Reptiles and Amphibians (The New Naturalist) Collins.

Davies, Robert and Valerie Davies (1997) The Reptile and Amphibian Problem Solver: Practical and Expert Advice on Keeping Snakes, Lizards, Frogs and Other Reptiles and Amphibians, Tetra Press

Gampper, Terry (1998) An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet: Frogs and Toads, Hungry Minds.

Griffiths, Richard (1996) The Newts and Salamanders of Europe, A & C Black.

Halliday, Tim (Editor), and Kraig Adler (Editor) (2002) The New Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians, Oxford University Press.

Hofrichter, Robert (Editor) (2000) Amphibians: The World of Frogs, Toads, Salamanders and Newts, Firefly Books

Indiviglio, Frank (1997) Newts & Salamanders (A Complete Pet Owner's Manual) Barron's Educational Series.

Kevin M., DVM Wright, Brent R., and DVM Whitaker (2001) Amphibian Medicine and Captive Husbandry, Krieger Publishing Company.

Mader, Douglas (1996) Reptile Medicine and Surgery, Saunders.

Mattison, Chris (1992) Frogs and Toads of the World, Cassell

Mattison, Chris (1993) Keeping and Breeding Amphibians: Caecilians, Newts, Salamanders, Frogs and Toads, Orion.

Zug, George, Vitt, Laurie J, and Janalee P. Caldwell (2001) Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles, Academic Press.

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