Amphibians as Exotic Pets

It's incredible to think that before there were any mammals or birds on earth that the amphibians roamed freely both on land and water. That exotic pet in you hand is certainly beautiful, but is also an animal that has had a very interesting evolution.

It's quite typical for an amphibian to have two stages to their life cycle, the first in water, and the next on land. In fact their name derives from this double life with 'amphi' being Greek for 'both', and 'bios' meaning 'life.'

There are a number of features which distinguish amphibians which we will discuss in this article: they are ecotherms, vertebrates and typically reproduce by laying eggs in water.

An ecotherm is an organism that regulates its body temperature largely by exchanging heat with its surroundings, and amphibian physiology reflects this ability to use the natural environment to regulate their body temperature. Their skin has a mucus layer, and they slough and eat this delicate skin on a regular basis. Often this skin is brightly colored to warn predators of the toxins that it contains, and in some species rather than bright colors the skin has intricate patterns for camouflage.

Since they regulate their own body temperature amphibians hibernate during winter, or if they are in more tropical climates they aestivate (aestivation is a state of dormancy that takes place during times of heat and dryness, the hot dry season, which is often but not always the summer). However, in keeping these exotic pets you can use heat mats and other equipment to regulate the temperature of the vivarium, and they will be active all year round.

A distinctive feature of amphibians is that they are all vertebrates, with skulls, toes and even teeth. These teeth are used by the adult predators to tear into meals of insects and spiders, and sometimes even reptiles and mammals.

When people think of amphibian reproduction, tadpoles and frogs usually come to mind, and the process of laying clusters of jelly-like eggs in the water is typical of amphibians. With only around one percent of tadpoles surviving to adulthood, frogs lay thousands of these eggs. These eggs hatch into tadpoles which then transform into frogs.

Frogs and toads are very popular amphibians to keep as pets, and a good example to consider is the oriental fire-bellied toad (Bombina orientalis). They are native to places such as Korea, China and Russia, but captive-bred specimens are readily available. Something that many owners are surprised by is that that these colorful little creatures can live up to twenty years.

The oriental fire-bellied toad grows to around two inches in length, and has the distinctive coloring of a bright green back speckled with black dots and dashes. Under its belly it has orange coloring that warns predators of its toxicity. Despite this toxicity these toads are safe to be handled, but of you have cuts on your hands it is not recommended. However, like all amphibians they have delicate skin that can tear easily, and handling is not really necessary.

You will need to divide your aquarium into half land, half water to keep these little fellas as pets. The water should be around six inches in depth and heated to a temperature of around 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The water needs to be kept clean. Rocks and branches are welcomed by these toads in the dry part of the aquarium.

When it comes to feeding time, the oriental fire-bellied toad thrives on a diet of live insects. They should be fed two or three times a week and there are a range of vitamin supplements on the market that you may want to consider as this helps maintain the vibrant colors of this frog. Feeding exotic pets is one of the most important parts of the care process.

Once you have owned these Tropical Pets for a while you may want to start breeding. Be ready for some noisy croaking from the males as a mating call, followed by clumps of 200 eggs being deposited just eight to twenty four hours after the mating has finished. Just a few days later these eggs will hatch, and three weeks later metamorphose into toads.

Another very popular pet amphibian is the red-eyed tree frog (Agalychnis callidrayas) which has orange feet, a bright green body, and those famous blood-red eyes. These are really pets for observation rather than handling though. Their delicate skin tears easily, and their sucker like feet can get stuck to fabrics.

For those seeking a more exotic pet the Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicnaum) makes an interesting option. This species is distinguished by the fact that it does not undertake a metamorphosis, instead it remains in the aquatic larval stage. These strange looking animals remain in the water, and have the ability to rapidly regenerate any limbs they might damage or loose.

Whether you go for a frog, toad, or more exotic amphibian, they certainly make very interesting pets to observe. They were here on earth a long time before us, and just observing one kinda puts the world in perspective!