Thursday, July 24, 2008

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.

7 comments:

Mariuca said...

Ha ha ha, happy to see I was first commenter. Also glad to learn that you've decided against bringing Kermit back home!

Still have like 7 more votes to go, so I'm not late this round yeeha! ;)

LadyJava said...

Roxy!!
Wah interesting comments! and lots of linky love.. thanks dearie!!

So the verdict's in eh?.. poor Mr Kermit have to remain in the pond..lolzz!!

Am here to vote and vote and vote for you..lolz.. good luck!!

Unknown said...

Wow, I would clearly have just said no, as I know who would end up taking care of any pet in this house.

Anonymous said...

I am going to vote that they do and do not make good housepets but not for the reason you think. I LOVE frogs and have had frogs and toads as pets. They are wonderful creatures.

But, if they want frogs, check out craigslist and the local classifieds for someone who needs to get rid of their pet frogs and adopt them. In fact, toads actually are a little easier for kids to keep. They eat similar diets, but it is easier to provide toads soil or bedding and an upside down frisbee of water or something, etc, rather than to create an aquatic environment that would have the right ph and right amount of murkiness to keep a frog happy.

Don't let your kids just pluck some out of the pond to keep. Pond frogs eat a varied diet and your kids can't possibly catch all the things needed to keep them healthy and alive. Also, if they decide to let them go, frogs that have lived in captivity can contract diseases from us and our homes - they may not be sick but can carry things that will kill or hurt their other froggy friends when meeting up with them back in the wild. And lastly, with frogs being pretty fragile and even their populations disappearing in some regions, we want the frogs to be out there mingling with others and making as many tadpoles as they can :)

Unknown said...

Cranky as it sounds they don't even look cute . Like the tadpoles do look good hoping in the lawn but yeah you get freaked out when they are hopping in your bedroom probably hop right into our mouths lol.. that might make up a scene . I would probably get a rabbit or a cat instead .

Anonymous said...

I have bee following this policy of linking to people who leave comments in my blogs

it does boost their will to come back to my blog

nice going..

Anonymous said...

I dont know if its actually true or not, but warts from frogs? I mean its a little farfetched isnt it? There is alot of bacteria on a frog, and people have told me that they have gotten warts from a frog before, but I never have do I dont believe it.