Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Do Frogs Make Good Housepets?



London, Maddie & I went to a good old fashioned backyard birthday party for an 8-year-old girl this evening, on the other side of Mendham Township, NJ. One of the huge draws for both the boys and the girls turned out to be catching frogs in the birthday girl's pond. I only half-jokingly said to the birthday mom, "Can I take one home?" My loyal Roxiticus Desperate Housewives readers know that my older daughter, London, is allergic to dogs, horses, and most anything with hair. Now, check out the picture...I don't see any hair...maybe a frog would be the right pet for my girls? I had considered a turtle, but apparently turtles are not something you can buy legally in a pet store, at least in New Jersey.

Seriously, folks, I don't know anything about taking care of frogs. Are they reptiles? Amphibians? Do I need to provide both water and dry land in a froggy habitat? I do have an empty five or ten gallon aquarium left over from a failed fish experience back in my wild single days. Could a frog -- or two -- be happy in the Roxiticus Valley?

17 comments:

Mariuca said...

OMG! Traffic is terrible today too! I did not manage to finish my 300 drops for Mariuca yesterday, very slow connection. :(

And OMG, no froggies for me please. they're much too slimy for my taste!

Here to vote sweetie, good luck. :)

LadyJava said...

Yikess Froggy!! I'm not a great fan Roxy.. in fact I think I'm quite scared of them..lolzz!

Anonymous said...

Oh wow. Kids like all kinds of things LOL. Thanks for stopping by my site!

Bugz said...

I don't have the answers, I'm too busy laughing. Do frogs really give you warts if they pee on you? My mother used to say that but then she was full of "words of wisdon" that bs. Do frogs eat flies? At least your home will be fly free hahahahhaha.

Mackey said...

Hi there... I popped in from Spicy Bugz blog.
My son brought some frogs home from the lake a few weeks ago.....thenI found out that they are actually endangered & protected!
I won't rat you out if you don;t rat me out:)

Henson Ray said...

Whatever you do, don't let your daughter kiss one. Lord knows you don't need some pompous, condescending Prince Charmless hanging out at your house all the time, demanding meat pies and yards of Mead.

Shelia said...

You know, I had a a couple of frogs when I was little, but I can't remember a thing about how they were cared for...probably why I remember them dying, LOL.

London and I have one thing in common, allergies. I'm basically allergic to all of the things you mentioned and more. I have two beautiful aquariums of fish, they fit people like us.

This is probably a good internet research project, or a pet store question. Good Luck!

Anonymous said...

Frogs are not good for children. They carry salomonella. (Turtles as well because they live mostly in water.) A tortoise can be good. Land turtles stay dry and don't carry the same bacteria. They also live forever on little maintence. (I had one when I was 12) I know the turtle law is usually for animals under 3 inches in diameter because of cases of children swallowing them, but in most states you can find a 7 or 8 inch box turtle. :)

Anonymous said...

I was going to post the same thing as flower-girl-dresses, that frogs can salmonella, like lizards do. I grew up by a lake, had loads of toads, so the speak, as a girl. I don't recall ever keeping one in a tank (we couldn't have afforded a tank, anyway).

Pet stores do sell little frogs. They are small and easy to care for, but they have a short "shelf-life," if you know what I mean. Fish are great,too. Or you can start your daughter on sea monkeys! lol! I have had them, and so did my son. They are high-maintenance, though.

Didn't know that about turtles in New Jersey. I'm from New York, so you can already guess what I think of New Jersey. ;)

All the best.

Mariuca said...

Roxy!!! Sorry I missed ur BOTB, thanks for inviting me yeah? I was out and by the time I got back online the battle was over, hope u won! :)

Here with MPG, nite nite! :)

Matthew S. Urdan said...

Frogs are amphibians, they need a lot of water, dry land as well, high humidity. They are NOT good pets. They're slimy, they carry disease, and some are poisonous.

Toads aren't any petter, but if you kiss one, one might turn out to be a prince, I don't know.

I would recommend Wikipedia on Frogs--there is a huge variety depending on the species, but I wouldn't buy anything from a petstore. They tend to have sickly creatures of all species.

Good luck!

Matthew S. Urdan said...

As for pets, did you see my post on Norway Maple Trees not too long back?

Trees make great pets. Start them from seed. Give them potting soil, vermiculite, lots of water and sunlight and they'll grow big and strong, never complain, you can put them in your yard to shade your house and lower your energy bills, and they'll even out live you.

If a big full-out tree is too much of a hassle, try bonsai maples...more work, but probably more rewarding--care for it like a child, it will care for you. ;)

Anonymous said...

They're good for dinner....

Anonymous said...

This post is really interesting . Thanks for posting it here..I really appreciate it..^^

Mariuca said...

Hi Roxy! How are u today?

Am here finishing up my rounds for the day. My connection has been very speedy today YAY!

Is this the picture u took using ur new camera? It looks really good, very clear!

It's almost 6pm here so you must be fast asleep. Have a great day at work today. :):):)

Anonymous said...

I really hate frogs,I dont like their irritating voice at all.

Anonymous said...

Hi Roxy
So have you decided on Mr Kermit yet??