What do river frogs eat at home. Gray toad. Juvenile African bullfrog

Frogs, leading an aquatic lifestyle, have long taken a strong place in amateur aquariums. And the touching little frogs, which are now sold in almost every pet store, cause an irresistible desire among people inexperienced in aquarism to buy, as they say, “there are those two white ones and this gray one”. But no matter how cute they are, let's first figure out what kind of frogs they are, what conditions they need and with whom they can live in the same aquarium.

Two types of frogs are currently kept in aquariums: the smooth clawed frog - xenopus (Xenopus laevis), which has been bred in captivity for many years, and the pygmy frog - hymenochirus (Hymenochirus boettgeri), which has become popular not so long ago. Adult frogs of these species vary greatly in size, appearance, behavior, and content. Frogs in pet stores are often kept in the same aquarium and when selling, they do not always focus on their species.

Spur frog.

So, if aquarium frogs are white or pinkish, with red eyes, then regardless of size, they are clawed. The albino clawed frog was artificially bred at the Moscow Institute of Developmental Biology for laboratory experiments.

If a small frog is greyish, brownish or olive color with dark spots, then to determine the species, one should pay attention to the length and thickness of its limbs, the presence of webs between the fingers of the front paws and the pointedness of the muzzle. clawed frogs wild color more dense, they have thicker legs with bandages, like babies, a rounded muzzle, and there are no webbing on the fingers.

Hymenochirus, on the other hand, has membranes, long and slender legs, and a pointed muzzle. The size of an adult hymenochirus, as a rule, does not exceed 4 cm, while the clawed frog grows up to 10–12 cm.

pygmy frog

Behavioral features

These frogs also behave differently. The spurred ones are active, strong and completely shameless. They eat everything

what moves and fits in their mouths, they mercilessly dig up and tear aquarium plants, move stones and snags, dig the soil. But they are clearly visible, they have large expressive faces and they have a habit of stretching out beautifully to hang in the thickness of the aquarium water.

Hymenochiruses are calmer, quieter, slower and more delicate. They slowly crawl along the bottom, climbing on underwater objects and periodically freezing for a long time. As one amateur aptly put it, pygmy frogs resemble "meditating scuba divers." They almost do not damage plants, do not disturb fish (they simply do not have such an opportunity due to the size of their body and mouth), pollute the aquarium a little.

In a large aquarium, they are almost invisible, because they constantly hide at the bottom or in thickets of plants, and if active fish live nearby, then hymenochiruses may not keep up with food.

Aquarium frogs: maintenance and care

Both species are not too demanding on the conditions of detention. For clawed frogs, an aquarium of 20-30 liters per couple is enough, while it needs to be filled with water by half or a third. The aquarium should be closed with a lid or net. The soil is a large pebble. The aquarium is equipped with a compressor or a small internal filter, you can use a waterfall filter, but there should not be a strong current. There is no need for bright lighting.

The water temperature is about 22-25°C, xenopuses are practically indifferent to the chemical parameters of water. The exception is the content of chlorine and fluorine in the water, so it is recommended to defend it before adding it to the aquarium for at least 2-3 days. They change the water once or twice a week for 20-25%, a number of authors recommend changing less often, as it becomes cloudy.

Plants can only be planted hard-leaved, always in pots, otherwise they will be dug up immediately. Some lovers of these animals do the following: they put a pot with houseplant having hanging shoots, and place these shoots in an aquarium. In this case, the aquarium becomes green, and the roots of the plant remain intact.

For hymenochiruses, the volume of the aquarium can be even smaller, 1-2 liters of water for such a frog is enough.

A cover is required - hymenochiruses, especially those caught in nature, often strive to escape.

The water temperature for them needs at least 24 ° C. A filter or compressor is desirable, but it should not be too powerful to leave areas of still, stagnant water in the aquarium.

At the bottom, it is necessary to equip small shelters under which these quivering creatures can hide. Plants are very desirable, it is good if they form dense thickets in places. It is also better to plant them in pots. It is necessary to equip the aquarium with lighting, since hymenochiruses sometimes like to rise among the thickets to the surface and bask under the lamp, sticking their head and upper body out of the water.

Feeding

Decorative aquarium frogs - both xenopuses and hymenochiruses - are preferred.

For claws, it can be flour and earthworms, crickets, large bloodworms, fry and tadpoles. You can give pieces of liver, meat, fish, shrimp with tweezers.

Clawed frogs should not be fed tubifex, pork, fatty beef.

Hymenochiruses are fed with small bloodworms, live daphnia or fish. Dry and immobile frog food is usually ignored. Food for adult xenopus and hymenochirus should be given twice a week.

The feeding behavior of representatives of these two species of frogs also differs. Spurs have an excellent sense of smell, in addition, they have a very developed sense of touch (the receptors are pits located on the sides of the frog and resemble the lateral line of fish). Therefore, frogs are good at detecting smells and the slightest movements of water, quickly find food and greedily pounce on it.

Hymenochirus, on the other hand, usually need to bring food directly to the nose. You can teach them to feed in a certain place or according to a certain signal (for example, tapping with tweezers), but they will take a long time to get to the food, as if thinking along the way whether it is worth doing this at all.

Xenopus are extremely voracious and therefore prone to obesity, respectively, the amount of food they eat must be strictly controlled - a healthy frog must remain flat.

As for the clawed frog, knowing the peculiarities of its behavior, one can answer unequivocally - it has nothing to do in an aquarium with fish.

She will swallow anything that fits in her mouth, wipe out most of the plants, dig up the ground, raising the dregs, and move carefully placed scenery.

In addition, she does not like fresh water with a good current, and most fish will not like her usual swamp.

The only plus of cohabitation of fish and clawed frogs is that the skin mucus of frogs contains antimicrobial substances that can have therapeutic effect on sick fish. But at the current level of development of aquarium pharmacology, this can hardly be considered a serious argument. If you really want to do without chemistry, it is much easier to place a sick fish in a small container, where the frog had been for some time before.

Some aquarists advise keeping xenopus with as they do well in old water and breathe atmospheric air. But why do it? A separate small aquarium with frogs will take up very little space, and everyone will be fine as a result.

With hymenochiruses, everything is not so scary. It is believed that they get along well with calm, not too large, non-predatory fish. They will not violate the beauty of the aquarium either. However, in a large aquarium, hymenochiruses spend a lot of time in shelters, so it is almost impossible to observe them, and it can be quite difficult to control the process of feeding them.

frog diseases

Aquarium frogs may experience the following health problems:

In the treatment of frogs, preparations for tropical aquarium fish, selecting them according to the causative agent of the disease (anthelmintic, antifungal or antibacterial). Sick frogs are isolated. With dropsy, a puncture of the skin is often effective.

You should know that usually individuals who live in unsuitable conditions for them, are prone to obesity or experience prolonged severe stress get sick.

And finally, some interesting facts about clawed frogs:

• the clawed frog was the first vertebrate to be cloned;
• at the beginning of the 20th century, clawed frogs were used to diagnose short-term pregnancy: if a frog is injected with the urine of a pregnant woman, under the influence of chorionic gonadotropin, she starts spawning;
• the clawed frog does not have a tongue, therefore, when eating prey, it helps itself with its front paws, and it cannot bend its fingers, it keeps them stretched out, as if eating with Chinese chopsticks;
• when clawed frogs accidentally entered the waters of the tropical part of the United States, they destroyed native species of frogs there, therefore in some states the keeping of clawed frogs is prohibited, while in others it is limited.

Fortunately, in our country, keeping frogs is allowed, so everyone can get these undemanding funny animals at home, watch and care for them, getting a lot of positive emotions and acquiring the skills of keeping an aquarium. The latter will definitely come in handy in the future, because usually everything is just beginning with frogs.

Interview with a specialist: how to properly care for and feed freshwater aquarium frogs:

It is in the albino version has a light yellow or white. The clawed frog becomes sexually mature at the age of one, and if the conditions are good, it can live up to fifteen years.

Spurs are quite picky. When choosing a volume for an aquarium, one must take into account that in some cases a frog can grow up to 16 cm, but for small individuals - one or two - a simple five-liter jar is enough.

What to feed a frog

In nature, the white frog lives in slowly flowing or stagnant lakes, swamps. It is able to move through the soil, for example, in search of a new place to live to replace the old dried one. But she will not be able to stay without water for a long time and eat.

Aquarium frogs are predators by nature and should not be kept with fry or small fish, guppies, neons. In the end, white frogs eat them, so only large and agile individuals can be kept in the same body of water with them. Feeding a frog with fish will be somewhat wasteful, and if there are only small individuals in the aquarium, it is better to put it in a separate aquarium and serve animal food, bloodworms, coretra, daphnia, small earthworms.

It is not recommended to feed the white frog with a tubifex - it can happen food poisoning. As a substitute for the usual food, you can serve her lean meat in the form of strips or dry food, that is, dried daphnia.

White frogs love to eat, and in this process they must be limited. It is bad, that is, not enough, only elderly and old individuals eat. An adult frog with a good appetite must be fed twice a week, otherwise it will eat into obesity. A young white frog during a period of intensive growth should be fed more often.

How does a frog take food?

The white frog has depressions on its sides with tiny hairs that react to the current created by the water around the body. Thanks to the impulses, you can navigate even in a fast current - the hydrodynamic waves caused by aquatic inhabitants are quickly caught by the white frog. She has an excellent sense of smell: a couple of minutes after the food enters the water, they begin to rush around the pond in search of food.

Frogs stuff large pieces of food like bloodworms or earthworms into their mouths, while holding the worm with their fingers, small pieces are simply swallowed.

While working in the garden, you can often stumble upon frogs unexpectedly jumping out of the green grass or important and clumsy toads barely crawling out. Many of these animals are disgusted. Meanwhile, it should be remembered that there are benefits from frogs. They are tireless hunters for all sorts of small pests, bringing invaluable benefits.

The information in the article will allow you to get acquainted with the life of these animals, perhaps many will even feel some sympathy for these interesting creatures.

Before we find out what the frog eats, we will present its description.

General information about toads and frogs: differences

Toads and frogs are tailless amphibians that live in water and on land. Even when leaving the water, these animals are very dependent on it. In addition to pulmonary, they also have active skin respiration, which allows amphibians to stay under water for a longer time. But dry air and prolonged exposure to the sun's rays have a detrimental effect on them.

What does a frog eat? You can find out more about this in the article below.

Frogs and toads are close relatives. Their difference lies in the fact that frogs have smoother skin, long strong hind legs have well-developed membranes between the fingers. All this helps the frogs to jump well and swim quickly. And the toad has dry skin covered with "warts", their paws are weak and short, allowing them to move only waddling or in short jumps. The membranes between the fingers are not developed, and therefore they swim poorly, and spend less time in the water (in fact, only during the breeding season).

By structure and appearance it is difficult to determine what the frog eats, but it can be assumed. She has a flat back and head, and her eyes often protrude above the water surface like liquid bubbles, without betraying the animal itself. The hind legs are strong, like a spring, and the front paws, arranged like palms, are grasping. The jaws of the frog are studded with sharp, small, inward-facing teeth. A sticky tongue is located in a wide mouth. Comparing all of the above external signs, we can assume what the frog eats - mostly small aquatic inhabitants.

Spreading

This family (real frogs) belongs to the order of tailless amphibians. The composition of the latter is numerous, it includes 32 genera and about 400 species. Most of them are inhabitants of the jungle (wet tropics).

The largest of the tailless amphibians is the goliath frog (3 kilograms), which lives on the coast of the Republic of Cameroon in Africa. Most recently, the smallest frog was discovered in New Guinea - the size of a little finger nail.

IN middle lane Russia is mainly inhabited by varieties of gray and common toads. They are widely distributed in Russia to Sakhalin, as well as throughout Europe and Africa (northwest).

Most of these amphibians have a modest inconspicuous coloration, but some outfits can be quite bright, especially poisonous species living mostly in the tropics.

Types of frogs and toads

Before we find out what frogs eat in a pond, as well as in other natural and domestic conditions, we will consider the most common varieties of these amphibians. Their life (toads and frogs) is closely connected with water, however, there are species that, in their adult state, mainly live and hunt only on land.

In central Russia, 4 species of frogs live: lake, pond, grass, moor. The first two species are green in color, the second are closer to brown.

Among the inhabitants of the gardens of Russia, moor and herbal are more common. The first has a protective coloration that allows it to be invisible on the ground, but it is much smaller in size than grass. The second has a gray-brown or brown back with spots. different colors, and for the most part her belly is light with dark spots.

In the territories of Siberia, in addition to the common frog, the Siberian frog also lives. Its distinctive feature is pink spots on a brown abdomen.

Among toads, the most common are 2 types:

• ordinary, or gray, with a dark brown back;
• green, with large green spots on a light gray back.

Nutrition Features

All types of frogs are tireless in obtaining food. What does a frog eat? It is known that the grass frog for the whole summer period eats approximately 1300 insects - pests of gardens and orchards. And the moored one exterminates many pests, including stinky bugs and beetles, which even birds shun.

As a rule, frogs forage for food during the day, and toads destroy pests mostly at night and at dusk.

What does a frog eat and how does it do it? They, like toads, are insectivorous animals. Frogs have teeth only on the upper jaw, and toads do not have them at all, so they have nothing to bite off pieces of food with. In connection with these features, food is swallowed whole by frogs and toads. They catch their prey with the help of their original tongue - long, strong and forked at the end. It is thrown out of the mouth with lightning speed in the direction of the victim, and then, due to the fact that it is sticky, it returns back with the prey already stuck.

Another curious fact is that food enters the esophagus through the eyes. When blinking, the eyes sink deeper, pushing food into the esophagus.

Toads have a great appetite. The main food for them is invertebrates: worms, insects, bugs, spiders, caterpillars, molluscs, and so on. More than half (60%) of all insects eaten by the toad are agricultural pests. Also, these animals feed on slugs. Many gardeners observe unpleasant slugs on strawberries, which usually hide in the damp ground during the day, and come out to eat soft juicy fruits of sweet ripe strawberries in the evening. It is very difficult to fight them. Just in this toads are great helpers.

An adult frog is a carnivore. The frog feeds on mosquitoes and other types of insects. For the lake, tasty prey are fish fry. As a result, fish farms suffer considerable damage. Hiding in shallow water, the frog waits for a flock of fry, and after waiting for them, it sharply opens its mouth, where a bunch of fish are involved in the flow of water. Tadpoles may also be in the mouth with fry.

In the stomachs of frogs, plant remains are also often present, because part of the leaves and flowers on which their prey sat on sticks to their tongue. All this is quickly swallowed by the frog, after which it again goes for new food.

The larval stage different types frogs are very similar.

Tadpoles hatched from eggs do not have a mouth opening. germ stock nutrients ends after about seven days, when their length reaches 1.5 cm. During this period, the mouth breaks through and self-feeding begins.

The main food of tadpoles is unicellular algae. Random impurities that are absorbed by the frog's body along with the main food are mold fungi, protozoa, and other microorganisms.

The mouth apparatus of the tadpole is well adapted for scraping off plaque from algae and is a kind of "beak" surrounded by fringed lips. The lower one has rough outgrowths and is larger than the upper one. Tadpoles feed during the day, being in heated water on the shallows and near the coast, forming mass accumulations (up to 10,000 pieces). Not everyone survives from them, since frog larvae serve as food for birds, fish and many other inhabitants of the reservoir.

The tadpoles turn into frogs of the year. They are pretty greedy. In the filled state, the volume of their stomach exceeds 1/5 of the total mass.

Another curious detail is that with an insufficient amount of animal food in the reservoir, the tadpole hibernates in the larval stage, postponing the transformation into a predator until spring.

Aquarium frogs

The clawed frog is especially popular with aquarists, the skin secretions of which have the effect of a natural antiseptic that disinfects water well. Such a frog is usually planted in an aquarium with fish that have some kind of infection. However, there must be a mesh partition between them, since the frog can eat its “patients”.

Usually amphibians living in an aquarium feed on live food: earthworms, daphnia, bloodworms, and so on. Due to the fact that in captivity frogs move little, they tend to become obese. They should be fed no more than 2 times a week. They may also eat thinly sliced ​​lean meats or fish.

And what do frog tadpoles eat at home? In the very first days, milk powder is suitable for them (baby formula is also good). In the second week, mixtures of insects and herbs can be introduced into the diet after a good steaming in the oven or in the sun to avoid various putrefactive processes.

Beef liver and small bloodworms are injected into last days metamorphosis to strengthen the body of small frogs, but all this should be crushed to the smallest size.

Conclusion

By creating animal world, nature has shown incredible ingenuity. Amphibians can be attributed to the number of amazing miracles.

They came out of the oceans millions of years ago, but their connection with water element did not interrupt. And they begin their life in the water.

A long time ago, when there were no people on Earth yet, and only trees grew and grasses turned green, birds soared in the sky and various animals jumped and jumped, the Heavenly Ruler sent down an unprecedented drought. Dried up, lakes, rivers and ponds. The birds fell dead to the ground. Lifeless animals lay in the mountains and forests.

Then a small earthen toad gathered ants, wasps, animals and birds and led them to the palace to the Heavenly Sovereign, and having defeated his army, set the Almighty a condition: "As soon as I give my vote, you will immediately send rain to the Earth." Since then, this has been the custom in the world: if you hear the singing of an earthen toad, wait for rain.

This legend is common among the peoples of Vietnam and Thailand, and the prototype of the courageous toad was, apparently, widespread in South-East Asia black-rubbed toad (Bufo melanostictus). It is interesting to note that in the folklore of many peoples of Africa and Asia, these amphibians personify wisdom, resourcefulness and, oddly enough, courage.


The family of real toads (Bufonidae) unites more than 300 species distributed on all continents, excluding Australia and Antarctica. They inhabited waterless deserts, forests and highlands, and the common toad (Bufo bufo) was found on Veliky Island in the White Sea beyond the Arctic Circle.

In our country, there are 6 species of toads, divided into two groups: gray and green. The first group includes gray or common (B. bufo), Caucasian (B. verrucosissimus) and Far Eastern (B. gargarizans), and the second group includes reed (B. calamita), green (B. viridis) and Mongolian (B. raddei) toads.

All domestic representatives of the family are characterized by a dense rounded body with short thick limbs and a large head. The skin is usually dry to the touch, often covered with numerous bumps of various sizes. Behind large and expressive eyes with horizontal pupils are parotid glands - parotids, by which toads are easily distinguished from other amphibians of our country.

Toads are very popular inhabitants of terrariums. Unpretentious to the conditions of detention, they lived in captivity up to 36 years. A horizontal type terrarium with gravel or expanded clay soil, a small cuvette with water and shelter from an inverted ceramic pot - these are all the requirements for "living space".

All toads have an excellent appetite. Their menu includes any little thing that they are able to swallow, in captivity these are usually earthworms, slugs, cockroaches, crickets, zophobos larvae and flour beetles, which are easy to breed or can be bought at a large pet store. Large individuals are happy to eat mice and small rats, frogs and quail chicks. Most toads catch only moving food, and they grab small prey with a sticky tongue, and large prey with their jaws.

Small toads, especially young ones, are best fed every day or every other day, large ones - 2 times a week. To prevent the toad breakfast from spreading around your apartment, a strip of medical vaseline or a thick ointment is applied to the walls of the terrarium and the feeder around the perimeter. Most of the forage insects climbing the walls cannot overcome this simple barrier.

Large toads can be kept directly on the floor of a residential or industrial premises. In its corner, a drinking bowl and an incandescent lamp are installed for heating in the cold season. Feeding objects are set in feeders from which they cannot get out. Usually, well-bred toads "defeat" in the pool, which is very convenient, because cleaning up after the pet comes down to changing the water. In the terrariums of domestic amateurs, the green and gray toads, as well as the aga toad (B. marinus), are most often kept.

The gray or common toad is a large amphibian with a massive, wide body. The maximum body length is up to 200 mm, usually not more than 130 mm. The species inhabits northwestern Africa, almost all of Europe and western Siberia. The gray toad prefers forest landscapes, gets along well with humans and is quite common in parks, gardens, and orchards.

It quickly gets used to the conditions of the terrarium and, with the right maintenance, pleases its owners for many years. Optimum temperature for keeping this species 16-25оС.

In the cold season, the common toad needs a cooling period, the so-called "wintering". To do this, pets are cold-aged for 2 weeks, and then they are placed in containers with a wet substrate (sphagnum moss or, more hygienically, foam rubber). "Wintering" is best done at a temperature of 5-8 ° C, every week it is necessary to moisten the substrate and visually assess the condition of the toads.

If your plans do not include breeding, then a 2-3 week cooling period in an overwintering container on the bottom shelf of a household refrigerator will suffice.

The exit of toads from "wintering" is carried out gradually, within 3-5 days, raising the temperature to room temperature. Well for these purposes, thermal boxes and household thermal bags have proven themselves, the temperature in which slowly equalizes with the temperature of the room.

The green toad is a medium-sized amphibian with a maximum body length of up to 120 mm. Inhabits a variety of landscapes on a vast territory from France and North Africa in the west to Altai and Pakistan in the east. This species lives in the forest, forest-steppe, steppe and desert zones at altitudes from sea level to 3000 m. The green toad, unlike the gray one, is more dry and thermophilic.

In captivity, green toads are kept under the same conditions as the previous species, but "wintering" should be carried out at a temperature of 8-10 degrees. It should be remembered that green toads are great climbers and are ready to sneak out at the first opportunity from an uncovered terrarium.

The aga toad is one of the largest amphibians in the world. The body length of females of large morphs can reach more than 250 mm. Initially, this species inhabited a variety of landscapes in South America, but then, in order to combat rodents, it was settled in other tropical regions of the world. In Australia, the number of aga has increased so much that local small animals are under threat.

Toad aga, perhaps, is one of the most spectacular amphibians in the collection of domestic terrariumists. A huge head with large parotids (parotid glands), powerful paws, bumpy brick-colored skin with a simple pattern, and most importantly, size - make an indelible impression on those who see these toads for the first time.

Aghas have a Nordic character, quickly get used to a person and are calmly given into hands. Young individuals of this species in captivity in large quantities eat small food animals - insects, worms, mollusks. Adult Aghas hunt mice, rats and chickens with passion. According to the testimony of many terrariumists, these toads are well trained to take motionless food from the feeder: pieces of lean meat, fish, and even dog meat food.

In order to avoid the development of diseases associated with metabolic disorders, vitamin and mineral supplements must be included in feed for toads. We usually add trivit and calcium glycerophosphate when feeding large bloodworms, zophobos larvae and flour beetles. Regular exposure to ultraviolet radiation using soft UV sources, such as cosmetic lamps, is essential when rearing young toads. Such a solarium is carried out 2-3 times a week for 10-15 minutes.

Currently, terrarium studies in our country are finding more and more admirers, and toads have always been and will be the most suitable objects for keeping a house. Beginners and already experienced amateurs are attracted to them interesting behavior, meek disposition and unpretentiousness. Anyone who has ever kept these animals at home will remember their modest charm for a long time.

A. Kidov

Views: 12199

26.07.2017

Everyone knows that in France, frog legs are considered an exquisite delicacy, and many fans of this dish around the world idolize their refined and delicate taste, which slightly resembles chicken.

Frog dishes adorn the menu of the most famous and respectable restaurants in Belgium, Italy, Spain, Greece, Great Britain, Holland and many other European countries.

Frogs are also highly valued in countries such as China, Vietnam, Laos, where they are bred on special farms, since frog meat is valued much higher than veal and costs an order of magnitude more expensive. In the East, no one will be surprised by the assortment of a supermarket, where, next to the hams of various animals and birds, frozen paws of these amphibians will lie.

In Peru, they manage to add frog meat even to chocolate and cookies, after drying and grinding it. It is believed that such an unusual delicacy cures anemia and helps women with infertility.

Fried frog legs have also appeared on the menu of many Ukrainian cafes and restaurants (as a rule, they prefer to sell French or exotic cuisine). True, not every frog goes into food, but only large green ones, which are the edible species.

It is noteworthy that, in terms of their biological value, in many countries of the world, frog legs are equated with pike and even sturgeon caviar.

frog species

In the reservoirs of Ukraine, there are only five varieties of frogs: grass ( lat. Rana temporaria), moor ( lat. Rana arvalis), fast ( lat. Rana dalmatina), pond ( lat. Rana lessonae) and lake ( lat. Rana ridibunda). The first three species have a brown and brown body color, and scientists combine the last two species into a group of “green frogs”, which, when crossed, give the same famous edible kind.

For the first time green frog, as a separate species in 1758 was described by Carl Linnaeus. It was he who gave her a name (lat. Rana esculenta), which translates as "edible frog." This hybrid species is widely represented in the reservoirs of Transcarpathia and lives in the Danube Delta.

At times Soviet Union these amphibians were massively exported to France, since their value in foreign currency was three times (!) Higher than the price of expensive fish species. Every year, up to eighty tons of this first-class product were exported from the country.

At present, due to the spread of diseases and massive epidemics of birds, pigs and large cattle, the demand for frog meat has skyrocketed. True, in Ukraine it still remains quite low, since the use of a frog seems unusual and unnatural to many residents of the country, therefore, today, the most promising direction is the cultivation of amphibians for export.

Description of the edible frog

When creating optimal conditions for growth and development, individual specimens of frogs can gain weight up to one and a half (!) Kilograms, but on average their weight does not exceed one kilogram.

An amphibian reaches puberty at the age of three years and one female is able to lay up to fifteen thousand eggs during the year.

Frog rearing

Growing an edible species of frogs for commercial purposes is simple and technologically similar to breeding ordinary pond fish (the fattening period to obtain a commercial species is from twelve to twenty months).

To start, you need frog caviar, which can be collected in a pond during spawning, and after three or four years, the amphibian population will increase tenfold.

It is desirable to grow caviar in a closed pond with clean running water, since open-type ponds significantly increase the mortality rate of the population. The incubation room should be warm (it is necessary to maintain the temperature at least twelve degrees Celsius), bright and clean. It is advisable to change the water once every three or four days, while first passing it through the filter (or letting it settle), since highly chlorinated water can kill the entire population of frogs.

You also need to pay attention to the ground. An ideal basis for an incubation pond is a mixture of earth, peat, crushed sphagnum (peat bog moss), expanded clay or charcoal (in a ratio of 3:1:1:1). Such soil will not turn sour, and harm the skin of tadpoles and young frogs.

After the mass hatching of tadpoles (which grow for about
four months), they are intensively fattened until they turn into young frogs, and then they are moved to an open pond.

For subsequent reproduction, it is desirable to leave the largest and healthiest individuals, thus forming a strong breeding stock of frogs.

Diet

The diet of frogs (at all stages of development) is quite diverse. The basis of the food is small invertebrates (bloodworms, worms, caterpillars), crustaceans and insects (mosquitoes, flies, beetles). All swimming, jumping, crawling and flying small animals that a frog can swallow at one time are used.

To exclude rickets, young frogs need to add vitamins to the feed.

Upon reaching the marketable weight, the frog is slaughtered with a mallet, the skin is removed, the legs are separated, packaged and frozen. This is how they are implemented.

The price of frog legs in Europe ranges from four to six dollars, and live amphibians go for one to four dollars per kilogram (which is about sixty adults).

Breeders need to remember that it is not easy to catch an adult frog, because it can overcome a distance of three (!) Meters from one jump, and at the same time it is able to knock down even an adult. This "animal" is able to swallow a mouse, small snake or duckling.

However, the same French people prefer to use frogs of much more modest sizes (weighing about one hundred grams).

Preparing delicious frog legs is quite simple. To begin with, they are kept in cold water with lemon juice (like asparagus) and then fried on vegetable oil in breadcrumbs or batter. The dish turns out to be crispy, fragrant, tender, and small bones are not a hindrance for enjoyment.