Tomato Frog

Stats

General Information
Captive young are grayish tan and as they grow their colors appear to “ripen”. As adults the colors may vary from yellowish orange to deep red. Tomato Frogs will reach sexual maturity in 9 – 14 months. Tomato Frogs are nocturnal, sleeping in the substrate during the day and becoming active at night. They are quite famous in Madagascar for their beautiful nighttime serenades. When disturbed Tomato Frogs will inflate themselves with air and assume a defensive stance to appear even larger.

Enclosure
Up to 3 adult Tomato Frogs can be housed in a 15 gallon aquarium with a screen top. Tomato Frogs are ground dwelling amphibians that do not climb well. When looking for an enclosure, floor space is more important than height. Provide lots of hiding places in the form of cork bark, and silk or live plants to encourage exercise for strong bone development in growing frogs.

Substrate / Bedding
The substrate should consist of peat moss, humus mixed with potting soil, coconut fiber, or  sphagnum moss about 2 – 3 inches deep. Keep the substrate loose and semi-moist. These items are readily available at your local garden center or pet store. Make sure all substrates are chemical free. Change the substrate about every 8 – 12 weeks, more often if appears dirty.

Heating & Humidity
Adult frogs should be kept at 80 – 82°f , with a nighttime drop to 75 – 77°f. Young Tomato Frogs like it cooler, 76 – 78°f. Temperatures should not exceed 80°f until they are adults. The terrariums of both adults and young frogs should be misted each evening with fresh, cool (75°f) de-chlorinated water to keep the moss damp but not soggy. Keep a high humidity level of 70 – 75%. Do not allow it to get so humid that water droplets form on the glass. If the humidity level is kept too high it will be detrimental to the well being of your pets.

An under tank heating pad will work well for tomato frogs. Do not turn the tank heater off. Leave it on 24 hours a day. Heat only one half of the tank. Always use a thermometer and humidity gauge in all reptile & amphibian enclosures.

Lighting
Full spectrum lighting is required for Tomato Frogs, 8 hours a day is preferred. A bulb with a high UVB and UVA output is an excellent choice. The UVB is necessary for the Tomato Frogs mineral absorption and will bring out the nice red colors. All reptiles and amphibians need a photo period. A plug in timer (for your lights only, do not use a timer for your heating devices) works well to develop a regular photo period (light cycle) of 8 – 10 hours of light, 14 – 16 hours of dark. Reptiles and amphibians cannot see the red light spectrum, so a low wattage red bulb is ideal for nighttime viewing of your Tomato Frogs.

Food & Water
Adult frogs should be fed every other day. They will eat large crickets, meal worms, meal worm beetles, earthworms, small pinkie mice and fly larvae. Adults can eat from 9 – 12 crickets in one feeding. Young frogs should be fed every day. They will eat small crickets, fruit flies, small sow bugs (pill bugs ) and freshly shed small meal worms. Feed 2x daily (once during the day, once at night). Feed as much as they will eat until they are full grown. Always feed your crickets assorted fruits and vegetables or a commercially prepared cricket diet 12 – 24 hours before feeding the crickets to your pets. Every other day, dust the crickets with vitamins just before feeding them to your adult Tomato Frogs, for young frogs dust the crickets every other feeding with vitamins and a powdered calcium supplement. Provide a 1 – 2 inch shallow plastic water dish sunk into the substrate that your frogs can get in and out of easily. The water depth should be ½ the height of the Tomato Frog. All amphibians absorb water through their skin, so the water should always be clean. Change water at least every other day with fresh de-chlorinated or spring water with a temperature of about 75°f. Change more often if the water appears dirty.

Notes
If you must pick up your Tomato Frogs do so carefully and not too roughly. As a defense they may excrete a sticky white fluid from their cheeks that can irritate your skin. This white fluid should not be allowed to come in contact with any open wounds, your eyes, mouth or mucous membranes. Always wash your hands before and immediately after handling reptiles and amphibians. Never leave live food long term with reptiles & amphibians. They can inflict severe harm, even kill your pet. If your animals take some time to eat or you feed them at night, leave a slice of potato, carrot or dry dog food for the live food items to eat. Your local pet shop is an ideal source for reptile and amphibian related books and supplies. Please make sure you read and become familiar with any instructions provided with reptile support products you may purchase.