Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
New frog species discovered
From Time South Pacific, Croak Addiction:
After an hour’s searching, Richards and his companion, a local hunter, found the source: a “warty brown blob” squatting on moss in a patch of nettles. When he reached over and gently took hold of the blob, it twisted viciously in a very unfroglike manner and bit him on the hand. “I was shocked,” he says. “Frogs don’t normally bite you. There’s only one other frog in P.N.G. that does that.” The animal’s bite, coupled with its unique cry and strange appearance, told Richards he had snared a place in the zoological textbooks with the discovery of a new species.
They have a picture of the warty brown blog as well as two other handsome devils: one they’ve named after Sauron, and a beautiful, pebbly, blue bugger.
As for the rarity of biting frogs: hmm. All I can say is, this guy hasn’t kept many pet frogs. The Argentinian Horned frog, aka “Pac Man frog” since its mouth extends posteriorly much farther than a mouth should ever extend, will gobble up anything that wiggles in front of its face.
My big toe, for example.
Don’t ask.
D.
You have to loud down the sound bite that goes with the warty brown blob. His “croak” is beautiful. I think they could have thought of a better name. Even warty brown fella is better than blob. His music makes up for his appearance.
OK, frogman, I have a question on keeping frogs.
I think my daughter, along with my very good friend, are about to be hauled off by the police for trapping and keeping, sigh, native frogs.
Yes, I know you’re not supposed to do this. I really, really do. Except that she’s totally in love with her two little pacific tree frogs (at least, I think that’s what they are): Osiris and Moth. Dear Butcher has completely put his foot down against taking in any pets over and above the dog, but he couldn’t say no to the daughter’s shining face and her delight at having the frogs.
I’d like to get them into a better set up, and then perhaps convince her to please let me take the frogs to the local wildlife sanctuary. At which point I will replace Osiris and Moth with a pair of happy pet-trade frogs.
Fortunately, I live close enough to the East Bay Vivarium that my selection of reptiles/amphibians is almost limitless. (No Monitors, thanks.) I’m not that interested in water and pumps–so I’d like to find a tree frog or semi-terrestrial species. (Misting, crickets, changing large bowls of water daily, no prob. Just no more pumps.) What’s your recommendation for a starter frog species? Fire Toads? How about White’s tree frogs?
I should go ask at the vivarium, but I’ll admit to being terrified that they’re going to beat me with a wet noodle for keeping the native frogs in a hagen pet container with a bowl of water, sand, and well moistened hermit crab coir. They sometimes scare me in there.
Oh. And the son wants a king snake. Yeah, I think Dear Butcher’s going down in this battle.
The Argentinian horned frogs are really very easy. It takes some practice to feed them goldfish (holding a goldfish by the tail with forceps ain’t easy). Of course, when they’re bigger, they’ll eat small mice.
Beware having food wandering around the tank (like crickets). If you have a loose substrate, such as gravel, the frog may ingest it when he eats — not a good deal.
My favorite king snake is the Appalachicola king. They’re so art deco. And king snakes make fine pets, too.
I really like king snakes (and corn snakes–the kindergarten class has one named Copernicus). More on that later.
I’ve been informed that the Osiris’ friend is actually named Maat. My bad.
We are continuing negotiations in the household regarding Osiris and Maat’s long term residency. I’m sorry to say that the Argentine horned frogs do nothing for the frog keeper. (“Eww” being the operative word.)
We’re kind of attracted to the American Green tree frog. But I think really a trip to the Vivarium is in order to resolve the situation.
Thanks for the heads up on the gravel/sand. I think it’s mostly under the bowl–they have more contact with the coconut fiber stuff. But I’ll get rid of the sand soon. Or, I meant to say, the ever so responsible keeper of the frogs will do so when SHE cleans the cage.
Because Mommy over here has nothing, NOTHING, I say, to do with the widdle cute jumpy smiley teeny fwoggies. Sooo Cute. Ahem. Yes.
Insert from daughter: Osiris was/is (?) the God of The Underworld in Egyptian history, and Maat is the Goddess of Chaos and Order. Maat is the jumpy one.
I got the frogs when Mom dropped me off to be baby-sat (as she calls it. I call it accidently locking myself in the hostesses bedroom) and saw that she had 13 frogs, all caught across the street in the storm drain by her kids. I held one and started to giggle and told her I loved them. She turned to me and was like ‘Do you want a couple?’ Dad had a great look on his face when he opened the door to ‘I got frogs!’ XD