beginner here !

[kenshin]

hi all

i own some gecko's but i want to start with some frogs now.

i know absolutely nothing about the care and housing they need, and what species to get.

what can you experts suggest to me being a total frog nOOb ?

i mean what species are the best for beginners ?
what are measurements for a terrarium ?

gimme some pointers plZ ??
thx a bunch !

[Double J]

If you have never kept a frog before... I would recommend getting a firebelly toad. They are inexpensive (around $10 dollars per frog), hearty as anything, and about as bulletproof as a frog can get. They are a lot more interesting as a starter frog than something like a green tree frog, because a firebelly will not be a green lump on the glass all day. These frogs can be fairly active, and are extremely aggressive eaters. The setup can be as simple or as elaborate as you like as well. The best setup for them if you are a beginner is as follows....
1) a ten gallon tank with a screen top
2) a nice big water dish that can give a decent swimming area, but is easy to get out of the tank. I recommend changing the water every other day, and using bottled spring water, or tap water treated with a dechlorinator/dechloraminator. Put a sprig of pothos in there, or a small piece of cork bark as a haulout area in the water.
3) the substrate should be one thing... either eco-earth or bed-a-beast.. both of which are coconut husk fibers that look like (but are much cleaner than) a reddish soil. Plants can be planted dirtectly in the substrate with this giving a more natural look. Eco earth or bedabeast comes in bricks and expands when you put it in water to about 10 liters of substate... it is the best and most inexpensive substrate on the market. I use it in one form or another in all of my amphibian tanks.. except for my aquatic newts.
4) a few live plants.... pothos or philodendrons are the best as they are hearty and grow well in a low light situation. When you get them from the store.... wash off the leaves, and get rid of ALL the soil. This can contain fertilizers or pesticides that will damage your amphibian. You can repot them in the pots with your eco earth.. or directly plant them in the substrate.. your choice.
5) a cheap fluorescent light fixture is a good idea. An 18 inch undercabinet fixture can be bought for around 8 dollars at wal-mart or Canadian Tire. They will amply light up the tank, and your plants will grow like weeds. Stay away from incandescent lights as they tend to dry things up and heat up the tank beyond what is comfortable for the frog.
6) you will need a good calcium supplement as well. Go with either Rep-Cal with vitamin D3 or Miner-All I. It will make a big difference. Stay away from crap like Herpcare Cricket dust, or Zoo-Med Reptivite (not to be confused with herptiite by rep-cal).
Feed each frog 4 crickets 3 or 4 times weekly, dusting them at every feeding.
Also, these frogs do not really need any supplemental heating. So don't let the pet store sell you any undertank heaters or heat lamps. The frogs do not need them. Also, do not mix them with any other species as they are aggressivce feeders and any non firebelly toad cage mates will be missing limbs. Don't let the petstore tell you otherwise. They often are not as knowledgebale as they seem to be.
So... good luck. Firebelly toads are beautiful amphibians that you will enjoy for years to come. I have actually bred these frogs and am currently raising up the froglets. I love them.... and I highly recommend them. You can find them at just about any petstore. Good luck, and feel free to ask any more questions. When I get a chance, I will post pics of my setup so you can get an idea.. though mine is a lot different than what I outlined in this post.
Double J

[DragnDrop]

Yup... Double J just about covered it all. They are good hardy first frogs. What I consider the biggest reason for not mixing them with other species is the possible transfer of parasites that one species can tolerate but will decimate the other. And in the case of Firebelly Toads... they are constantly prowling for someone to breed with. The males will amplex anything that moves, no matter what species, gender or size, even your hands and fingers will do :) It's just too much for some of the calmer and shyer species.

[kenshin]

thx guys !
this helps me alot.
let's see if the local stores can help me :D

i'll keep you informed.