Around the world there are over 3,500 species of Frogs, with 80 species native to the United States.There are a variety of environments where they live.Some prefer wet, cool habitats, while others prefer hot and humid tropical habitats.If you've purchased a frog at your local pet store, the store employees should have a good idea of what type of environment your frog likes.Make sure your frog's habitat resembles its natural environment as closely as possible and help it prepare for the winter by making sure its needs are met
Step 1: Move the wild frog to a body of water.
When the water is frozen in October, the aquatic frog needs a lake or pond deep enough to escape.If you come across a frog in a pond that is less than 40 cm deep, the water may freeze all the way through.If this is the case, you'll have to either move the frog to a lake or bring it to your home for the winter.Depending on your community and ability to care for a frog over the winter, you can either relocate the frog or bring it indoors.Talk to a local wildlife biologist if you're not sure what to do.Some high schools may have wildlife biologists as well as wildlife experts.
Step 2: The frog should be in an indoor environment.
If you want to care for a frog over the winter, you'll need to create a comfortable habitat for the frog.The best environment for indoor care is a glass aquarium.Make sure your frog has some type of shelter within the aquarium in case it wants to hide, as well as a suitable substrate for digging/burrowing.Depending on the type of frog you're caring for, put down a bed of gravel in part or all of the aquarium.The tree frog prefers a sterile mix of sand and soil.Plants can be provided in aquatic environments.Frogs that hibernate underwater need to be able to take in adequate oxygen through their skin underwater, which means they'll need lots of plants in the water with them.Some animals will try to eat other animals.If you plan on caring for more than one frog, it's best to keep them in the same tank.
Step 3: Make sure the frog has food.
It will need to have its basic needs met, even if it was purchased in a pet store.Every day your frog will need food.It will need a dish or pool of clean, un-chlorinated water.Frogs eat a lot more food before they go to sleep.Make sure your frog has enough to eat each day.Frogs enjoy insects and slugs in most habitats they live in.Crickets and dechlorination drops can be purchased at most pet stores.
Step 4: The frog should be given a place to rest in its tank.
It's important to provide a suitable environment for your frog, but there should be a place for him to stay during the winter.It depends on the type of frog you're caring for.Chorus Frog, peepers, and gray tree Frogs bury themselves in the soil when they are on land.The frog may need a deeper, richer soil for digging.The wood frog and spring peeper can't dig in the soil.Frogs sometimes bury themselves in leaves on the ground or crawl into cracks in logs or rocks.The true frog is usually found in lakes and ponds.A larger aquatic environment is required for these types of frog.
Step 5: The temperature should be stable.
Depending on the species of frog you're caring for, it may need an overhead heat lamp.It is possible that you will need to mist the tank a few times a day and install a hydrometer to monitor the humidity levels.Most North American salamanders don't need an artificial heat source.Amphibians prefer 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 24 degrees Celsius) in the northern United States, but you should never go higher than 80 degrees.The Argentine Horned Frog and the African Bull Frog need warm temperatures in order to survive.If you want to know if a species needs a heat lamp, talk to an expert at your local pet store.
Step 6: During hibernation, provide food.
Many animals will not eat in the wild.During periods of mild weather, the salamanders come out of their hibernated state, and they typically find food during these periods.Since you're controlling the frog's environment by keeping it indoors, you may want to leave some food nearby.
Step 7: Don't let the urge to disturb your frog get the better of you.
During the inactive hibernation period, Frogs may appear dead.It's best to leave the frog undisturbed during this time, as disrupting its environment could startle it and disrupt its natural hibernation cycle.Some animals prefer to sleep in water.Make sure the water dish in your tank is large enough to hold a frog.
Step 8: Provide a lot of food.
Frogs use up the rest of their fat stores when they emerge from hibernation, but they need to return to their usual diet.Since your frog was in a milder environment, it may not have stored up as much fat as it would in the wild.When the frog emerges from its winter slumber, make sure to give it more food in the spring.
Step 9: The wild Frogs need to be released back into the wild.
If you've been caring for a wild frog over the winter, you will need to release it back into the wild.After coming out of hibernation, Frogs in the wild will look for mates.If you want to start the mating process, you should release the wild Frogs near a pond or lake.Frogs should not be released near roads.Frogs are hit by vehicles while trying to cross the road.Release your wild frog as close to the water as possible, and don't disturb it after it's been released.Don't be alarmed if the frog leaves the pond.Frogs stay away from water until they reach sexual maturity, which can take two to three years.
Step 10: In cold weather, consider saving wild spawn.
If your frog has enough food after it's been dead for a while, it will survive a cold spell in the spring.It may not survive if the weather gets cold in the spring.Frogs lay their spawning in shallow water, which is susceptible to frost.If a cold spell comes on suddenly, you can rescue the frog's offspring by placing them in a bucket.They should be kept indoors until the weather gets slightly warmer.When releasing the spawn, make sure you do it in the pond that you saved them from.Do not try to raise it.To save them from a frost, only take them indoors and return them to the wild as soon as possible.