I’m sure almost everyone out there is familiar with a lot of myths on Frog peeing. Tree frog owners come across this incident quite often. There are a lot of reasons why your frog puts you into this unwanted situation.
Tree Frog peeing on your hand is a defensive mechanism. They do so to flee away from your hand.
Since it’s a very common incident, every tree frog owner should know about every aspect of tree frog peeing. Continue reading this article if you want to know more about it.
Why Do Tree Frogs Pee When You Hold Them?
Here’s the major reason. When you hold a tree frog, it becomes afraid. It tries to escape from your captive. But when you don’t allow it to move or escape, the last thing it does is peeing on your hands.
Amphibians use different types of tactics to avoid predators. Poisonous toads and frogs secret poisons through their skin and mouth. But amphibians that are not poisonous tend to squirt fluid out of their body to scare the predators.
This is what happens when you hold a tree frog in your hands. It freaks them out and they consider you a potential threat. Except for these, there are other physiologic factors associated with their renal system and body fluid maintenance.
Why Do Tree Frogs Urinate Frequently?
Not only tree frogs. Every frog species possesses this physiological condition. Frogs have thin skin and they intake a lot of water. Since they leave inside or by the water bodies, the number of fluids present in their bodies sometimes exceeds their weight.
Research on frogs carried out by researchers of Charles Darwin University proved that frogs excrete foreign bodies through urine. As they are light weighted and jump frequently, many sharp elements penetrate their skin. Surprisingly enough, these foreign particles are engulfed and excreted through urine. Their Gall Bladder plays a vital role in this case.
For these reasons, they store a significant amount of urines and it becomes really tough for them to hold on to their pees when they are scared. The sphincters loosen and BOOM! Your hands faced a disaster.
Compositions Of Tree Frog Urine
The composition of tree frog urine is the same as other amphibians. Their kidneys eliminate harmful toxins and foreign particles through urine. They largely contain Urea and other nitrogenous waste products.
Since they intake a lot of water, their urine is hypotonic, diluted, and lower osmotic pressure.
How Does Tree Frog Pee look like?
If their kidneys are functioning properly, their urine looks almost like water. They smell bad and taste the worst. But during renal diseases or other metabolic dysfunctions, their urine may appear orange in color.
Is Tree Frog Pee Poisonous?
No. Tree frog urine is not poisonous because it doesn’t contain any harmful components. If we look at its composition, we will find components that are non-toxic and harmless. They excrete ammonia through Urea, which is chemically neutral.
They do not contain any parasite or harmful bacteria since they are purified in the kidneys, So here’s the assurance, if your pet frog pees on your hand, don’t freak out, it won’t kill you.
But ingesting Tree frog urine may have some effects. They include vomiting, stomachache, or other inflammations in your stomach.
Can Tree Frog Pee Make You Blind?
There’s no proof of this fact. By the data collected by scientists, Tree frog urine wouldn’t probably cause severe injury to your eyes. But it can cause some inflammation and irritation since urines are a bit acidic due to the presence of nitrogenous waste products.
So if it goes into your eyes, simply rinse your eyes thoroughly with water.
Is Tree Frog Pee Dangerous For Your Skin?
There are a lot of myths about the effects of touching frogs or other amphibians. Many people believe that it can cause warts. But dermatologists and scientists have blown away this myth saying wart isn’t a result of amphibian Bacteria. Human bacteria are the major culprit of warts.
But Tree frogs and other frogs may have a parasite on their skin called ‘Salmonella’. Salmonella can cause some severe to chronic inflammation to the human body.
In severe cases, it can also cause death. It causes vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. Salmonella mainly spreads through the droppings of tree frogs.
How often Do Tree Frogs Urinate?
Since it’s a defense mechanism, the number depends on the number of threats they encounter. But it’s not likely that they will pee every time you hold them. But they urinate frequently even if they are not touched.
Should You Touch Your Tree Frogs Often?
Frogs and amphibians are not the kind of pet you can touch every day. The frog’s skin is very sensitive to touches. They absorb literally everything through their skin. So it’s always risky to touch frogs.
There are some risk factors for both humans and frogs when it comes to physical contact. Potential risks for humans include:
- If you freak them out they will pee on your hand.
- They can spread Salmonella Bacteria through feces and urine.
- Some frogs may be poisonous, they can even cause death.
Frogs are very vulnerable to touches because:
- It can cause serious stress.
- They will absorb any chemical substance from your skin. It can be soap, any kind of powder, chemicals that can eventually cause death.
- If you squeeze them hard it may cause internal injuries.
- If they jump from a height, it will have abrupt effects on the frogs’ organs.
How To Hold A Tree Frog Properly?
In order to avoid any sort of trouble for you and your pet, you should try to follow these instructions below:
- Use powder-less hand gloves before touching your frogs, you should never touch them barehanded.
- Never wash your hand with soaps before touching a frog.
- Do not apply oil or lotion before touching a frog.
- Change the gloves before touching another frog.
- Always keep your hand away from the rest of your body.
How Can You Prevent Your Tree Frog From Peeing?
It is never quite possible to change animal instincts. But there are still some important things to keep in mind so that can stop your frogs from peeing on your hand.
- Try to interact more with your frog, that’s how you will be able to assure it that you are not a threat.
- Do not squeeze them while holding.
- Do not try to stress them out by irritating them.
- Do not hold frogs unnecessarily, touch them only when you need to clean the tank.
Conclusion
Tree frogs are the best kind of frog you can pet. The problems that you are facing with your tree frog are common in other frog species too. So before their natural instincts freak you out, try to learn more about them.
Peeing is a natural defensive mechanism of frogs. So do not worry about this too much. Try to avoid things that will lead to this problem. Let your frog live happily in that dark corner of your tank and you are good to go.
