Ask iFrog

by ifrog boss on June 19, 2010 · 34 comments

atelopus-zeteki Got a frog, toad, or other amphibian question?

Ask me any question about frogs, toads, or other amphibians.

 

I’m Scott and I would love to answer any question(s) you may have about these wonderful creatures. Type a question below and I’ll get back to you with an answer.

← Older Comments
  • kellie martin

    I have 5 dumpy treefrogs. Sometimes when the tv is on, music is playing, or just people in the room talking, they will start croaking incredibly loudly. It starts soft then builds up, and once one of them starts, the rest join in. What exactly is it that sets them off? And I’ve noticed that they are a lot more vocal in warm weather as opposed to in the winter time.

    • http://www.ifrog.us Scott Robinson

      White’s tree frogs are very social. The reaction you’re witnessing is that of a response to a competitor male. They hear sounds that resemble that of a rival male’s call. They get in on the action to sound (sexier) to any local females by calling as loud as they can.

      Being as all herptiles are ectotherms (regulate their body temperatures via external heat sources) the warmer it gets the more energized their metabolism becomes. Hence the heightened activity during warmer times.

      Listen to the feeder crickets too. The colder it gets, the slower their chirps will be. The warmer it gets the louder and faster their chirps become.

      A fun trick to try is to wait until evening time. Then go over to the White’s tree frog enclosure and in a clear voice say (repetitively) “ER-Dee, ER-Dee, ER-Dee, ….” You will hear them start to follow suit and croak right along with you. (ER-Dee pronounced as it’s spelled.) Its fun to show kids and guests.

      My White’s tree frogs love Cajun, Calypso, and Zydeco music. Not sure why that is. Must be the bouncy beat.

      Hope this helps and thank you for sharing. Your response earned another donation to save the world’s amphibians.

  • heaven_on_earth_devil

    Hello i have a Smooth Sided Toad (Bufo guttatus) &Western Toad (Bufo boreas). i was wondering if I could house these togther or keep them sep like I have now.. Any advise on these guys are welled.. thank you

    • http://www.ifrog.us Scott Robinson

      Best practice is always to house different species in different enclosures. Number of reasons: Fighting, illness, disease, cannibalism, stress, competition for food, varying environments.

      This is a guideline only, as some species are so similar in many ways that housing them together is acceptable. However, I’d like to see you keep them apart.

      Hope this helps.

      ~Scott | iFrog Director

      P.S. Your question has earned a donation to help save amphibians. Thank you !!!

      • heaven_on_earth_devil

        Thank you very much for you advise! I will keep them separate! I was wondering if you had any more info on the Smooth Sided Toad (Bufo guttatus) As I have researched and researched.. there isn’t alot about them ..I want to keep my guy happy and healthy.. thank you Scott for your time

  • IvoryReptiles

    We breed C. cranwelli and were curious. We know the Fantasy Frog is a hybrid, but has the Ornate & cranwell ever been crossed & what is the result? We heard it had been done & was called an Orwell, but cannot find any photos or information. Please help!

    • http://www.ifrog.us Scott Robinson

      People have crossed ornata (Ornate or Argentine Horned Frog) and cranwelli (most often sold as the albino Ornate Horned Frog because albinos are commonly produced in cranwelli lines but not in ornata lines), cornuta and ornata, as well. They are all now commonly called Fantasy Frogs, but I’ll primarily discuss the original hybrid.

      The first thing to note about Fantasy Frogs: these frogs are said to be mules. This means they are typically born sterile. I say “typically”, because the Ligers and Tions were also said to be mules, but occasionally offspring arrive unexpectedly.

      Given the smaller size of c. cornuta, I would expect c. ornata x cornuta to be of similar size to cranwelli x cornuta. I would also expect c. cranwelli x ornata hybrids to be the largest given that both species grow quite large (4 inches for males, 8 inches for females).

      The third thing to note about Fantasy Frogs: They have excellent track records in captivity, but the hybrid debate rages on; ie should you are shouldn’t you hybridize. They eat well, grow well, adjust to changes well, and have the beautiful large horns reminiscent of their c. cornuta lineage.

      Care is identical to that of cranwelli and ornata.

      These animals could do significant amount of damage if released (deliberately or accidentally) into the wild.

      As for pictures I’ll have to keep looking for those. If you find any, lmk I’d love t post them on iFrog in the iPics section.

      Hope this helps.

      ~Scott | iFrog director

  • Erin

    Hey Scott,
    I am going to Costa Rica in a few months and my main quest is to photograph as many frogs as I can find.  I have read contradictory information about taking photographs with/without a flash and using a flashlight as a source.  What is your advice?
    cheers

    • http://www.ifrog.us Scott Robinson

      I’ve been told to use both a 17 to 200mm zoom lens for the larger or more distant guys. Some of my professional buddies like using a 105mm macro lens with a ring flash for the smaller guys they can get close to. However, some of the better shots they’ve taken involved using extension rings and an off camera flash cable.

      Photographing herps at night my friend finds easiest when they have someone else with them to aim their flashlight at the subject. It is really hard to try to manually focus the lens and hold a light steady at the same time (it can be done). Also, f/stop ranges anywhere from f/8 to f/22 depending on the size of the animal. Since they are all generally small (frogs and salamanders) they like to get the whole animal in focus when possible. However, it is imperative to use a flash when using such a small f/stop.

      Daytime photography often poses similar issues. Now comes the decision whether you want to increase the ISO or again use a flash, which largely depends on the lighting you are in. The general preference is to increase the ISO as the lighting tends to look more natural but then it can become a balance of how much noise do you want in your photo.

      Hope this helps. If you need more assistance, lmk and I will get you in touch with a good friend of mine, Erin (this month’s featured nature photographer – http://www.ifrog.us/ifriends/).

      Hope this helps.

      ~Scott | iFrog Director

  • Elaughton

    Scott,
    I’m glad you are on board to answer my question about Salamanders.  They are miraculous creatures, generally small and evasive, and so gentle, they don’t want to hurt anybody! The few that I have found appear to be made of air, water, and a dash of carbon, little else.  How come they don’t get more press?

    • http://www.ifrog.us Scott Robinson

      Sallys are definitely overlooked as a species. I agree, they are cute as buttons. Start a website dedicated to salamanders and see it take off. If you need assistance, lmk.

      Hope this helps.

      ~Scott | iFrog Director

← Older Comments