Best Beginner-Friendly Pet Frogs - Top 5 Picks
by Luke Tansley on in Amphibians
Looking to bring home your first exotic pet? If you're considering a frog, you're in luck. In this blog, we'll showcase our top 5 picks for beginner-friendly frogs that are low-maintenance, visually stunning, and can thrive in a variety of setups.
Frogs make great pets for those new to the world of exotic animals. Many species are well-suited for life in captivity and don't require constant attention. Plus, with a little creativity, you can transform their enclosure into a beautiful slice of nature right in your own home.
Ready to meet your perfect frog match? Let's dive in and explore our top 5 recommendations for first-time frog keepers!
1. Horned Frogs / Pacman Frog (Ceratophrys sp.)
Also known as Pacman frogs, these are a large ground-dwelling species that love to burrow into soil or moss. They are commonly sold in a variety of colour morphs like Albino, ‘Tri-color’ or ‘Fantasy’, aside from lighting for an albino the care is exactly the same across these variations. When fully grown this frog can grow to around 8 inches in length and are generally feisty but they can be held from behind once you get used to picking them up.
This frog is in the top five because the set up required is extremely easy compared to other species and their diet isn’t very complicated. We have a setup list and a Horned Frog care sheet available for this species on our website. To see what we have in stock please check our animal price list.
>> View Recommended Pacman Frog Setup
2. Gray Tree Frogs (Hyla chrysoscelis)
Gray tree frogs are small tree-dwelling frogs commonly found in North America and Canada. They are the smallest arboreal frog in this list and probably the quickest too.
They are a little difficult to catch and handling can be stressful for the frog so they aren’t the most interactive pet however, due to their size, they can be housed comfortably in a relatively small enclosure making them a great feature or decorative pet. The minimum size terrarium for 1 or 2 frogs is only around 30 x 30 x 45 cm, this coupled with the recent advances in bio-active enclosures means that you could have a fully living tropical enclosure in a glass terrarium anywhere in the house. We have a care sheet available for this species on our website.
>> View Recommended Gray Tree Frog Setup
3. Dart Frogs (Dendrobates sp.)
Dart frogs are a small terrestrial frog also commonly known as a poison arrow frog. There are many different species in a range of fantastic colours from bright gold to deep blue, green or even red. These little frogs will climb a little but need floor space more than they need height making them another great option for a compact enclosure.
Dart frogs thrive in a live enclosure with roots, plants and a small body of water making them a great choice when setting up a paludarium or bioactive terrarium. We have 2 features including dart frogs in the Northampton store and both are gorgeous!
We have a setup list and care sheet available for this species on our website. To see what we have in stock please check our animal list for the Northampton and Towcester stores.
>> View Recommended Dart Frog Setup
4. Red eye tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas)
Red eye tree frogs are the iconic tree frog. With bright green, yellow and blue bodies and vibrant red eyes these are spectacular pets. This species grows fairly large so we would have a 45x45x60 cm terrarium for 1-2 frogs.
They need humidity, warmth and UVB and they can be quite sensitive but the reward is worth the work. Though they are slow through most of the day we see ours light up whenever it’s meal time or when they are sprayed. As with the other colourful frogs in this list, they look magnificent when paired with a live enclosure and jungle plants.
They are one of the most asked for pet frogs in the store and as long as you have the set up perfect from day one there is no reason they would not make a great pet frog for beginners. We have a setup list and care sheet available for this species on our website. To see what we have in stock please check our animal list for the Northampton and Towcester stores.
>> View Recommended Red Eye Tree Frog Setup
5. White's tree frogs (Litoria caerulea)
The White's Tree Frog is the largest arboreal frog in this list. They are normally light blue or green with white underbellies and can get to 5 inches in length. They are quite a lazy frog so can be caught and handled with relative ease. This couples with their large size makes them one of the most easy to find and most handleable in the list.
We sell more of these than most other arboreal frogs and they are out most popular amphibian in store for families. We have a setup list and care sheet available for this species on our website. To see what we have in stock please check our animal list for the Northampton and Towcester stores.
