The Votes (and Comments) Are In...Frogs DO NOT Make Good House Pets

First of all, I want to thank everyone who commented on my post, "Do Frogs Make Good Housepets?" Old friends and new visitors offered helpful advice, and with 17 comments, the froggy post made Roxiticus Desperate Housewives feel a little like good blogosphere buddy Mariuca, who enjoys triple-digit comments on every post.

Mariuca was also our first voter/commenter: "OMG, no froggies for me please. they're much too slimy for my taste!"

Next, LadyJava checked in: "Yikess Froggy!! I'm not a great fan Roxy.. in fact I think I'm quite scared of them..lolzz!"

New visitor Lindsay, a mom with 4 kids, said: "Oh wow. Kids like all kinds of things LOL."

SpicyBug, who just launched a new self-hosted version of SpicyBugz World, added: "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."

First time commenter Mackey stopped by to say: "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:)" Don't worry, Mackey, what happens with Roxy stays with Roxy...

The ever-hilarious Henson had London, Maddie and Roxy giggling over his comment: "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, our favorite Black Tennis Pro, shared: "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!"

So far, so good for froggies. And then the bad news and serious advice started pouring in:

From Flower Girl Princess: "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. :)"

Mrs. Mecomber agreed: "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. ;)"


Matt of Meltwater Torrents Meanderings Delta chimed in and made a good suggestion for an alternative pet: 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!

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. ;)"

iPod battery took time out to share: "I really hate frogs,I dont like their irritating voice at all."

And last but not least, Anonymous posted: "They're good for dinner...."

When LadyJava came back this morning to ask, "So have you decided on Mr Kermit yet??" I realized that I had enough witty comments and good advice to create this new post. Rex, London and Maddie and I discussed the froggy situation last night, including all of your helpful input, and decided they are best left in their pond.