How to Buy Exotic Frogs Online
One small niche of the Web has been used to exchange information about the care and sale of pets. Many pets can be ordered online, making the rare and exotic ordinary. This guide will explain the steps to buying an exotic frog via the Internet.
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Things You'll Need
- Computer
- Internet connection
- Fish tank
- Fish gravel
- Clean sand
- Organic potting soil
- Fish tank bubbler
- Fish tank canister water filter
Instructions
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Buying An Exotic Frog
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1
Decide what type of frog you would like. Frogs have an extremely wide variety of habitats, sleep cycles and eating habits. Once you've decide on one, research its care needs. Though all frogs will occasionally take a dip in the water to stay moist, some spend most of their time in land, others most of their time in water while a third group go between the two. For the purposes of this article, let's assume we are purchasing a blue-webbed gliding tree frog.
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2
Construct the frog's environment. Usually a clean fish tank is the best thing to use. A 60 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm tank is good for two frogs of the size of an adult blue-webbed gliding tree frog, though as many as half a dozen frogs of any smaller size could fit comfortably in a tank this size.
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3
Fill the bottom inch of the tank with fish tank gravel, as it is free of chemicals which could be harmful to the frog's skin. Top that with plain white sand and an inch of organic potting soil. Mound the layers to one side so as to create incline. By doing this you can fill part of the tank with plain tap water so the frog can moisten itself. A bubbler or canister water filter that hooks onto the outside of the tank should help keep the water clean and bacteria free. As the tree frog we're buying doesn't swim much, it would only need a little water to splash in occasionally.
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Find plants that are common to the frog's environment. Ferns and hardy plants with thick lush leaves are best. Plant them in the potting soil to give the frog a familiar environment, shade and place to explore.
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5
Use the lighting array that typically comes with a fish tank or can be picked up cheaply to provide the frog with a set night and day cycle. Use lamps half as strong as those that come standard for fish tanks. Turn them on during the day and off at night.
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6
Research exotic frog supplies. You will need to purchase humidifying agents to put in the tank to keep the frog healthy. You will also need vitamins; I would suggest a powder called Repton that you dust the frog's food with once a week to keep it healthy. The reason for this is you're not likely to feed it the wealth of insects it would find in its normal environment. Also you will need to purchase live food, as frogs hunt by movement and smell. They can tell the difference between a live insect and a dead one. Most frogs will happily eat a diet of crickets and mealworms, both of which should be available on the frog supply site you've found. You'll need to make weekly purchases to keep up a steady supply of live food for your frog.
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7
Search online for "exotic frogs for sale." Your results should give you a number of purchase sites from which to choose. Make sure to read the fine print of each Web site before choosing. Learn their return policy ,should something be wrong with the frog when it arrives. Also check their references and linked sites to ensure their reliability. You shipping and handling fees will be higher than normal because you're buying a live animal.
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Tips & Warnings
Please be aware that frogs are not the most long-lived animals and should not be bought for small children.
Unless you have a great deal of experience working with dangerous amphibians I would strongly advise against purchasing the colorful but deadly poison dart frog. Their skin produces one of the deadliest toxins known to man, and it can be absorbed through your skin. So, not only is touching such an animal incredibly dangerous, touching anything that the frog has come into physical contact may also be deadly, as the toxin can stay potent and lethal for years after first contact.
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Comments
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Yes it is true that poison dart frogs secrete some of the deadliest venom; HOWEVER, they produce the venom as a result of the diet they eat in the wild and can only produce it in that manner. Although handling them is not a good ide ( a captive bred Poison Arrow Dart frog still secretes a minute amount of poison) they do not produce a poison of that magnitude. Therefore, just don't lick them, handle them unnecessarily, and wash your hands if you touch them and you''ll be fine.
