Most likely the wrong forum, but am going to ask anyway. Rana sexing, beh., nutr., sys.  - 8/1/10
Hi again guys,
<Ave,>
I have a frog that was captured from outside. The frog is a common green frog, *Rana clamitans*. From what I read male frogs have ears that are significantly bigger then their eyes, female frogs have ears the same side as their eyes; male frogs have yellowish under parts and throats, and girls frogs have creamy white throats. Now, when I first got my frog I was convinced it was a girl frog (the underside seems white, and the ear was just a little bigger, you could say it was the same size. BUT, my frog croaks, and the throat puffs out/extends with the croaks! Does a female frog croak?
<Not usually, no. Croaking is for males to attract a mate. Males also have a much larger ear drum, about twice the size of the eye, so it should be pretty obvious.>
I understand that there are 6 different calls that this species of frogs make, but do girls make croaking sounds? If I sent a picture of the actual frog, could someone here tell me if it is a male or female?
<Perhaps.>
I really want to know. The one book that has an actual picture of a male and female has no caption with the picture to say WHICH is male or female, mores the pity. It's in a semi-aquatic aquarium/vivarium which is 20
gallons and has Zilla brand foam insert kit called "rain forest rapids" kit. Also, I read somewhere on the internet to only feed this kind of frog 3 times a week, what happens if a frog is over fed? My frog eats a LOT.
<Yes they do.>
Like, last night it ate: about 9 pill bugs, a slug, about 6 worms, a centipede, 2 spiders, and about 3 or 4 meal worms, a moth, and one unidentified insect. Also, most of the food I go out and catch outdoors, in this case, should I use the powder that contains multivitamins that is sprinkled on foods for lizard and amphibians to keep them from getting metabolic bone disease?
<Is well worth doing.>
Also, I am using just a daylight lamp from Exo Terra it says on the package it is good for all amphibians. It is very hard to find any information on frogs not generally found in the pet industry, I mean it is easy to find out what you
have, but not specific husbandry for the frog like you could if you had one common in pet stores. Could I have more than one of these frogs in this tank?
<Generally, Rana species are kept singly in small tanks. They tend to do only fairly well in captivity, and never really become tame. They're quite nervous and prone to bashing their noses on the glass as they jump about
when scared. You could certainly try keeping a pair in your tank, but you'd have to keep an eye on them, and the problem is that after spawning, should they do so, the male would likely harass the female. If the female goes off
her food, that's a good sign of trouble.>
Thanks,
Penny
P.S: I use a lot of Seachem products in my aquariums, one is called "Prime". It is a water conditioner, but I am wondering, could this be dangerous to a frog? I know frogs can absorb water through its skin and it cloaca, and this does have a harsh sulfur chemical smell.
<This product should be safe.>
I also use the Seachem's version of live bacteria called "Stability",
<Useless.>
and a carbon replacement for planted aquariums called "Flourish Excel" and also Seachem's "Flourish Iron" Iron supplement for planted tanks, and the general plant supplement from Seachem caller "Flourish". Would these
products harm my frog?
<Shouldn't do so, no.>
I did use the live bacteria product-no ill effects yet. I have live plants in this tank in the water section- water sprite floating and java fern on the bottom. Could I use the water conditioner and the plant fertilizers?
<Should be able to, but if in doubt, consult with the manufacturer. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Most likely the wrong forum, but am going to ask anyway... where does this go?   8/4/10
Oh, my Gosh! Seachem fooled me good to the tune of $41.00 American!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
<Could be worse. Those poor folks in Pakistan have just had their homes washed away in floods. Always good to have a sense of perspective.>
From now on I will ask someone here if what I am buying is a crock of poop before I chuck my bucks around at aquarium store.
<By all means do so.>
Seachem has a nice website, and explains why the products are so good.
<And they are. But you do need to understand what products do, and like all businesses, they tend to promise a little more than their products actually deliver. Coca Cola doesn't make me sexy, and eating Bran Flakes doesn't
imbue me with glowing sense of happiness.>
Last time I went to the aquarium store I purchased $120.00 dollars worth of products from Seachem (This was for 3 items!!!!!!!!) Now I feel like a fool.
<Please don't feel foolish. Two of the three products you bought are good ones, among the best in their niches. The one product I'm not wild about is Seachem Stability, and that's only because most of these "good bacteria"
products are unreliable and, once the aquarium is more than half mature, don't provide any benefits whatsoever. They don't do any harm, but these bacteria potions often don't do any good either.>
Thanks for helping me with my frog. It is getting bigger, and the ear is getting bigger so it must be a boy frog. But it was much smaller first and the ear was the same size as the eye so I was fooled there, too.
<If it makes you feel any better, frogs are pretty bad at telling their sexes at times. If you watch them in the wild you'll see every possible permutation of male and female frog you can imagine!>
Pen
<Have fun with your frogs! Cheers, Neale.>  

Is it possible for frogs to have hiccups? 3/10/10
<Not as such, no. Frogs don't chew their food, and if they swallow a morsel too large for comfort, they may regurgitate it and try again. But they're unlikely to send food down to their lungs, so hiccups like humans have them
aren't something you're going to see.>
I'm not sure what's wrong with him but he seemed to jerk continuously after he ate some food
<If things settle down eventually, I wouldn't worry too much. But do be sure to offer food in sufficiently small morsels that the frog can swallow them easily.>
--salwa_s
<Cheers, Neale.>

Aquatic Frog Excessive Shedding  7/29/08 Dear WWM Crew, <Jean> I have an aquatic frog who is shedding excessively; is this a form of a fungus? <Mmm, no... perhaps an indication of something noxious in the environment... water quality...> If so, can you recommend treatment. <Mmm, really just to look about, see if there is something toxic... metallic, shells...> I do know that aquatic frogs shed and then eat their skin for protein and etc. I also noticed he has not eaten in the pass two days. Please give advice. Thanks again for your help. Jean <Mmm, and to take care in water prep. Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/taptrtmnt.htm and the linked files above, and on WWM re Anuran Husbandry period. Bob Fenner>

Firebelly Toad Changing Color   3/21/07 Hello! I am writing to you because I have a Firebelly toad in my kindergarten classroom. I have two frogs in the tank, one of which was adopted from our local petstore because he was born with only three legs. Normally his color is green, but today we noticed that his coloring is much darker than usual and the frog is not as active as usual. Could it just be an off day or could something be wrong?? Thanks!! < They do shed their external skin so this just could simply be a case of a toad getting ready to shed. Just in case do a water change and clean the filter to see if he perks up.-Chuck>

Dumpy Tree Frog Peeling   12/21/06 To whom it may concern. I'm beginning to freak out! My 7 month old white dumpy tree frog seems  to be peeling! I took him out of the tank take a closer look and it seems that he is a bit bloated and has a bump (or just a new bump) under his mouth. It also looks like he has "left-overs" around his mouth, as if its peeling there too, but its a much darker color (looks blackish, kind of like if something had been burnt). I don't know what to do, I've searched the web but can't seem to find my specific answer questioned. Please help! I appreciate anything. Sincerely, Nina Morato < Assuming that everything else is normal and as it should be, it sounds like your frog has been poisoned. As you place live insects in your terrarium not all of them get eaten. The ones that live may be eating some of the terrarium plants which may be harmful. When they get eaten by the frog they carry the poisons from the plant. The "leftovers " may be the result of your frog trying to vomit the poisonous item out. Go to Kingsnake.com and look for a reference to a vet in your area. I would say for now get him into a very clean and very damp container so he does not dry out. Used cool distilled water to spray him often so his skin does not dry out and get infected if he survives.-Chuck>