Ribbet!

Pet day is just around the corner and Tonya reminded me today that I made a not-so nice comment about our one and only pet, so, I decided to make a whole post in honor of our beloved Mr. Frog...

First, I have figured out the Mr. Frog is really a Miss Frog...it only took me like 3 1/2 years to figure this out. I have a weird history of getting a pet, giving it a very gender specific name and then finding out later (much) that it is not the sex I thought (Miss Kitty who was really Mr. Cat, which we finally stuck with MC).



Second, I have a renewed love for Miss Frog and I really don't want her to die...really. I'm just lazy...and pathetic...really. Plus, now that I know she's a girl-she may be the only girl I ever have;-) So, I'm gonna cherish her even more now;-)



Ok, so here's a few things I found interesting about my beloved pet, uh I mean my kids pet. She's a Pipidae frog-an aquatic species (kinda like a gold fish in habits) also known as an African Clawed Frog. She does have claws too-little black claws on her first 3 toes on each foot (this is normal, really).



I originally ordered her thru a great site called grow-a-frog. This company carries a really cool lifetime guarantee (which we used once in the beginning b/c our original tadpole died early on)-oh, did I mention I've (I mean my boys) raised this frog since it was a wee tadpole?



Ok, some more fun facts about Missy...she has no tongue. She makes no noise (but male frogs can). She can jump so we have to keep a lid on her tank so she doesn't jump out and die (she doesn't "want" out, she just likes to jump-but since she's aquatic, she would die quickly out of water). She has a really cool "stitch-like" pattern on her and it literally looks like she's had surgery with staple marks. Oh, and she has no eye lids, yet the info site I found said these types of frogs do sleep.



Here's another really cool fact about frogs...have you ever wondered what happens to frogs when it gets cold? I mean, it's not like they go south for the winter??? Well, they actually do something similar to how a bear hibernates. It's kinda detailed but the essentially slow down there body functions (after they cover themselves in mud) and then reanimate in the Spring (or warmer weather). Am I boring you? Oh well, more about Missy...

She's supposedly about twice the size of a male and she has gotten quite pudgy over time so she's been on a few calorie restrictive diets. The aquarium store I get her food from says she'll eat and eat if I let her and frankly, the bigger a tank I put her in, the bigger she'll get-so, I've left her in a little 1 gallon tank since it works so well in our kitchen on the counter. We don't hold her or anything. We just watch her swim. She'd actually as tall as the tank when she stands up and we've done our fair share of laughing when she "swims in place" against the side of the tank, but of course, doesn't get anywhere;-)

She also breathes air vs. having gills. So she must surface every so often to get a fresh breathe. She uses her hands to shove food in her mouth and we have to use sand (I chose orange) vs gravel or stones because she could accidentally ingest a small rock (and choke, and die;-(

While school is very hard for me at times, I'm so glad for these silly projects and "pet days" as they make me use my brain again and I truly hope some of you out there were enlightened by my frog report and maybe even will add one to your family:-) Ribbet!

PS She can lay eggs but without a male, no babes are in her future;-)

PPS All this frog talk has cost me...I've ordered 2 more frogs, one boy and one RARE white frog-oh la la! And a new orange habitat (and a few other accessories!!!). Thanks Tonya!

PPPS I found alot of this info here

What kind of shoes do frogs wear?
Open toad!

What do frogs do with paper?
Rip-it!

How does a frog feel when he has a broken leg?
Unhoppy.

What happened to the frog's car when his parking meter expired?
It got toad!!

What does a frog say when it sees somethin' great?
Toadly awesome!

And my fav:

What did the frog order at McDonald's?
French flies and a diet Croak

Oh and I'll need names for my new pets...otherwise they'll be Whitey and Boy...please don't let that happen.

I hope you don't have Batrachophobia- Fear of amphibians, such as frogs, newts, salamanders, etc. or Ranidaphobia- Fear of frogs.