The Bognook Q&A
The real questions keepers ask — pulled from the amphibian communities and answered straight, with no gatekeeping. Search it, filter it, and follow the links to go deeper. These answersinform and triage — they never diagnose; a worried gut plus a red flag means call an exotics vet.
71 questions
Probably, if it has no visible waist and a domed, rounded body — obesity is one of the most common pet-amphibian problems and leads to fatty-liver disease. On a White's tree frog, fatty ridges drooping over the eyes are the tell; on an axolotl, look for a body much wider than the head. The fix is almost always feeding less often, not more. Use the body-condition tool to check honestly.
Most "weird" amphibian behaviour is normal: burrowing, sitting in the water dish, colour-changing, going still for long stretches, or shedding and eating the skin. It becomes a concern when it pairs with a red flag — not eating for a long time, weight loss, bloating, gasping, or open sores. When in doubt, run what you're seeing through the symptom checker.
We can't diagnose from afar, and neither can anyone else online — but you can triage. Check the animal against the warning signs for its species, correct any husbandry issue (temperature, water quality, substrate), and if a genuine red flag is present, contact an exotics vet. The symptom checker walks you through it calmly and tells you when it's a "see a vet now" situation.
A frog that swells up like a balloon all over (a "pee balloon" look), often with a pinecone-like appearance, may have oedema/dropsy — a fluid-retention sign that usually points to an underlying organ or water-quality problem. It is not the same as simply being fat (fat is even and firm; dropsy is puffy and fluid-filled). Bloating that doesn't resolve needs an exotics vet promptly.
First check husbandry: wrong temperature (too cold slows digestion, too hot stresses), a recent move, shedding, or simply not being hungry are the usual causes. Offer a favourite live food at the right time of day, and make sure the setup is dialled in. A short fast is rarely an emergency, but weeks without eating, especially with weight loss, warrants an exotics vet.
Burrowing and going quiet is normal for ground frogs like Pacman frogs, bullfrogs, tomato frogs and toads — it's often just aestivation (waiting out dry or cool conditions). It may even form a papery skin "cocoon"; never peel it. Gently correct the warmth and keep the substrate lightly damp, and it will surface to feed. Weeks buried with weight loss is the point to see a vet.
The rule is "look, don't handle." Amphibian skin absorbs oils, soaps and salts from your hands, and many species (toads, fire-bellied toads and newts, fire salamanders, dart frogs) secrete toxins that are harmful if they get into your eyes or mouth. Captive-bred dart frogs are NOT toxic. If you must move an animal, use wet hands or a container, and always wash up afterward.
Usually keep it species-only, and often solo. Many amphibians are cannibals (Pacman frogs, Budgett's frogs, African bullfrogs, paddletail newts) or will eat anything they can swallow. Toxic species harm tankmates, and mixing species spreads disease. Community setups are the exception, not the rule — research the specific species before ever housing two animals together.
A male gripping another frog from behind (amplexus) is mating behaviour and usually harmless if brief. Sustained wrestling, biting, one animal pinning or injuring another, or a size mismatch is fighting — separate them. If you didn't intend to breed, or one animal is stressed, hungry or getting hurt, house them apart.
Check before you buy — legality varies by country and state. Cane toads and African clawed frogs are banned or restricted in many places as invasive species; some native toads, newts and salamanders are protected and can't be taken from the wild; and species like Kaiser's spotted newt are CITES-listed (keep captive-bred only). When in doubt, check your local wildlife authority.
The honest ones: the setup usually costs more than the animal; many amphibians live 10–20+ years; "look, don't handle" really matters; a real, cycled, correct-temperature habitat has to be ready before the animal arrives; and buying captive-bred (never wild-caught) matters for the animal and the hobby. If that all sounds doable, you're readier than most.
Identify it by three things: where you found it (region narrows the options fast), its body shape (warty toad, smooth frog, gilled aquatic salamander, land newt), and size. For a pet, the seller's label plus our species directory usually confirms it. For a wild animal, note the location and use a regional field guide or iNaturalist — and never assume a wild find is a suitable pet.
Yes — always. Chlorine and chloramine in tap water damage amphibian skin, gills and slime coat, and kill the beneficial bacteria in a cycled tank. Use a liquid dechlorinator (water conditioner) on every drop of water that touches your animal, including top-ups and the soaking dish. It's the cheapest, most important habit in the hobby.
Cycling means growing beneficial bacteria that turn toxic ammonia (from waste) into nitrite and then far-safer nitrate, before the animal moves in — it typically takes 4–8 weeks. For any aquatic amphibian (axolotls, aquatic frogs, aquatic salamanders and newts) it is essential; an uncycled tank poisons the animal with ammonia. Test until ammonia and nitrite both read zero.
In almost every case: leave it be, or move it a short distance out of danger to the nearest sheltered, damp spot. A wild frog is best left wild — it's adapted to exactly where it lives, and taking it home rarely ends well for it. Only intervene if it's injured or in immediate danger, and contact a local wildlife rehabber for anything hurt.
Usually no — a toad living on your porch or in your garden has chosen good habitat, and a resident toad is free pest control. Leave it be, and make the space toad-friendly with damp shade, a shallow water dish and no pesticides. Only relocate (a short distance) if it's somewhere genuinely dangerous, and never move it far — toads have strong site fidelity.
The best long-term help is habitat: if you can, build or protect a nearby permanent water source. For an immediate rescue, tadpoles can sometimes be moved to another natural pond in the same local area (never a faraway one — that spreads disease), but check local rules first. A garden wildlife pond is the single best thing you can do for local frogs.
Leave it where it is and enjoy it — most wild salamanders and newts are protected or simply do best left alone, and many have toxic skin (wash your hands if you touched it). Note the region and habitat to identify it: gilled and in water = a larva or an aquatic species; bright orange on land = often a newt "eft" phase. Don't take it home as a pet.
Work vegetable or olive oil gently into the stuck skin with a cotton bud to dissolve the adhesive, easing (never yanking) the animal free, then rinse it in shallow dechlorinated water and release it in damp shade. Amphibian skin is delicate, so go slowly. If skin is torn or the animal is badly injured, contact a wildlife rehabber. (And switch to snap or live traps.)
Cold water, 16–18°C / 60–64°F, with NO heater — warmth is the number-one axolotl killer. A single adult needs a 20-gallon-long minimum, fully cycled before it moves in, on fine sand or a bare bottom (never gravel — impaction). In a warm room you may need a fan or chiller in summer.
Occasional floating can be normal, but persistent floating, tilting or being unable to sink usually signals trapped gas, constipation, or (most often) water that's too warm or poor water quality. Check your temperature and test the water first. If it can't get down for more than a day or is clearly distressed, fridging (cold, clean water) and an exotics vet are the next steps.
Shrinking, stubby or forward-curling gills are a classic sign of poor water quality (high ammonia or nitrate) or too-warm water, not just "getting older." Test the water immediately — ammonia and nitrite should be zero — and check the temperature. Healthy gills are full and feathery; correcting the water usually brings them back.
No fish — most nip axolotl gills or get eaten, and warm-water fish need temperatures that harm axolotls. Two similar-sized adult axolotls can sometimes cohabit in a big enough tank, but they may nip each other's gills and limbs, and NEVER mix different sizes (they're cannibals). Solo is safest.
Earthworms/nightcrawlers are the ideal staple, supplemented with soft sinking axolotl pellets. Avoid gravel in the tank (they gulp substrate while feeding — impaction is a top killer) and don't handle them. Juveniles eat daily; adults every 2–3 days.
An occasional soak is normal, but constant sitting or fully submerging usually means the substrate is too dry or too warm and the frog is trying to hydrate or cool down. Check that the coco fibre is damp (not soggy) and the temperature is right, and keep the water clean and dechlorinated. A frog lying limp or unresponsive in the bowl needs an exotics vet.
Several inches of moist coco fibre so it can burrow — never gravel, bark chips or anything it could swallow. Impaction (a gut blocked by swallowed substrate) is the number-one Pacman-frog killer, because they lunge at food and gulp whatever's under it. Feed off tongs or a dish so it can't ingest the substrate.
Yes, easily — obesity and fatty liver are common. Feed Pacman adults every 2–3 days and bullfrog adults every 3–4 days, with rodents only occasionally (every 2–3 weeks at most). Juveniles eat close to daily. Feed to a schedule, not to their bottomless begging.
Big — males reach about 8–9 inches and 2–3+ pounds, and they live 20+ years (sometimes 30+). It's a large, powerful, long-lived frog that needs a roughly 36×18×18-inch terrestrial tank and a genuinely careful hand around its strong bite. The adult size surprises almost everyone.
Yes. Pacman frogs store a lot of water and can look noticeably smaller and looser-skinned right after a big wee, then plump back up once rehydrated. As long as it's otherwise alert, eating and on damp substrate with clean water available, it's nothing to worry about.
Counter-intuitively, keep it drier than you'd think: around 50% average, spiking to ~70% after misting, with good ventilation. Sustained high humidity (the 70–90% figure meant for red-eyed tree frogs) causes bacterial and respiratory infections in White's tree frogs — it's the classic fatal mistake. Mist once or twice a day and let it dry between.
Most tree frogs (White's, American green, gray) change colour with mood, temperature, humidity and light — going darker or browner when cool, stressed or at night, and brightening when warm and relaxed. It's usually normal. Persistent dark, dull colour combined with lethargy, not eating, or red skin is the version worth investigating.
A bit of soaking is normal — it's how tree frogs rehydrate. But constant sitting in the water often means the air is too dry, too hot, or the frog is dehydrated, so check humidity and temperature. Keep the dish shallow, clean and dechlorinated (they use it as a latrine, so change it daily). Constant submerging plus lethargy is worth a closer look.
Not really — they're stunning but delicate, needing 60–70% humidity with strong ventilation, gentle warmth, a cooler night drop and a planted setup. Stagnant humid air quickly causes fatal skin infections. A White's or American green tree frog is a far more forgiving first tree frog; keep red-eyeds as a goal, not a starter.
On a White's tree frog, the tell is the fatty ridges above the eyes: some ridge is normal, but ridges drooping or folding over the eyes mean obese. Leaner species (green, red-eyed) are judged by whether they have a visible waist and no protruding bones. Obesity shortens their lives — the answer is feeding less often. The body-condition tool checks both over- and under-weight.
No. Dart frogs get their toxicity from specific wild insects in their diet, which they never eat in captivity — so captive-bred dart frogs are completely non-toxic and safe to keep. This is exactly why you should only ever buy captive-bred (never wild-caught), for the frog's sake and yours.
It's ready when it's a stable, planted bioactive environment — a drainage layer, established live plants, a leaf-litter layer, a working springtail/isopod cleanup crew, steady 70–100% humidity, and a thriving fruit-fly culture already producing food. Rushing frogs into a brand-new, unplanted tank is the usual beginner mistake. The vivarium builder walks you through the build order and readiness gate.
Flightless fruit flies are the staple, supplemented with springtails and (for froglets) other tiny feeders, all dusted with a calcium/vitamin supplement. Because the food is so small, you need a live fruit-fly culture going before the frogs arrive. A calcium/vitamin deficiency causes the wobbling and "toe-tapping" seizures new keepers sometimes see.
The bold, hardy, larger species: the dyeing dart frog (Dendrobates tinctorius, including the blue "azureus"), the green-and-black (D. auratus), and the bumblebee (D. leucomelas). Save the tiny thumbnails (Ranitomeya) and the demanding Oophaga (strawberry) for once you've kept an easier species and have a mature vivarium.
They're among the easiest, hardiest, most forgiving amphibians — a great first choice — and they can be genuinely long-lived, often 10–20+ years. They want a terrestrial tank with deep substrate to burrow, a shallow soaking dish of dechlorinated water, room temperature, and hands-off care (mild skin toxins mean washing your hands).
Better not. Many native toads are protected (taking them may be illegal), a wild toad is adapted to its exact home range, and wild amphibians can carry parasites and stress poorly in captivity. If you love toads, keep a captive-bred one and make your garden welcoming to the wild ones instead — everyone wins.
Cane toads are large (often 4–6+ inches) with big, bulging parotoid glands that slope down the shoulders, and unlike many natives they lack large ridges/crests between the eyes. They're a regulated invasive species in many regions. If you're doing invasive-species control, contact your state wildlife authority — never guess, and never DIY-cull a native by mistake.
Toad parotoid secretions are irritating to toxic if mouthed or ingested — a real risk to dogs that lick or bite them, and cane toads and Colorado River toads are potently toxic. Keep pets away from wild and pet toads, wash your hands after any contact, and never let a toad near your mouth or eyes. If a pet mouths a toad, rinse its mouth and call a vet.
Cool — most terrestrial salamanders (tiger, fire, spotted, marbled) want roughly 60–68°F and genuinely suffer above ~72–78°F. Heat is the main killer, so they need a cool room or a way to hold temperature down year-round, deep moist substrate to burrow, and no heat lamp. Check your exact species, as needs vary.
It depends on the species AND its life stage — and getting it wrong drowns a land adult or dries out an aquatic one. Gilled and in water = an aquatic larva (or a neotenic axolotl/waterdog, aquatic for life); a dry-skinned, land-walking juvenile = a newt "eft"; adult mole salamanders are terrestrial with just a shallow soaking dish. The water-or-land planner sorts it by species and stage.
No — not naturally, and never try to force it. Axolotls are neotenic: they keep their gilled, aquatic form and live in water for life. A tiger salamander is a close cousin that DOES grow up onto land (its aquatic gilled larva is the "waterdog" sometimes mis-sold as an axolotl), but a true axolotl never loses its gills. Forcing a morph with iodine/hormones is dangerous and shortens its life. If your "axolotl" is climbing out and losing its gills, get an ID — it may be a tiger salamander larva.
Their care is almost identical — both are low-drama "mouth with feet" frogs that burrow, ambush prey, must live alone (cannibals) and need deep moist coco fibre (never gravel). The difference is scale: a Pacman frog stays palm-sized and lives 6–10+ years, while an African bullfrog becomes a giant (males 8–10 in) and can live 20+ years. Pick the Pacman for a normal-lifespan pet in a modest tank; pick the bullfrog only if you want a decades-long giant.
Keep it to a minimum. Their skin absorbs oils, soaps and salts from your hands, and species like the fire salamander secrete toxins (wash your hands, keep away from eyes). Handle only when necessary — for a health check or tank move — with clean, wet hands, and let it live as a look-don't-touch animal.
Most kept newts are semi-aquatic to fully aquatic as adults, and they are determined escape artists — a tight-fitting lid is non-negotiable (they climb out of a ¼-inch gap and dry out). Fire-belly newts want cool water with a haul-out; paddletail and Spanish ribbed newts are essentially fully aquatic. Match your species and keep the water cool.
The Spanish ribbed newt (the largest and hardiest, happily fully aquatic) and the Chinese fire-bellied newt (small, cheap, forgiving) are the classic starters. Both want cool water (below ~72°F), a tight lid, and gentle filtration. Avoid warm water and never house them with axolotls or fish — their skin toxins harm tankmates.
Most kept newts come from cool streams and ponds and overheat easily — sustained water above ~72–75°F stresses them, suppresses their immune system and can be fatal. Keep the tank out of warm rooms and direct sun, use a fan or chiller in summer if needed, and never add an aquarium heater. Cool, clean, well-oxygenated water is the whole game.
It matters a lot — they need different care and clawed frogs are banned in some regions. African DWARF frogs stay tiny (~1.5 in), have fully webbed front feet and eyes on the sides of the head. African CLAWED frogs grow much larger (4–5+ in), are predatory, and have eyes on top of the head with un-webbed, clawed front toes. If it's getting big and eating tankmates, it's a clawed frog.
Yes — African dwarf and clawed frogs, Budgett's and Surinam toads, and the aquatic caecilian all surface to breathe air, so they must always be able to reach the top. Dwarf frogs are weak swimmers, so keep the water on the shallower side (around 12 inches or less) with plants or décor near the surface to rest on. Never seal them under deep water with no easy way up.
Treat them as real aquatic pets, not disposable "starter" animals: a cycled, filtered tank of at least 5 gallons per frog, a gentle filter (they hate current), a steady 72–78°F, soft substrate with hides and surface plants, and target-fed sinking foods so tankmates don't out-compete them. Done right they're peaceful, social and live around 5 years (sometimes 10).
It's not a fish or an eel — it's a caecilian, a limbless amphibian (the third amphibian order, alongside frogs and salamanders). Pet-store "rubber eels" are usually the aquatic caecilian Typhlonectes, which breathes air at the surface, is nearly blind, hunts by smell, and needs a warm, planted, tightly-lidded tank. Target-feed it worms so faster tankmates don't out-eat it.
It varies a lot: an axolotl needs a 20-gallon-long minimum, a Pacman frog is fine in 10–20 gallons, a tree frog wants a tall 18×18×24-inch vivarium, and an African bullfrog or large aquatic frog needs much more. The rule of thumb: floor space matters most for ground-dwellers, height for climbers, and more water volume is more forgiving for aquatics. Every species care sheet lists a minimum — check yours before you buy the tank.
One of the most-asked pixie questions — and genuinely hard to answer while it's young. Mature male African bullfrogs grow much larger, develop a yellow-to-orange throat, and are the ones that call loudly; females stay smaller with a paler, whiter throat. Below a couple of years old it's often a guess. Most other amphibians can only be reliably sexed as adults (males may be slimmer, develop nuptial pads, or call).
Clear or dark jelly-coated spheres in clusters or strands are eggs; fuzzy, cottony white patches are mould/fungus. A lone female axolotl or frog can lay eggs with no male present — those are infertile and won't develop, so remove them after a few days. If you have both sexes and want to raise them, separate and research the species first (it's a real commitment). If you don't, it's fine to discard an unfertilised or unwanted clutch.
The common morphs are wild-type (dark and speckled), leucistic (pale pink with dark eyes), white albino (pink/white with clear eyes), golden albino, melanoid (solid dark, no shine) and copper — plus fancy combos and GFP (glows under blue light). Morph is purely colour and pattern; it doesn't change the care at all. For an unusual one, a clear photo posted to a keeper community usually gets a confident answer.
Some pet-trade "axolotls" are really tiger salamander larvae (waterdogs), and true axolotls can occasionally metamorphose, usually triggered by stress or the wrong conditions. Signs it's morphing: the gills shrink, the tail fin recedes, eyelids appear and the skin changes. A true, healthy axolotl stays aquatic and gilled for life — so if yours is transforming, lower the water, add a land exit, and get species advice, because a morphed animal needs a terrestrial setup.
For a pet kept at steady room temperature, no — hibernation (brumation) is a seasonal survival response to cold, not a health requirement, and pet toads and frogs do fine without it. Keepers only cool animals deliberately as part of a planned breeding cycle, which takes research and care. If your toad digs down and slows in a cold room, gently return the setup to normal warmth and it will resume feeding.
Yes — axolotls famously regenerate limbs, tail, gills and more, usually over weeks to months in good conditions. But regeneration treats the symptom, not the cause: shrinking gills or nipped limbs almost always point to poor water quality, warm water, or a nippy tankmate. Test and fix the water and temperature first, keep everything clean, and the animal heals itself.
Loose, swallowable substrate — gravel especially, and coarse sand under lunge-feeders — can be ingested at feeding time and block the gut, which is often fatal (impaction). Safe choices are deep coco fibre for burrowing frogs and toads, and fine sand or a bare bottom for axolotls. The simplest safeguard is to feed off tongs or in a separate dish so the animal can't gulp substrate with its food.
The golden rule: prey no wider than the space between the animal's eyes — oversized food causes choking and impaction. Feed fast-growing juveniles close to daily, then taper adults to every 2–4 days (species-dependent) to prevent obesity. Move up a feeder size gradually as the animal grows, and always gut-load feeders and dust them with calcium.
It's the hardest question in the hobby. Buying a poorly-kept animal saves that individual but pays the store to order another, so it doesn't fix the problem — and you take on a possibly-sick animal you may not be set up for. If your correct habitat is already running and you go in eyes-open (quarantine, possible vet bills), it can be the right call. Otherwise the kinder long-term move is to report the conditions and buy captive-bred from a reputable breeder.
Tadpoles need clean, dechlorinated, cycled water at a stable temperature, gentle filtration, and the right food (many eat algae, blanched greens or tadpole food — some species need specific diets). The critical, easily-missed stage is metamorphosis: as legs grow and the tail shrinks, they must be able to climb out or they drown, so lower the water and add a land exit. Research your exact species — requirements vary a lot.
We read over 5,600 posts and comments from the amphibian communities and analysed the 377 real care questions: feeding is the single biggest topic (~36%), then breeding, eggs & morphing (23%), morph & species ID (11%), and health — "is my animal sick?" (10%). Underneath almost every question is one worry: "am I doing this right?"
The animal is usually the cheapest part ($10–150) — the setup is the real cost, and it depends on type: a simple terrestrial frog or toad runs about $100–250 to set up, a small aquatic frog $120–200, an axolotl $200–500 (a cooling chiller adds $200–400 if your home runs warm), and a planted/bioactive vivarium for tree or dart frogs $250–500+. Monthly running costs are modest, roughly $10–45 for food, supplements and water conditioner — plus a fund for an exotics vet. Budget for the whole setup before you buy the animal.
Buy captive-bred, from (best to riskiest) a reputable breeder, a reptile/amphibian expo, a specialist shop, or a rescue — and always ask whether the animal is captive-bred (CB) or wild-caught (WC). Choose captive-bred: wild-caught amphibians are stressed, often parasitised, adapt poorly, and their collection harms wild populations. Avoid impulse-buying from a big-box store where staff can't answer care questions — the (cycled) setup should exist before the animal comes home.
Look for clear, bright eyes; smooth, unblemished skin with no sores, redness or cotton-like fungus; a good weight (neither bony nor bloated); and an alert, responsive animal. For axolotls, full fluffy gills and all four legs and toes; for dart frogs and most others, insist on captive-bred, never wild-caught. If it's housed badly (wrong temperature, gravel, overcrowded), assume it may be stressed or ill and budget for a vet check and quarantine.
Yes, if you already keep others — house a new arrival separately for a few weeks in a simple, easy-to-clean setup, so any illness or parasites don't spread to your established animals and you can confirm it's eating and settling. Even a first, only animal benefits from a calm, minimal settling-in period. Never drop a new animal straight into an existing tank.
Rarely, and only with care. Many amphibians eat — or get nipped and eaten by — fish; temperature needs often clash (axolotls need cold water, tropical fish need warm); and amphibian skin toxins can harm tankmates. Cats and dogs should never have access, as a curious pet can injure or be poisoned by an amphibian. Treat amphibians as species-only, look-don't-touch animals unless you've specifically researched a compatible mix.
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