Pet Frog Lifespan [Comparison Between Different Frogs]

It’s pretty normal to expect a long-time accompany of your pet frog. Hence, some frog lovers tend to research a-while about pet frog lifespan before buying any frog. Not to mention each frog has a different average lifespan. So, I have tried to bring out the comparison of lifespan between different frogs in this article.

In this article, you will get to know the average lifespan of different frogs, depending on factors above lifespan and other related queries. So, you must not miss this article if you want to get enlightened about the lifespan of various pet frogs.

How Long Do Pet Frogs Live In Captivity?

The average lifespan of a certain frog depends on its environment and fulfillment of its basic needs.

Considering all influencing factors, several researchers found out that the lifespan of a frog in captivity is greater than the lifespan of that frog in the wild. The average lifespan of frogs is up to 18 years in the wild.

In captivity, pet frogs can survive around 4-20 years under proper surveillance and care. Also, there are records of pet frogs living up to 40 years in captivity.

However, there are dramatic variations in lifespan among different pet frogs in captivity.

Let’s check out the following list of the lifespan of different species of pet frogs.

Comparison Of Lifespan Between Different Species Of Pet Frogs In Captivity

Pet Frog Species	Captivity Lifespan
Green frog	10 years
African dwarf frog	20 years
Blue poison dart frog	12 years
African clawed frogs	25-30 years
Bumble-bee dart frog	18-24 years
Pacman frog	6-10 years
Vietnamese mossy frog	12-15 years
Australian tree frog	20 years
Amazon milk frog	5-10 years
Pixie frog	15-25 years
Harlequin poison dart frog	Around 15 years
Spring peeper	3-6 years
Goliath frog	21 years
Blue legged Mantella	8-12 years
Mantella Crocea poison dart frog	5-8 years
American toad	30 years
American bullfrog	16 years
African bullfrog	20-30 years
Red-eyed tree frog	8-12 years
American green tree frog	6 years
Grey tree frog	9-15years
Black rain-frog	15 years
Green and black dart frog	10 years
Tomato frog	10 years
Apricot Pacman frog	10 years
Sunburst Pacman frog	5 years
Oriental fire-bellied frog	30 years
Burmese chubby frog	10 years
Three-striped poison dart frog	7-15 years
Spotted poison dart frog	More than 6 years
Wood frog	3 years
Northern leopard frog	9 years
White-lipped frog	10-15 years
Blanchard’s cricket frog	5 years
White’s tree frog	40 years
Cane toad	15 years
Fire-bellied toad	20 years
Common toad	40 years

Depending Factors Of Pet Frogs’ Lifespan

Several factors put significant effects on the lifespan of your pet frog. Sometimes, providing equal facilities can not ensure the equal lifespan of different frogs.

On the other hand, the lifespan may depend on the physical ability, breed, etc. Also, some species of frogs age faster than others. So, let’s take a look at the depending factors of pet frogs’ lifespan.

1. Variation Of Species

Several kinds of research show that the average lifespan of frogs varies according to species. Because of different genetic structures and heredity, there are differences in the limit of the frog lifespan. The same thing goes for varieties of frogs and their other species.

For example- toads can survive around 30-40 years in captivity. On the other hand, spring peeper frogs can live long for 3-6 years in captivity.

In the case of any specific frog, you may notice different limits of lifespan among their various species. Take dart frogs as your examples. Among over 100 species, each species of dart frog has a dissimilar lifespan.

A bumblebee poison dart frog can live long up to 25 years, whereas a golden poison dart frog can live around 10 years. So, depending on the species, different pet frogs have a different lifespan.

However, you can click here to get a detailed idea about dart frog lifespan.

2. Gender: Do Male Or Female Frogs Live Longer?

Surprisingly, gender plays a significant role in the mortality rate of pet frogs.

Due to hormonal influences on the body and other biological factors, female frogs live longer than male frogs.

Several pieces of research show that the pet female frogs tend to live 3-5 years longer than the pet male frogs.

Generally, the average lifespan of male tree frogs is around five years. On the other hand, the female tree frogs can survive around 7-9 years.

3. Size Of Pet Frogs

The lifespan of pet frogs depends on the frog size too. The experts and researchers confirmed that bigger frogs have a higher lifespan than smaller frogs.

A bigger pet frog has a slower metabolic rate than a pet frog of a smaller size. Because of being large, a frog has more cells and expends more energy. For this reason, if you provide all basic needs and facilities, your pet frog will survive longer than smaller frogs.

Let’s look at a comparison of lifespan between two pet frogs of different sizes. You might have known of the grape-sized dart frogs that measure only 1-1.5 inches. These small frogs usually live up to 12 years in captivity.

On the other hand, when you look at the bullfrogs, these frogs are comparatively larger than other frogs. An adult American bullfrog can grow up to 8 inches in size. In addition, the lifespan of these pet bullfrogs is around 16-30 years in captivity.

So, the lifespan gets higher as large as the pet frogs grow.

4. Acclimation In New Habitat

When you bring a new frog to your home, the frog needs some time to get accustomed to the new environment. Some frogs can not cope with the humidity, water, temperature of the new setup. Hence, you must give some time to your pet frog to acclimate to the new habitat.

If your newly brought frog fails to acclimate to the new tank, the lifespan of your pet frog will get shorter. Thus, you may face the tragic death of your frog.

5. Proper Tank Set up

Proper tank setup is a crucial factor to improve the lifespan of your pet frog. You should set up the tank according to your frog type.

For example, if you prepare a terrestrial tank set up for arboreal frogs, your frog will not live long.

In addition, you should add tank accessories and décor, considering your frog’s nature. For burrower frogs-like Pacman frogs, you should keep a thick substrate level. Check out this article to know more about the Pacman frog habitat setup.

On the other side, you must provide fresh water for fully aquatic frogs like African dwarf frogs. Also, you can not forget to choose a tall tank with branches for arboreal frogs like red-eyed tree frogs.

As you see, the tank setup requirements are different according to the frog species. The more accurate the tank setup will get, your pet frog will have a longer lifespan.

6. Abundance Of Food

Some owners remain careless about bringing up their frogs. There are several cases where the frog owners do not provide nutritional food in an appropriate amount. As a result, the frogs fall sick because of malnutrition. Thus, the average lifespan of the frog gets shorter.

So, a proper diet, an abundance of food, and an accurate feeding schedule play a great role in keeping your frog touch the limit of its lifespan.

7. Predators Or Wrong Tank Mates

The main reason for the shorter lifespan of wild frogs is their predators. Although there should not be any predators of pet frogs in captivity, wrong tank mates can take the life of your frogs.

There are a few things to consider while choosing tank mates for your pet frog. Such as the age, size, temperament, tank requirements of your pet frog, and the chosen tank mates.

If you choose aggressive tank mates for your shy frog, your pet frog will not survive long. Besides, there remain risks of getting hurt. Also, your pet frog may remain stressed due to sharing the tank with big and aggressive tank mates.

Moreover, if the tank mates are bigger than your pet frog, they may eat up your pet frog. So, the lifespan of your pet frogs is highly dependent on tank mates.

However, if you keep pet African dwarf frogs, you can click here to know about 25 suitable tank mates for dwarf frogs.

8. Accurate Humidity And Temperature

Some frogs hail from high humid areas, whereas some hail from hot areas. If you fail to keep accurate humidity and temperature according to your frog’s requirements, your pet frog will not live long.

Let’s consider tree frogs and Pacman frogs for this example. These frogs can not survive in humidity lower than 60%. On the other hand, some frogs need the heat of an ideal range to thrive in.

So, both humidity and temperature level act as a significant depending factor for limiting the lifespan of pet frogs.

9. Right Water Parameters

Some frogs are fully aquatic, and also some frogs are semi-aquatic. So, if you keep these frogs as pets, you must ensure the constant availability of freshwater. Also, certain frogs, like African dwarf frogs, are susceptible to ammonia, nitrite, chlorine, and so on.

Only a bit of ammonia in water can kill your pet dwarf frogs. For this, these African dwarf frogs need a water filtration system in their tank. On the other hand, if you provide tap water without dechlorination, it will also shorten the lifespan of your pet frogs.

10. Proper Maintenance And Care

No wonder proper maintenance and care influence the lifespan of the pet frogs. Some pet frogs remain sensitive to handling. In this case, you must avoid touching your pet frogs. Also, regular cleanliness is a must to avoid potential diseases of pet frogs.

How Old Is The Oldest Pet Frog?

According to surveys, there are records of White’s tree frogs touching the longest lifespan among pet frogs. The oldest known specimen of white’s tree frog was around 40 years old.

What Is A Frog Life Cycle?

From the egg phase to adulthood is the life cycle of a frog. There are considered three stages in a frog’s life cycle. These are egg, tadpoles, and adult phases.

But, if you notice details, you will find multiple-phase in the entire lifespan of a frog. Such as egg, larvae, tadpole, tadpoles with legs, froglets, juvenile frogs, young frogs, adult frogs, etc.

How Long Does A Frog Life Cycle Take?

It depends on the species of frogs.

A frog can take around two to four years to complete its life cycle.

The life cycle of a frog starts with the egg phase. In this life cycle, it takes almost 6-12 weeks to turn into tadpoles from eggs. On the other hand, a tadpole takes around 14 weeks to grow into an adult frog.

How Many Frogs Make It To Adulthood?

Although you may notice thousands of eggs or tadpoles of frogs, there remain only a few frogs making it to adulthood.

Only 2% eggs of frogs can turn into tadpoles. Besides, in the case of tadpoles, around 8% of tadpoles survive until becoming froglets. Lastly, 0.1% of froglets can make it to their adulthood.

How Long Can A Frog Live Without Water?

It depends on the type of pet frog. That is because terrestrial frogs can enjoy some time without water, whereas water is a must for the survival of fully aquatic frogs.

Aquatic frogs	Barely a few hours
Arboreal frogs	24-48 hours
Terrestrial frogs	Up to 4 weeks

But, the survival phase without water can get higher if the frogs remain in the hibernation period. Besides, several frogs require a high level of humidity in the tank to keep their skin moist.

If you do not mist often, the skin of those frogs will dry out. Eventually, those frogs will die without water. On the other hand, a well-fed frog can also live without water a few days more from the mentioned time of the above chart.

How Long Can A Frog Live Without Food?

You might have known that baby frogs require daily feeding. Also, you must provide quality food to your adult pet frogs 3-4 times per week.

In the case of baby frogs, these babies can hardly live 4-5 days without food. In addition, if you keep your adult pet frogs of average health without food, these frogs will survive only 1-2 weeks in this way.

However, if you feed your pet adult frogs well from beforehand, these frogs can live for 3-4 weeks without food.

How To Improve The Lifespan Of Pet Frogs?

If you ensure the right environmental condition, your pet frog will not die early. Although frogs have different longevity depending on their species and gender, you can improve their lifespan by maintaining several simple rules.

Let’s check out the following rules by which you can improve your pet frog’s lifespan a few years longer.

Choosing the right tank of ample space
Choosing insects as a staple food and treats carefully
Gut-loading and dusting insects before feeding
Choosing insects of appropriate size
Not overfeeding your pet frog
Keeping compatible tank mates according to your pet frog’s nature
Ensuring continuous access to freshwater without harmful chemicals
Avoid using ingestible and abrasive substrate
Not leaving any sharp objects in the tank
Changing the substrate regularly to avoid infections
Providing appropriate UV lighting to help metabolize calcium
Attaching thermostat with heat sources to prevent any fluctuations
Misting the tank often with safe water
Adjustment of good filtration for aquatic frogs
Creating the right environment for breeding purposes
Avoiding handling your pet frog without any emergency
Maintaining cleanliness of the frog tank
Seeking professional help when you notice any signs of health problems

Final Words

Keeping pet frogs is not only a commitment to retain their good health but also an affection towards pets. I hope you have got a crystal clear idea about the lifespan of different pet frogs depending on several factors from this article.

Pet Frog Lifespan [Comparison Between Different Frogs]

How Long Do Pet Frogs Live In Captivity?

Comparison Of Lifespan Between Different Species Of Pet Frogs In Captivity