Keeping Amphibians

Amphibians are cold-blooded animals that lay their eggs in water.  Frogs, toads, newts and salamanders are classed as amphibians and various different species can be kept as exotic pets.  They can be fascinating and beautiful creatures.  However, as with any unusual pet that would usually be found in the wild, it’s important to understand their needs and know how to care for them to keep them healthy.  This includes providing them with the right habitat and feeding them as close to their natural diet as possible.  Here we offer some general guidelines on keeping amphibians as pets.

Handling

Unlike some other exotic pets, such as tarantulas or snakes, it’s best not to handle amphibians.  Pet frogs, toads, newts and salamanders are fragile creatures with sensitive and thin, moist skin.  Unnecessary handling can hurt or injure them.  On the odd occasion where you do need to pick up your pet, it’s important to make sure your hands are free from chemicals (such as soap) that could be easily absorbed by an amphibian’s skin.  It’s advisable to wear wet plastic gloves or wet your hands first.

If your newt or frog manages to escape from its tank and you can’t find it, place a wet cloth or flannel on the floor, as amphibians are attracted to damp places.  Leave the room in darkness for a few hours and your pet will hopefully have found the wet cloth to hide under!

Habitat

Although amphibians need to keep their skins moist, most don’t live underwater and most don’t need an aquarium to live in (although there are aquatic species that do).  Most can be kept in a vivarium, but you will need to monitor the humidity levels and spray regularly.  So as to prevent their skins from drying out, amphibians will naturally try to avoid very hot or bright spots – unlike lizards or snakes that need hot spots in their tank to bask in.  The overall temperature in the tank is important and will depend on where your pet comes from in the wild.  For instance, tropical species will need to be kept warmer than those from cooler climates.

In the wild, most amphibians are nocturnal, hunting at night to avoid the heat of the day.  So that they can observe their pets at their most active, some pet owners install a blue low watt light bulb to act as artificial moonlight when it’s dark, so their pet’s night time activities are visible.  However, it’s important that you don’t prevent your pet from feeding, so remove the light if it causes them to hide while it’s on.

Food & Supplements

Many types of amphibians can be fed on live food such as crickets and mealworms, as well as slugs and other bugs from your garden.  Larger amphibians such as cane or marine toads and giant salamanders will eat larger prey such as locusts.  Live foods are better nutritionally than meat, provided a variety of foods are eaten to maintain a balance of vitamins and minerals.  Many owners give their amphibious pets supplements occasionally, particularly in winter when it’s harder to find insects and slugs in the garden and they rely more on commercially available food.  However, you should get advice from a vet if you’re in any doubt about how much supplements you should give your pet, as too many vitamins or minerals could be harmful.