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Last summer my 3 little boys caught a bullfrog tadpole in our pond. We spent all winter growing algae for it, hauling in pond water and bringing it to room temperature, and basically keeping this guy alive and thriving for almost a year. About a month ago he made his complete transition into a frog, and for the last few weeks has just been hanging out on the rocks in his tank, out of the water. We've been waiting for the weather to get and stay warm enough to release him back into our pond, and today was finally the day. So I go to get him out of his tank, and he's not in his usual perch on top of the rocks. Okay, maybe I scared him or something and he jumped into the water? I take the lid off the tank and look around; no frog. I turn off the aerator so I can see into the water, and no frog. One by one I take the rocks out of his tank, and ... no frog. I even took a fish net and swept through the pond muck at the bottom of the tank thinking maybe he croaked (haha) and was under the sediment. No frog. I can't figure out how he would've gotten out, as his tank has a lid and we put a lamp on top of it so he could get some light (and so my kids/cats didn't get into the tank). The kids said they didn't open his tank, and I trust my 6-year old and don't believe my 2 or 3 year olds would've been smart enough to put the lid and lamp back on if they'd have taken the lid off. So, I'm guessing froggie somehow jumped up and squeezed out under the lid. Now I don't know what to do. This guy is teeny tiny (maybe two inches long at the most) and is loose somewhere in a 4,000 sq ft house with 3 cats and a Doberman. We've looked under every bed, dresser, chair, everything, and no frog. I'm not sure when he made his escape -- the last time I saw him was the day before yesterday when I threw an insect in his tank for him to eat. How long will it take him to dry out/starve, provided he doesn't get squished or eaten by a cat or dog? And what can I do to lure him back to us? So far the only thing I could think to do was put a bowl of pond water from his tank on the floor of the room he'd been kept in; I thought maybe if he started getting dehydrated he'd smell the water or something and go sit in it? Obviously, I have no clue what to do. He was kept in a bedroom upstairs, and we've searched it high and low, as well as the other rooms up there. I've briefly looked downstairs, but I don't know if he would've hopped all the way down 13 steps (and it doesn't seem likely he'd survive the cat/dog gauntlet to get down there). Please let me know if you have any experience or advice on catching house frogs! I certainly don't want him to die, and I definitely don't want to run across a shriveled up dead frog a few months/years from now!
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Apr 16, 2016 00:14
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 19:40 |
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I'm afraid I don't have any advice for you but I hope you find your frog 
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Apr 16, 2016 00:44
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Thanks, I appreciate it. I've been searching off and on for the last 8 hours or so with no luck.
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Apr 16, 2016 00:52
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Not to be funny, but check behind the fridge. For some reason, just about every fish/frog/hermit crab...whatever....in my life ended up behind the fridge or behind the couch. No clue why...but we almost always found the missing pet (eventually /sigh) in those spots. Oh......check the inside of shoes too!! Please, don't ask why
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Apr 16, 2016 02:50
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Welp, bad news ... I found my little froggie in the middle of the kitchen floor, dried up and missing an arm and a leg. I'm not sure what happened or how he got there, but I'm guessing one of my cats had something to do with it. Thanks Disco Salmon for the advice; we have hermit crabs, too, so if any of them get out I'll be sure to check behind the fridge for them.  Poor little guy.
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Apr 16, 2016 06:20
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