Handling Pet Frogs For Beginners [Dos and DON’Ts]

There is an instinct to want to hold or cuddle your pet animals. But, the experts forbid handling pet frogs for safety. On the contrary, there might be several emergencies where you need to handle your pet frogs. So, I have explained all dos and don’ts of handling pet frogs for beginners in this article.

In this article, you will get to know about the risk factors, the ways of handling pet frogs safely, and other related queries.

Can You Handle Pet Frogs?

You should not handle pet frogs. The skin of frogs is highly permeable. Hence, if you touch the frog, toxins from your hand can easily enter the frog’s body through the skin. Hence, frogs shouldn’t be handled.

As a consequence, handling pet frogs can lead to transferring harmful chemicals from your hands to the frog body.

Besides, it makes them stressed. Also, your pet frogs may feel threatened when you hold or handle them. Hence, the experts suggest not to handle your pet frogs without taking any safety cautions.

Do Pet Frogs Like To Be Held?

Pet frogs are not the types of pet animals who enjoy patting, cuddling, or touching. Although several pets love to be held, maximum pet frogs do not like to be held.

How To Safely Handle Pet Frogs?

There comes several emergencies where you may need to handle your pet frogs. It can be for hand-feeding, moving the frog, checking out any signs of illness, etc.

So, you need to follow some safety guidelines to handle your frog. Let’s check them out.

1. Handling Pet Frogs By Your Hands

If you decide to hold your pet frogs by hand, you should wash your hands with lukewarm water at first. Make sure that there is no soap foam, detergents, or sunscreen in your hands. Also, you should not touch any other things after washing your hands.

The best thing will be holding your frogs by wearing non-powdered vinyl gloves. It will protect both you and your pet frogs from any harm. Hence, you should better use new, fresh and clean gloves.

To reduce the stress, you should make your gloves wet with fresh water. Then, gently scoop up the frog without pinching its skin. Do not forget to wash your hands afterward, even if you handle wearing gloves.

2. Using Nets

Another safe way to handle your pet frogs is by using nets. For this, you have to manage a tight-knit net. Then, make the net wet with fresh water. You can place your hand under the net while scooping up your pet frog gently.

3. Using Containers And Other Utensils

To avoid any physical contact, you can hold your pet frogs using disposable utensils, paper plates, plastic containers, etc. In addition, you should ensure to keep the containers clean and wet.

What Is The Best Pet Frog For Handling?

The experts consider White’s tree frogs and African bullfrogs as the best pets for handling.

White’s tree frogs tend to be tamed. So, you can easily handle them. On the other hand, the waxy coating of the skin of African bullfrogs helps them remain calm for a shorter period of handling.

Can You Handle Chubby Frogs?

Although the chubbiness of your chubby frog may attract you to hold them, it is not a good idea to touch chubby frogs.

Besides, these frogs take some time to acclimate to the new habitat. Also, these frogs are too shy. So they may misunderstand handling as threats.

On the other hand, these chubby frogs secrete sticky fluids whenever anybody makes them afraid by handling them.

Though the secretion is not poisonous, you might not want it. Hence, you had better not handle your chubby frogs.

Why You Shouldn’t Touch Frogs?

Touching frogs without any safety guide is harmful to both the frog and humans. You might have known that frogs have pretty delicate and porous skin. Also, frogs are sensitive to oil, chemicals, soaps, or other products.

So, when you touch your frogs without washing your hands properly, the frog’s skin may absorb the oil or harmful chemicals from your hands. No wonder this can kill the frog.

On the other hand, some frogs, like poison dart frogs, secrete toxins that can kill you within a few minutes. Besides, your frogs can spread salmonella to you that can cause severe illness. That’s why you should not touch frogs without any emergencies.

Can You Hold Frogs With Bare Hands?

You can hold frogs with bare hands by taking essential cautions. For this, you must wash your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds.

You must ensure that your hands do not have any chemicals, oils, or soap. However, you should hold frogs wearing gloves to maintain safety.

Why Do Frogs Scream When Touched?

Frogs do not prefer the human touch. So, whenever you touch your frog, it may assume you as its predator. As a result, your pet frog may scream because of feeling threatened.

However, frogs tend to scream to scare off their predators. So, if your frogs scream when touched, it can be due to fear or its defense mechanism.

Does Picking Up A Frog Hurt It?

It depends on the way of picking up your frog. If you squeeze your frog hard, your frog will get hurt.

It can lead to severe pain and broken bones. As a result, such a wrong way of picking up can cause the death of your pet frog.

What Happens If Frog Pee On Your Hand?

There is a myth that you can get warts because of a frog’s pee. If a frog pees on your hand, it will not cause any harm to your body.

But, when the urine goes into your bloodstream through any open wounds or cuts of your body, your health will be in danger. However, you should immediately wash up if frogs ever pee on your hand.

Can You Hold A Water Frog?

You should not try to hold a water frog. Being fully aquatic or semi-aquatic frogs, keeping out of water for a long time is risky for them. Also, water frogs can not breathe out of water. While escaping out of your hands, water frogs can get injured too.

Is It Safe For Kids To Handle Frogs?

It is strictly advised not to handle frogs without taking proper cautions. If any kids try to handle frogs, they may hurt the frog by squeezing hard. Besides, the kids may throw out the frogs while playing.

Also, the kids can not maintain the safety guide as adults. Hence, it is not safe to handle frogs in any way for kids.

Final Words

You can certainly enjoy your pet frogs accompany and activities in many ways. But, you should try not to handle or touch your frogs to keep them safe. I hope you have also learned the safe ways of handling pet frogs from this article. However, the handling period of your frogs should be short and minimum.