Captive bred Common froglets 2023
These young froglets have just recently left the water and are feeding well on fruit flys ,micro crickets and white worm.
,the common frog ( rana temporaria ) is one of only 2 native frog species in the UK (the rare pool frog being the second). At Wildlife Pond and Aquarium we have captive bred common frogs over many generations to ensure they are disease free and legal to sell (sale of wild caught frogs is illegal).
Captive care
Common frogs are easy to care for in captivity
,A paludarium set up is best ,common frogs are mostly terrestrial except in the breeding season but spend a lot of time in or near water so a large water container for them to fully submerge is important ,a natural set up is best with a substrate of soil or coconut coir , lots of plants and moss ,some rocks or wood is also beneficial, we keep our amphibians in bioactive setups with lots of worms ,springtails ,woodlice and other insects living the soil ,these as well as helping keep the enclosures clean also provide a natural food source for the frogs.
Feeding
Common frogs will eat a wide range of foods
Almost any standard insects foods are suitable
Including,
Crickets
Mealworm
Waxworm
Locust
Cockroaches
Earth worm
Calci worm
White worm
Isopods ( woodlice )
Beetles
And flies
While commonly stated frogs will eat snails and slugs these don't tend to be preferred.
As with all amphibians and reptiles in captivity common frogs require a calcium supplement in there diet ( dusted over there food ) to avoid getting metabolic bone disease ( MBD ) ,a supplement with both calcium and additional nutrients is best ,we use arkvits but there's many different suitable brands ,foods like calci worm and isopods are also an excellent source of calcium for the frogs.
Lighting
While it's disputed by amphibian keepers if all frog species need UVB lighting and is highly variable depending on the species we highly recommend UVB lighting for common frogs as in the wild they will naturally bask in the sun and we see in our own frogs they spend considerably time basking under the UVB light and it definitely seems to benefit there overall well being and health ,a 5% UVB is sufficient for them.
Tank mates
While it's disputed by amphibian keepers if different species should be kept together ,there are some species that make suitable companions for the common frog , similar species like the marsh ,pool or edible frog provided there of similar size and the enclosure is large enough for them to have there own space , these species are all found together in many parts of Europe , common toads are also suitable tank mates and we keep most of our common frogs and toads together ,they are almost always found together in the wild in very close proximity and will sometimes even hibernate together, just because certain species live together in the wild or in similar environments doesn't always mean there suitable to keep together in captivity but in this case both species do really well together and we've never had any problems in keeping them this way.
There are many different methods of keeping amphibians in captivity and different keepers and breeders have there own methods ,our advice is based on our own experience and what we've had the most success with in our own animals.
