joyfullynoisy
New member
my niece had to get rid of her pets, was getting ready to release her frogs to the outdoors (they've lived in captivity for 1 and 3 years respectively). It's December here and I know they wouldn't have made it. So I agreed to take them. The set-up I "inherited" is a mess. I knew nothing of the situation when I brought them home, and after doing research I'm wondering about a few things.
Here's the scenario.
A)I've got a fire-belly-toad (about 3 years old) and a pacific tree frog (age unknown, lived in captivity for a year).
B)They've been living in the same (rather small) plastic cage, about 2.5 gal. in a mostly aquatic environment, but with some rocks and branches to climb on. I've learned that there are a few problems with this. 1) it's not enough space and 2) fire bellies aren't supposed to live with other species, because of the toxins they secrete.
C)They've NOT been eating on a healthy schedule (my brother-in-law thought they ate like reptiles, every couple weeks).
Here are my specific questions, and what I plan to do.
1) Should I separate them now? They've been living together for a year, and I don't know what the social needs of these species are. is it possible the tree frog has built up an immunity?
2) should I start feeding a regular schedule immediately? or will that be too much too fast?
3)my cat is real interested in them. she likes to sit and watch them. I'm not worried that she can get in (she's a little thing) but I'm worried about her presence causing them stress.
4)I'm planning to get a bigger enclosure and include some "real" land. If I need to separate them I could do a divided enclosure.
Thoughts? Advice?
Help! I'm a cat person! These guys are adorable, and I'm excited about helping them have a better life, but I have NO clue where to start.
Here's the scenario.
A)I've got a fire-belly-toad (about 3 years old) and a pacific tree frog (age unknown, lived in captivity for a year).
B)They've been living in the same (rather small) plastic cage, about 2.5 gal. in a mostly aquatic environment, but with some rocks and branches to climb on. I've learned that there are a few problems with this. 1) it's not enough space and 2) fire bellies aren't supposed to live with other species, because of the toxins they secrete.
C)They've NOT been eating on a healthy schedule (my brother-in-law thought they ate like reptiles, every couple weeks).
Here are my specific questions, and what I plan to do.
1) Should I separate them now? They've been living together for a year, and I don't know what the social needs of these species are. is it possible the tree frog has built up an immunity?
2) should I start feeding a regular schedule immediately? or will that be too much too fast?
3)my cat is real interested in them. she likes to sit and watch them. I'm not worried that she can get in (she's a little thing) but I'm worried about her presence causing them stress.
4)I'm planning to get a bigger enclosure and include some "real" land. If I need to separate them I could do a divided enclosure.
Thoughts? Advice?
Help! I'm a cat person! These guys are adorable, and I'm excited about helping them have a better life, but I have NO clue where to start.