What To Consider Before Getting a Pet Frog

Thinking about getting a frog for a pet?

Before you jump into frog ownership, make sure you know what you’re getting into. Frogs can seem like a pretty easy pet to take care of, but they definitely have some quirks you’ll want to know about before bringing one home.

Here’s what to consider before getting a pet frog.

Frogs are fragile

If you’re looking for a pet that you’d like to handle and interact with a lot, then you may want to think again before getting a frog. They’re not really made for handling.

Frogs have porous skin that can easily absorb toxins, and the oils from your skin can interfere with their normal oxygen absorption through that porous skin. Even the detergents and fragrances in your hand soap can be irritating to a frog, so if you are handling your frog a little, it’s a good idea to rinse your hands thoroughly after washing.

Additionally, frogs absorb a lot of moisture through their skin. Because of this, their enclosures need to be misted regularly. It’s not difficult, and you can even set up a timer to mist the terrarium automatically, but some species of frogs can dry out quickly if you forget to mist them for a few days.

Now, not being good for handling doesn’t necessarily mean that frogs aren’t a good pet to have. It just means that you have to go into frog ownership with the right expectations.

If you’re looking for an exotic pet that you can simply admire in the enclosure, then frogs may be right for you. Plus, frog enclosures are great for creating beautiful bioactive setups with live plants and climbing branches.

Frogs are difficult to treat medically

Some exotic pet species are easier to treat in a medical situation than others. Many species of lizards (bearded dragons, for instance) give noticeable symptoms when ill and can be taken to a veterinarian for treatment.

Not so with frogs.

Unfortunately, it can often be difficult to even notice that a frog is exhibiting symptoms of an illness until the situation is too late to treat. That’s because they’re really good at hiding illness.

Frogs are noisy

You probably know this already, but in case you don’t, frogs make noise. And many of them especially make noise at night (though that does depend on the species—dart frogs are awake during the day, for instance). If you don’t enjoy the sound of frogs calling, you may not want to fill your house with these exotic pets.

This can be a different experience from other types of reptiles and amphibians, like snakes or lizards, that tend not to make a lot of vocalizations.

That being said, some frogs make really interesting calls, and if you find the calls of frogs beautiful to listen to, you may really enjoy having that background sound in your home.

Frogs are not the easiest pet

If you’re going to get a pet frog, it’s important to know that they have specific care requirements that differ from other reptiles or amphibians. Frogs, specifically, will benefit from a water feature in their habitat.

Before selecting any pet, you should always make sure you’ve done your research and are prepared for that specific animal’s care.

Some of the easier frog species for beginners to take care of include White’s tree frogs, red eyed tree frogs, and certain types of dart frogs.

Learn more about caring for frogs in The Tye-Dyed Iguana’s Care Sheets.